To Sweep Or Not To Sweep - That Is The Question

[Mad Mike]

Situation: 3-1 count and ball 4 is thrown by team who is behind in the 9th inning. Coach comes out for mound visit. Delays leaving to have a word with the umpire. As you walk him back towards plate area, he says the magic words and you toss him. Now the fun part, he decides to mess up your well swept and clean plate by kicking dirt on it.

Here is some video of the issue: MiLB - Toby Basner Ejects Ranting Rojas Late in Toledo | Close Call Sports & Umpire Ejection Fantasy League

The question is: Do you sweep the plate off or make/ask the catcher to clean it off? Other option is to leave it dirty for a batter and then clean it off. What say you?

[Thunderheads]

Ok, I'll bite ..... 

I'll have f2 do that for me ....

[Rich Ives]

End one argument by starting another is a really good idea.

 

"Why? You're not using it anyhow."

[Thunderheads]

9 minutes ago, Rich Ives said:

End one argument by starting another is a really good idea.

 

"Why? You're not using it anyhow."

Oh Rich, you always see the bright side, don't you?

What argument?  It's really easy: " hey John, would you mind getting the plate for me w/ your mitt? Thanks bud"

AND ...if the question that I posed above gets an answer like you posted .... well that's easy:

F2:  "Why, you're not using it anyhow"

ME: "Well, actually, your pitcher isn't using it"

Funny thing is .... I'm not sure what I'd do in that situation, but I answered it that way KNOWING I'd probably get someone who has an issue with it  

[maven]

I'll be out from behind the plate for the EJ (I'm not back there when time is called because I have no interest in getting drilled by idiot teenagers deciding randomly to pitch).

On the way back, I'll briefly kick the dirt off the plate (if you weren't watching for it, you wouldn't see it). If F2 cares, he might give it a brush with his mitt. If not, away we go.

[Biscuit]

I'd probably clean it, but I'd wait for the coach to be gone. He doesn't get to watch me do it.

[maven]

12 hours ago, Biscuit said:

I'd probably clean it, but I'd wait for the coach to be gone. He doesn't get to watch me do it.

You might consider whether you're too involved: once he's gone, who cares what he's watching? That gives him too much power over you.

I delay only for him to clear the visual confines of the field. That's required by rule, not my ego.

[Biscuit]

41 minutes ago, maven said:

You might consider whether you're too involved: once he's gone, who cares what he's watching? That gives him too much power over you.

I delay only for him to clear the visual confines of the field. That's required by rule, not my ego.

I think we're saying the same thing. What I meant is, I'm not gonna brush the plate until he's left, because I'm not going to let him stand there "while gathering his stuff" and make a big deal about me having to clean up after him. I'll wait for him to leave, then, without making a big deal of it myself, clean the plate and get back to work.

My goal is to make it seem routine, and just in the course of my job. By making the catcher do it, I feel like I'm drawing attention to it.

[JonnyCat]

11 hours ago, Biscuit said:

I think we're saying the same thing. What I meant is, I'm not gonna brush the plate until he's left, because I'm not going to let him stand there "while gathering his stuff" and make a big deal about me having to clean up after him. I'll wait for him to leave, then, without making a big deal of it myself, clean the plate and get back to work.

My goal is to make it seem routine, and just in the course of my job. By making the catcher do it, I feel like I'm drawing attention to it.

Although this has never happened to me, I'm inclined to agree with you. Once he's off the field, I would probably clean the plate have have a chuckle inside while doing it. Maybe think in my head all the clever things I would like to say to him. Some of them, okay most of them, NSFW!

If he wants to be an A$$hat and emulate his favorite MLB manager, that's on him. I still want to be able to see the plate. 

[BT_Blue]

On 2/4/2021 at 10:02 AM, maven said:

I'll be out from behind the plate for the EJ (I'm not back there when time is called because I have no interest in getting drilled by idiot teenagers deciding randomly to pitch).

On the way back, I'll briefly kick the dirt off the plate (if you weren't watching for it, you wouldn't see it). If F2 cares, he might give it a brush with his mitt. If not, away we go.

I'm probably with you here. I'm using my foot. I think it is also so that I'm not taking my focus away from what is happening both on and off the field. I dont want to put my head down just in case I need to take care of other business.

The plate will get the brush the next batter.

[MadMax]

On 2/4/2021 at 10:43 AM, Thunderheads said:

I'll have f2 do that for me ....

And get a shower of grit and a cloud of lingering dust in my face on the subsequent high pitch? No thank you! I don't want a F2 using his mitt to brush off the plate. I've spent 29 years behind the plate, I know exactly where it and the strike zone is. It can endure some dirt blanketing it for a pitch or two, thankyaverymuch.

[lawump]

First, let me say from personal experience Rojas is a piece of SH*# and I'd tell him that to his face if he walked into my office right now.  I had the pleasure of throwing him out at a plate meeting; he's that big of a POS.

With that said, to answer the question in the OP, I'd want to know what level of baseball I was working.  If it was a professional game, there is no way I'm brushing off the plate.  And, I'd hope for the next pitch to be right down the middle.  I would then "ball" the pitch.  And when F2 asked where that pitch was located, I'd respond with, "how do I know, I can't see the plate."  At that point, F2 is either going to clear the plate or get ejected.  I wouldn't care which route he took, either.  (With that said...I understand that now with computer evaluations  existing in MLB and in the Arizona Fall League, I probably couldn't "ball" a "cockshot" at those levels, but I'm still not cleaning the plate.)  There was a game in the 1990's where John Shulock gave his brush to F2 and F2 cleaned the plate.  He became my hero that day, LOL.  

At the amateur level...clear off the plate (at some point before the next pitch) and move on with the game.  Things are handled differently on the pro level vs. the amateur (even college) level.  I'd probably just give it a few kicks with my foot and then fully brush it between innings (assuming no normal play had dirtied it during that same half inning).

[Thunderheads]

9 minutes ago, lawump said:

  There was a game in the 1990's where John Shulock gave his brush to F2 and F2 cleaned the plate.  He became my hero that day, LOL.  

 

LOL!  I remember that!  

[ArchAngel72]

foot clean then before next batter brush.

 

[SH0102]

I am new to this site, and new to NCAA umpiring, but my personal opinion is that I want to be the most professional person on the field.  I am not going to feel like I lose credibility in my duties because I clean the plate for the kids.  I am not punishing a catcher or pitcher because of what his adult coach decided to do.

I am cleaning the plate, putting the ball in play, and focusing on the next pitch and continuing to do a good job until the final out.