First real HS games tonight...pumped

[GreyhoundAggie]

Got a call at 9:30 last night from the assigner to pick up 2 tourney games tonight. It's for a private school tourney. Should be decent I hope.

 

The real games officially start tonight. The high is 68 degrees and should be a gorgeous day for baseball.

 

All you yankees should be jealous

 

I promise not to suck too much I will report how it goes tomorrow.

[BT_Blue]

God I hate you. Still two weeks or so out from starting here.

[GreyhoundAggie]

Had my two games last night. Private school tourney. I got there early and let the coach know i was there.

 

My partner ended up being about 10 minutes late for the game, luckily he showed up dressed.

 

I had the dish for game 1.   It went fine for most of it. Had 3 or 4 pitches I wanted back. There was a little chirping late in the game since it was tight. I completely missed one pitch because I got screened by the batter, and didn't pick up the pitch til really late. It was an all day kinda strike Still working on my slot more too, so that is taking some time as well.

 

Had one of those rollers down the third base line, i got about 4 steps up the line and got set, ball went very close to edge of bag, third baseman caught it about 2 inches to the side of the bag. I called foul. 3rd base coach shook his head and said it hopped the corner of the bag, didn't come down to argue, I just basically said, I called what I can see from here. That is an extremely difficult call from 75 ft away.

 

Only chippy part came late in game. It's a tourney so 2 hour time limit. There is about 18 minutes left, and the losing team is trying to hurry it up. They switch out very quick, and the coach tells me they are ready to go. No warmups. The winning team is still huddled in front of the dugout. It has been maybe 45 seconds so far. I yell out that I need a batter. The coach gets upset. "We're playing baseball here. We have been doing the same routine all game. Not gonna be changed or rushed now. My kids need time to get ready to bat too, etc."   I said he had 1 minute just as the other team does. "It hasn't even been a minute, don't pull this stuff now" I didn't rush either team earlier because both teams were ready to go at the end of warmups, and they were being pretty timely. I don't enforce the 1 minute with a stopwatch

 

We ended up getting through the inning and played 7 in total. The home team tried to give it away by damn near walking the bases loaded. had the tying run at 3rd but couldn't get him home. Of course I was "squeezing" their pitcher at the end. He just couldn't quite hit the zone at the end. Just up, just out, just down, etc.

 

Game 2 went very well on the bases. Had a few bangers, there was lots of running and activity since both teams were walking and swinging the bats. I felt I got all the calls correct.   Only weird thing was at the end of one at bat, bases loaded, 2 outs, kid gets rung up on strike 3. My partner "who has been doing this 25 years he said, and called with the head coach from winning team from game 1, who is also home team this game, and who's kid struck out" does almost a Leslie Nielsen.

 

Throws his hand in the air "normal strike and strike 3 call", but he turns a 360 and kicks his right leg into the air. The 1st base coach the next inning said all they could say was wow, even the runners on base coming off the field were saying "way to show a player up" I mentioned it later on after the game, and my partner said "I don't care what they think, I'm out here to have fun"

 

My partner claimed he has called some independent league ball, been to a Jim Evans clinic years ago, etc. He got the calls right 99% of the time, I just though his mechanics looked poor, and he never got set on the bases really. Not a bad partner, and he is known in the chapter.

 

But got some more rust knocked off. Got a scrimmage tonight and tomorrow. Will work on the plate some more, really try and lock it in before more real games. But excited baseball is here.

Gonna be cold tonight though, 46 degrees at start time. Cold front is blowing in.

 

Sorry for the novel. Really helps having a forum to talk it out and work through it in my mind.

[JamesC]

Had my two games last night. Private school tourney. I got there early and let the coach know i was there.

 

Had one of those rollers down the third base line, i got about 4 steps up the line and got set, ball went very close to edge of bag, third baseman caught it about 2 inches to the side of the bag. I called foul. 3rd base coach shook his head and said it hopped the corner of the bag, didn't come down to argue, I just basically said, I called what I can see from here. That is an extremely difficult call from 75 ft away.

 

I am not entirely sure of the situation (runners, outs, etc.), but with no one on you should go on up the line with the ball if possible. It sounds like it might have been a slow roller, so you should have had time to hustle up the line with the ball. Just some advice.

[GreyhoundAggie]

There were no runners on. I did go up the line with the ball as far as I could. I got set before F5 fielded the ball.

I just didn't see the ball hop the bag. I was about 1/3 up 3rd base line. My mechanics were fine I thought. The coach just said he thought I missed the call. Nothing I can do on that.

 

It was somewhere between a slow roller and a hard hit. It wasn't crawling, but moving slow enough to curve left of the bag.

 

Thanks for the advice James. I always appreciate any info or tips.

[Jocko]

Sounds like you did right. Just make sure you straddle the line when you lock in. I was calling a tourney last season and had a long fly down 3BL. I busted out and locked in just before the ball landed foul. Plain as day 100% got it right. One of my partners was watching and called me to the fence between innings. He said, "Where are your feet supposed to be?" "Straddle the line, Pete. Was I not?" "Nope. Both feet were in fair ground."

In my mind I was lined up correctly. Little things make a big difference. I won't let that happen again.

[GreyhoundAggie]

Thanks Jocko. I was straddled for sure. Balls on the line as it were.

 

Just one of the pitfalls of the 2 man system. That call gets seen much better in a 3 man.

 

But I have definitely caught myself not splitting the line at times. One of my personal POE this year is to make sure and get set for the play. I definitely noticed the difference on the bases last night. Made me a lot more confident in my calls.

[JaxRolo]

Thanks Jocko. I was straddled for sure. Balls on the line as it were.

 

Just one of the pitfalls of the 2 man system. That call gets seen much better in a 3 man.

 

But I have definitely caught myself not splitting the line at times. One of my personal POE this year is to make sure and get set for the play. I definitely noticed the difference on the bases last night. Made me a lot more confident in my calls.

 

Sounds like you did a great job!

[T-Rav]

I hope you had fun and actually get your games in, I was supposed to have a HS game tonight and a DH tomorrow, with my luck I just got the notice they were rained out. 

[NFUA_44]

Thanks Jocko. I was straddled for sure. Balls on the line as it were.

 

Just one of the pitfalls of the 2 man system. That call gets seen much better in a 3 man.

 

But I have definitely caught myself not splitting the line at times. One of my personal POE this year is to make sure and get set for the play. I definitely noticed the difference on the bases last night. Made me a lot more confident in my calls.

Greyhound;

The section in bold will serve you better than anything else you may have picked up over the fall in training, IMO.

It's sounds like you worked hard and had a great couple of games, being able to sit and analyze it for what it is and get others input only makes you better in the long run.

 

The one thing I would share with you is to remember with coaches at the HS level and above is that everything is about "time and place".

Take your time and be in the right place.  They have a pretty good idea of where your supposed to be, and when you are there, in time, and properly set your able to start any conversation about a close play by letting them know you were set, in your spot, and saw the whole play.  Solves a lot of problems right up front.  The other side of it is that your the fresh face, so they feel it's their job to properly make sure your doing your job in their little minds eye.  Over a period of time they'll come to see that you work hard, for them, and yourself, and you'll gain some respect.  Assuming of course you don't go Leslie Neilson on them!

 

Keep working hard, the rewards are awesome.