Strike Call

[Stk004]

2 hours ago, lawump said:

I always thought that Randy Marsh had a great verbal strike call...so I stole it.  Jeff Nelson was a mentor of mine back in my pro days.  He works the scissors (as do I...in fact he taught me the scissors (that was back in the day when NL umps had to work scissors and AL umps had to work the box, so you had to know both in case Ed Vargo came to your game and said "let me see you in the scissors"))  so I stole his physical strike mechanic.

Now, when I say "stole" I'm not suggesting that I'm anywhere near as good as either of those two, or that I execute my mechanics as well as either of those two.  But, I did steal.

Some may ask me, "what do you have that's your own?"  The answer is, "a horseSH*# strike zone!"

It's probably been asked here before but what's the advantage to the scissors position, if any? 

[Mussgrass]

31 minutes ago, Stk004 said:

It's probably been asked here before but what's the advantage to the scissors position, if any? 

It sure looks light it would be tiring! I think I could make it through a whole inning in the scissors!

[lawump]

19 hours ago, Stk004 said:

It's probably been asked here before but what's the advantage to the scissors position, if any? 

When I was working the heel/toe (which is now heel/instep...a/k/a "the box") my knees killed me after every game from the torque that is applied to them if you do the box stance the way they (MiLB) wanted you to do.  (And I was doing it correctly...I had a "4.5" rating on my plate work on my last MiLB evaulation.)  

So, when I left MiLB, I decided to try the scissors using what Mr. Nelson had taught me one day in spring training.  If one is doing the scissors correctly, the "stress" is all on the hamstrings, buttocks and quads.  At the beginning of each season, those muscles are sore after the first game or two, but for the remainder of the season...I feel great after each game.  I have little trouble going extra innings.  I did a 15-inning high school state semi-final game and never got sore.  (In fact, it was such an incredible game that I truly did not want it to end.)  

There is some concern in some circles about the scissor stance causing neck issues.  I've never had neck soreness.  I think it is just a matter of making sure your head/neck is in a natural position and that you are not bending it in an awkward manner in order to get it to the slot.  Its also a function of wearing your mask correctly (not too tight) so that it absorbs the blow and not your head/neck (but this is true in any stance).

For me, the advantage (other than not getting sore during the course of a game) is that I can get my head further up into the slot.  It gives me a great look at the plate.  Also, if the batter takes away the slot, I can adjust up and back pretty quickly (I just bring my slot foot back toward my torso...which forces my head higher up.)

Finally, I get hit on unprotected body parts WAY less in the scissors than in the box.  For starters, the inside of your thighs are not exposed in the scissors.  Even your cup is less exposed.  In the scissors, almost all of your body that is facing the pitcher (other than your arms and stomach) has protection on it.  In the box, the inner thigh of your non-slot foot is completely exposed should the ball get by the catcher.  I've had some awful bruises as a result.  I have pictures of literally my entire inner thigh being purple from the groin to the knee as a result of a foul ball direct off the bat.  

[Cav]

I heard (not recently) that the scissors was a prohibited plate stance in MiLB and schools.  The reason I was given was that the stance left little cushion to the upper neck bones when taking a "big league" shot to the mask.  In fact, it "pre-loaded" the neck structure with an "unforgiving" rigidity.       

[MadMax]

@Cav, that’s bunk... several of the instructors, calling their own high-level games, use the scissors (ask @jwclubbie, as we just came from WSC).

The reason it’s prohibited at school and MiLB has very little to do with safety, and more – almost entirely – to do with expertise with it and the temptation for laziness.

You have to track the pitch with your eyes consistently and habitually, else the temptation is to begin to pivot your head. You have to put your hands somewhere (often, on the knee or thigh) with acceptance that they may get hit. As you begin to tire, the back leg starts to bend, and the ground looks so welcoming and tempting upon which to kneel.

In short, you have to be physically tuned and know what you’re doing to do the scissors properly.

These aspiring umpires are not and do not.

For any rationale regarding safety of umpires, coming down from some office in the MLBU complex, you need to look behind the curtain... it’s oftentimes shrouding a different reason. If this wasn’t the case, MLB Umpires would be far more effectively protected, and companies like Team Wendy’s would be actively endorsed and promoted.

[MidAmUmp]

1 hour ago, Cav said:

I heard (not recently) that the scissors was a prohibited plate stance in MiLB and schools.  The reason I was given was that the stance left little cushion to the upper neck bones when taking a "big league" shot to the mask.  In fact, it "pre-loaded" the neck structure with an "unforgiving" rigidity.       

This isn’t bunk...it’s about 75% the reason. The other 25% is evaluations. It’s much easier to evaluate MiLB prospects and current MiLB umpires early in their career if they are all working the same stance. But, yes safety is a major concern when you consider several MLB and MiLB umpires have had their careers cut short due to concussions and head/neck injuries thanks in part to working the scissors or knee. 

[lawump]

http://umpire-empire.com/topic/2206-working-the-scissors-stance/

[th3]

i say something close to "hike" and I hammer

[ilyazhito]

I use the umpire school heel-toe stance, call balls and strikes by number (Ball 1, Strike 1), and point for strikes. I was taught the hammer, but could not assimilate it initially, because the uncaught third strike scenario becomes confusing when the umpire uses the hammer (which is the same as the out signal). I learned the work-around to that situation (call strike 3, signal safe, and say "no catch!"), but I still prefer to point for called strikes. Should I ever go to professional umpire school, I will use the hammer for that, and until I reach full-season A ball, if I am hired to the professional level. If not, I will continue pointing strikes.

[beerguy55]

 

[ilyazhito]

That's a funny style, but not to be used in a serious game. Eddie the Ump (AKA Eddie Reed from NJ, of YouTube fame) is cooler than Drebin, but  Iwouldn't mind working a few games on a crew with both of them.