First 3 and 4 man games this past weekend

[Thunderheads]

I know, I know, .....who care, big deal, blah-blah-blah ...........but ..........

 

I had my first 3 man game this past weekend at a Pastime Tournament, semi-final game at University of Michigan.... what a blast.   I was a little apprehensive at first because I hadn't done it before ...but discussing it beforehand with the other guys and our tournament assignor (UIC for that game), I was convinced it was easy, and would be fun.    No problems!   It's pretty logical when you think about it.

 

Had a shot down the line that landed right on the chalk/paint!  WOW that ball comes down 3rd base line fast!

 

Then ...afterwards was my game to sit, ....and the tourney assignor turned to me right before they went out to do the U14 Championship game ....."Jeff, .... I'd like you to suit up when the time comes, ....I'd like you on the plate for the U15 Championship game."    Yes, I've done championship games before, but .... this was also my first 4 man!   I had one rotation to 3rd with no play .... but .... Sunday was a lot of fun!

 

[maineump]

Congrats -

3-man is the most fun out of all the systems in my opinion - everyone is always on the move.

[BigUmpire]

4 man will spoil you.

[maineump]

4-man can also look real bad if everyone is not on the same page. If there are inexperienced members of the crew, you really need a good pre-game.

A good pre-game and no one will ever know there are 'rookies' on the crew, and you will cruise through the game and have fun.

[Thunderheads]

4-man can also look real bad if everyone is not on the same page. Really need a good pre-game for this

NOPE! We winged it! Believe it or not!  BUT ...I do agree w/ you

 

I was the only one who hadn't done it before ....and fortunately, all went smoothly and without a hitch

[JaxRolo]

Good for you, I love 3-man.

 

 

...Umpiring Mechanics!

[Magic]

Awesome. 3 man is my favorite. Did a 4 man for a High School All Star game and we didn't look good because U2(2nd base) was completely lost even with a thorough pre game.

[law_reb]

Congrats Thunderheads!  Not sure why some feel the need to downplay their new accomplishments.  We're all at different stages in our umpiring careers for a variety of reasons.  In my opinion, I think we should enjoy the new levels and not try to compare ourselves to everyone else around here. I think the variety experiences of the members here adds a lot to the discussion and makes things more interesting.  We may have a D-1 guy, a local league umpire who always works solo, and a Little League volunteer discussing things in the same topic.      

[afaber12]

I found my first 3- and 4-man games - both championship games after a 4 month season - to be scary in the lead up. I suppose not truly scary, but definitely nervous about them because you don't want to suck. I wanted to make sure I was in the right starting positions for the right combos of runners, knew what my responsibilities were, knew what the rotations were... But like you said @Thunderheads, once you get into it (or in my case, after a week of trying to memorise U3's positioning in 3-man) you realise its just a logical extension from 2-man to 3-man to 4-man.

 

You get a rotation done right, or even just get to your spot to call a play ahead of it rather than just getting to the best spot you can because there's not enough time... man it feels really good. And that's before you get the confirming "good call" signal from your partners.

 

Really hoping to get a 3-man or two in a fortnight's time: only postseason games I'll be available for this season.