Do you go over the current situation in your head?

[Scissors]

Maybe this is just because I'm newer, this is my second season, but when I'm calling a game and there's 2 strikes, I constantly tell myself "Ok, two strikes, don't forget to ring him up if it's a strike, could be dropped third." I try to do this so I don't look dumb in case I forget the count or improperly call the batter out on a dropped third. Anyone else do this or does it become natural eventually?

[KenBAZ]

Good question, I think most of umpiring is forming good mental habits that lead to good physical habits. I am mentally holding the count and number of outs in my mind and then I react to what I see and hear.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[umpstu]

1 hour ago, Scissors said:

Maybe this is just because I'm newer, this is my second season, but when I'm calling a game and there's 2 strikes, I constantly tell myself "Ok, two strikes, don't forget to ring him up if it's a strike, could be dropped third." I try to do this so I don't look dumb in case I forget the count or improperly call the batter out on a dropped third. Anyone else do this or does it become natural eventually?

Good practices.  Calling the batter out on a dropped 3rd strike, ( And we've all done it), would be more of a timing or not tracking properly type of issue.  And your best looking punch outs always seem to be on strike 2.

[Replacematt]

3 hours ago, Scissors said:

Maybe this is just because I'm newer, this is my second season, but when I'm calling a game and there's 2 strikes, I constantly tell myself "Ok, two strikes, don't forget to ring him up if it's a strike, could be dropped third." I try to do this so I don't look dumb in case I forget the count or improperly call the batter out on a dropped third. Anyone else do this or does it become natural eventually?

Going over the situation pre-pitch is taught at school and at clinics. You need to know the count, outs, position of the runners, and what your rotations and responsibilities are on each potential outcome of that pitch. 

[stevis]

To me it's just like the players are supposed to do--think about what their role is if a ball goes here, or if it goes there--it's the mental preparation that gives you an edge.

[Thunderheads]

9 hours ago, Matt said:

Going over the situation pre-pitch is taught at school and at clinics. You need to know the count, outs, position of the runners, and what your rotations and responsibilities are on each potential outcome of that pitch. 

Although Matt is 100% correct ..... if there's one thing I've learned from baseball:  YOU NEVER know what's going to happen!  Therefore, in reality, you can't go over EVERYTHING that COULD happen because you'd be consumed with those thoughts instead of the flow of the game.  For me, as Matt says, ... count, outs, position of runners is first, then, I follow the ball/play and PAUSE, READ and REACT to what happens.  Granted 99.9999% of all the stuff I do is 2 man, and you'll be thinking about rotations and responsibilities much more when you're in a 4 man.

[noumpere]

43 minutes ago, Thunderheads said:

Granted 99.9999% of all the stuff I do is 2 man, and you'll be thinking about rotations and responsibilities much more when you're in a 4 man.

I think that's just because you are more used to 2-man, so it's second nature and you don't need to consciously think about all the stuff.  If you worked four-man all the time, that would be second nature and you wouldn't need to think about it as much, either.  And, since there's less movement, there's less to think about.

[Thunderheads]

2 minutes ago, noumpere said:

I think that's just because you are more used to 2-man, so it's second nature and you don't need to consciously think about all the stuff.  If you worked four-man all the time, that would be second nature and you wouldn't need to think about it as much, either.  And, since there's less movement, there's less to think about.

that makes a lot of sense!  

[SeeingEyeDog]

Maybe it's a holdout from my playing days...I remember very clear the day at practice when my coach said, "Before every pitch, think to yourself...what am I going to do if the ball is hit to me and what am I going to do if the ball is not hit to me?"

That mindset guides me as an umpire, too. Before every pitch, I am thinking through options, "What am I doing if it's down the 1B line? The 3B line? Fly ball? Ground ball?" Pause, Read, React is always going to serve you best because you cannot prepare for every scenario on every pitch. Quickly thinking through some possibilities is part of how I prepare my brain to Pause, Read React. As always...YMMV.

~Dog

[Kevin_K]

19 hours ago, KenBAZ said:

Good question, I think most of umpiring is forming good mental habits that lead to good physical habits. I am mentally holding the count and number of outs in my mind and then I react to what I see and hear.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 

Is that because you may not be using one of those indiclickerators?

[TheRockawayKid]

But be ready for the fact that you'll ring someone up on strike 2, or call a normal strike on strike 3. It happens to all of us -- or it has happened to all of us at least once. Even the majors. 

[MadMax]

On 7/13/2020 at 4:15 PM, Kevin_K said:

Is that because you may not be using one of those indiclickerators?

@KenBAZ doesn’t not use one. I do... or, er, don’t. 

On a serious note, my lack of an indicator has likely helped me remembering the count, and not ringing up batters on the 2nd strike (for several years now, knock on wood). I also actively, and nearly every time, announce the count on 1-2, 2-1, and 3-2 (also on 3-0, but irrelevant to my point). This is a part of the pre-pitch preparedness process.

Know what else helps? Having a ꓘ punchout you’re comfortable on and well-practiced , not experimenting with. 

[Kevin_K]

1 hour ago, MadMax said:

@KenBAZ doesn’t not use one. I do... or, er, don’t. 

On a serious note, my lack of an indicator has likely helped me remembering the count, and not ringing up batters on the 2nd strike (for several years now, knock on wood). I also actively, and nearly every time, announce the count on 1-2, 2-1, and 3-2 (also on 3-0, but irrelevant to my point). This is a part of the pre-pitch preparedness process.

Know what else helps? Having a ꓘ punchout you’re comfortable on and well-practiced , not experimenting with. 

Amen @MadMax! 

Several years ago (May 21, 2015) I abandoned their use and my focus on all things pre-pitch has been much sharper.  I have rarely lost the count in the ensuing years. 

Additionally, removing my mask is also easier with the use of all of my short stubby fingers. The first time I did that I had a moment of enlightenment and realized I would never again have to worry about diamond dust gumming up the number wheels should I drop my indicator.

[Jimurray]

46 minutes ago, Kevin_K said:

Amen @MadMax! 

Several years ago (May 21, 2015) I abandoned their use and my focus on all things pre-pitch has been much sharper.  I have rarely lost the count in the ensuing years. 

Additionally, removing my mask is also easier with the use of all of my short stubby fingers. The first time I did that I had a moment of enlightenment and realized I would never again have to worry about diamond dust gumming up the number wheels should I drop my indicator.

Would one or both of you confirm that MLB now require PUs to use an indicator because without one and a giant scoreboard they got the count wrong in an MLB game. But if you can do it good for you. 

[dumbdumb]

12 hours ago, Jimurray said:

Would one or both of you confirm that MLB now require PUs to use an indicator because without one and a giant scoreboard they got the count wrong in an MLB game. But if you can do it good for you. 

I am with you on the confirmation, but that doesn't mean anyone has to hold it in their hand.

They can keep it in the ball bag and just pull it out for show and tell as needed. They can set it on 0-0 and just move it where they want it from there as they take it out of the left ball bag. They got 80 billion in scoreboard monitoring equipment that they can peak at anytime they want to, and just call out to the pitcher and use finger count if scoreboard is wrong. And of course you can do a Cederstrom manuever and go to the phone or headsets anyway if you feel you messed up. Better to get it right and face the pain of basically pulling the book out than err on stubbornness, or at least the book says so.

And who says for those that carry,  if you by chance mess up on the indicator that you look down on after every stinking pitch and go to your partners to replay the pitch sequence they don't mess up with you. Sometimes things can't be corrected and you just do the best you can.

[Sut'n Blue]

With two strikes I tell myself "possible rip, possible or not possible drop." When working solo, which I do too much of, I will often do the signals I would give a partner if I had one (though much more subtly then I would if I actually had a partner) as it helps me keep the situation current.