Stay On the Catcher’s Hip

[Velho]

With the youngers, I'll pick up bats on a foul ball that batter has run to 1B. Solely so I can stand it on the plate. Makes me smile and everyone gets a kick out of it.

[Biscuit]

Just to throw it in there, as of 2021, Wendy's (rip) still taught clearing the bat. They taught don't look back, step back with the right leg (mostly to get lower to the ground), and throw the bat straight back.

[jimurrayalterego]

1 hour ago, Biscuit said:

Just to throw it in there, as of 2021, Wendy's (rip) still taught clearing the bat. They taught don't look back, step back with the right leg (mostly to get lower to the ground), and throw the bat straight back.

That's the technique but did they teach that it's not your job, it's a courtesy we extend if NAP.

[BigBlue4u]

16 hours ago, jimurrayalterego said:

Just to throw it in there, as of 2021, Wendy's (rip) still taught clearing the bat. They taught don't look back, step back with the right leg (mostly to get lower to the ground), and throw the bat straight back.

Would that be better if said, "Slide the bat straight back?"

[BigBlue4u]

On 8/26/2025 at 9:17 AM, MadMax said:

Being better at umpiring fundamentals makes you a better umpire, not these trivialities. 

How about this:  Taking care of these trivialities, removing bats when possible, makes you more appreciated as an umpire.

[BigBlue4u]

On 8/26/2025 at 9:17 AM, MadMax said:

Being better at umpiring fundamentals makes you a better umpire, not these trivialities. 

How about this:  Taking care of these trivialities, removing bats when possible, makes you more appreciated as an umpire.

[BigBlue4u]

On 8/26/2025 at 9:17 AM, MadMax said:

Being better at umpiring fundamentals makes you a better umpire, not these trivialities. 

How about this:  Taking care of these trivialities, removing bats when possible, makes you more appreciated as an umpire.

[Velho]

Good enough advice to say it thrice!

[MadMax]

6 hours ago, BigBlue4u said:

Taking care of these trivialities…  makes you more appreciated as an umpire

“Appreciated”? Yes, you are quite correct, I will not argue that sentiment. 

I need to point out, though, that we need to stop (or drastically reduce) the use of “better”. Better than who, or what?? Better how? Who or what are we measuring against? Do we even need to measure?! 

Set a standard, surely, but keep it as fundamentally sound and stable as possible, and meter (or valuate) it Pass/Fail. Grading on a letter or number scale is worthless. All those secondary, or tertiary traits, or characteristics, or practices – such as clearing bats – are certainly appreciated, but not necessary… or more to my point, are not contributing to or detracting from how proficient an umpire is at the fundamentals of officiating the game. 

[jimurrayalterego]

1 hour ago, MadMax said:

"necessary… 

Do you, @SeeingEyeDog, @The Man in Blue think this is a technique and mechanic that shouldn't be taught at pro school anymore because? I know, the amateur liability issue, a red herring, but you can always link some lawsuit to back up your fear. But also, done properly, you need to be still athletic. So if you refrain no one should chastise you if you don't extend the courtesy. 

[SeeingEyeDog]

34 minutes ago, jimurrayalterego said:

Do you, @SeeingEyeDog, @The Man in Blue think this is a technique and mechanic that shouldn't be taught at pro school anymore because? I know, the amateur liability issue, a red herring, but you can always link some lawsuit to back up your fear. But also, done properly, you need to be still athletic. So if you refrain no one should chastise you if you don't extend the courtesy. 

Jim, seriously...I'm flattered to even be asked a question that begins, "Should this still be taught at pro school...". I am in ABSOLUTELY zero position to weigh in on what SHOULD or SHOULDN'T be taught at pro-school. All I can say is...umpiring is something that is under constant evolution. The Wendelstedts have been teaching The Craft collectively longer than I have been alive. Add in Jim Evans and Bill McGowan and others and you're talking about decades of instruction. And yet, how things were taught 50 years ago is not how we are doing them today.

I have a buddy who just graduated pro-school this year. I was asking him recently about what strike mechanics they teach at pro school. And his answer was to demonstrate a very stiff, robotic hammer for strike 1, 2 and 3 and then with no prompting he added, "...and while that's what they teach., nobody leaves pro school still hammering all 3 strike calls."

So, if pro school, ANY pro school wants to teach umpires to clear bats...I have no problem with that, of course. It's simply up to the individual umpire to make their choices for the games they work to decide if they're going to do that or not. And again, I will default to...if the guys who assign me and or sign my checks tell me to clear bats, I'll clear bats. Absent that instruction, I am not touching bats.

~Dawg

[The Man in Blue]

9 hours ago, BigBlue4u said:

Would that be better if said, "Slide the bat straight back?"

[SeeingEyeDog]

5 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said:

[Kevin Bacon enters the chat]: Well you don't know ess, Mr. Garrison because you've never...

You'll just have to watch the film...

~Dawg

[The Man in Blue]

@SeeingEyeDog:

 

Nothing left for me to add.  If there is a textbook definition of NAILED IT, that was it.

 

[jimurrayalterego]

15 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

...if the guys who assign me and or sign my checks tell me to clear bats, I'll clear bats.

~Dawg

Maybe the guy who assigns you doesn't think he needs to tell you this because he thinks all trained umpires have been exposed to this mechanic. It's not like it happens often enough to note it being or not being done.

[SeeingEyeDog]

1 hour ago, jimurrayalterego said:

Maybe the guy who assigns you doesn't think he needs to tell you this because he thinks all trained umpires have been exposed to this mechanic. It's not like it happens often enough to note it being or not being done.

Well...my assigner AND my association president have both been to pro school and this subject has never come up. Will check in for thouroughosity-ness...

~Dawg

[The Man in Blue]

Looking forward to the 6-page NFHS POE next year . . .

[BigBlue4u]

On 8/27/2025 at 11:41 AM, Velho said:

Good enough advice to say it thrice!

😞

Very good!  I didn't know if the first two posts were accepted.

[flyingron]

I always liked bowling candlepins.  Leave the deadwood in the lane, it's part of the game

[flyingron]

I always liked bowling candlepins.  Leave the deadwood in the lane, it's part of the game

[Biscuit]

On 8/27/2025 at 9:50 PM, SeeingEyeDog said:

Jim, seriously...I'm flattered to even be asked a question that begins, "Should this still be taught at pro school...". I am in ABSOLUTELY zero position to weigh in on what SHOULD or SHOULDN'T be taught at pro-school. All I can say is...umpiring is something that is under constant evolution. The Wendelstedts have been teaching The Craft collectively longer than I have been alive. Add in Jim Evans and Bill McGowan and others and you're talking about decades of instruction. And yet, how things were taught 50 years ago is not how we are doing them today.

I have a buddy who just graduated pro-school this year. I was asking him recently about what strike mechanics they teach at pro school. And his answer was to demonstrate a very stiff, robotic hammer for strike 1, 2 and 3 and then with no prompting he added, "...and while that's what they teach., nobody leaves pro school still hammering all 3 strike calls."

So, if pro school, ANY pro school wants to teach umpires to clear bats...I have no problem with that, of course. It's simply up to the individual umpire to make their choices for the games they work to decide if they're going to do that or not. And again, I will default to...if the guys who assign me and or sign my checks tell me to clear bats, I'll clear bats. Absent that instruction, I am not touching bats.

~Dawg

Well, you also have to understand why they teach what they teach. The hammer strikes is for consistency, and to teach you to keep your eyes forward, which is a lesson you can unlearn as you learn the game and know when it is and is not appropriate to look with your mechanic. My understanding is that, unless this has changed recently, you are required to hammer strikes in Rookie (and maybe low A?) ball for the same reasons. They're breaking you down to the fundamentals so you can build on them. 

In most cases, I don't care if an umpire clears a bat or not. However, if you have R2 and a ball to the gap that might turn into a play at the plate and the batter puts the bat in just that one spot up the 3rd base line... Why not? If you don't want to throw the bat to the back stop and just want to get it out of the immediate danger zone, cool. But if you're not clearing the bat, what else are you doing? There's no real reason to not clear the bat, you are improving the game, and it makes you look good. 

[jimurrayalterego]

11 hours ago, Biscuit said:

But if you're not clearing the bat, what else are you doing? 

What else you are doing is watching R2 touch 3B, which is easily done while clearing the bat with Evan's technique. 

[Biscuit]

On 9/3/2025 at 9:55 AM, jimurrayalterego said:

What else you are doing is watching R2 touch 3B, which is easily done while clearing the bat with Evan's technique. 

Fair, haha. But like you said, these are hardly mutually exclusive activities.