Catcher tapping helmet on ball calls

[BLarson]

13U USSSA baseball.

Had a game the other night where a couple pitches that I called a ball on the outside, the catcher would turn his head to his dugout and tap his helmet.

I didn't think much of it in real time, but between innings when I had more time, I was wondering if he was just communicating to his coach, or doing it to mimic MLB catchers who want the called ball to be reviewed.

I asked our assigner and he didn't think it was a big deal and "college catchers all have a secret signal to the dugout if they disagree with an umpire call".
I get that, but this seems to me he's letting everyone know he didn't like it and would have it reviewed if he could

Nothing?  Something?  Either way is fine, however, I wouldn't want the catcher consistently doing this on every ball he didn't like.

 

[wolfe_man]

A helmet tap is not secret... anymore.  If it ever was a secret, it's out of the bag now.

Now, as to what to do about it.  I'm not sure you can do much officially here.  If you mention something to F2 and he responds negatively, do you want an issue with him or the coach over it?  My two cents, let it pass unless it's egregious or over-the-top.

[JonnyCat]

13U USSSA? Yeah, I'd have a word with that little bastard.

I'd make sure he knew that if he was tapping on his helmet like a major or minor leaguer, he might not be long for this game.

To me, it's no different than a player drawing a line in the dirt with his bat.

JMO

[The Man in Blue]

Interesting that I log on here to see this conversation . . . just had dinner after a game with one of my assignors (the one that I like -- just in case he is reading on here ).

As we were watching a couple of the MLB games on, he brought this up.  His approach was that NFHS will need to take a stance on this, probably sooner rather than later.  We haven't encountered it yet, but you know it is coming.

At first, he was a little ambivalent on it, but I turned the table and asked it this way:

A batter draws the line outside . . . we see that as an immediate eject button.  Knowing that we do not and will not have replay at this level, why would we consider the head tap to be anything other than expressing displeasure and attempting to show up the umpire?

(I asked it this way knowing he had a game last year where they ejected a middle school kid for drawing the line.)

[Jay R.]

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association told baseball umpires not to tolerate it. First instance, team warning; subsequent ejection.

[MadMax]

On 3/31/2026 at 2:42 PM, BLarson said:

13U USSSA baseball

Oh how cute. Little nosewiper has finally stepped onto the 60-90 diamond, and he’s got himself a catching personal instructor / coach who’s taught him this crap, or he’s imitating the Big League catchers, thinking that because he’s now a tough teenager, he can get the adults riled up by being demonstrative. 

Yes, I have witnessed travel-ball parents (I call them “travel-ball invested parents”… either “travesties” or “Foul TIPs”… I’m mulling it over) try to impress upon the umpires – thru the fence – that they have video; or, barring that, they go track down the TD or Site-UIC, phone clutched in their hand, to show “just how bad (that) Blue is!” This is typical USSSA modus operandi, but not limited to just USSSA. Of course, since USSSA (prides itself!) on using OBR (predominantly), you get all manner of grief at amateur umpires expected to not only call rules-&-zones-meant-for-pro-adults-but-used-by-kids, but to treat those same kids on an ever-shifting scale ("too harsh, Blue! No feel!" – "that's a little kid zone you're calling, Blue! My players are savages!")

While I agree you shouldn’t ignore it, I’d spar with it, implying that it is not effective, not applicable, not worth it, and should not continue. I’d rather channel the kid towards the futility of continuing or pursuing it, rather than going right to showing / detailing the nuclear option. I’d rather spar with the kid, saying things like “What’s that (gesturing) for?” or “You know that’s not going to work, right?” and have him tell his coach, “Blue’s on to us (or something to that effect)”, instead of, “Blue’s said he’s gonna eject me if I do ~this~ again”… because at whatever age < 18, it’ll always come off as I’m the big, bad Blue who doesn’t have a feel for the kids "just being kids". 

Edited April 2 by MadMax
multiple spelling, grammatical, and structural errors corrected, due to travel

[The Man in Blue]

Important detail that I need before weighing in on @MadMax’s take …

How many fake gold chains is Tommy Nosewiper wearing?

[grayhawk]

Was on a call with two prominent NCAA assigners tonight and they endorsed the IAWE protocol for these instances.

[TheLovejoy]

I might quote it wrong, but I think on like the first or second page of the NFHS 2026 case book, it says first time is a team warning, second time is an ejection. 

Edit: I think I lied. I cannot find it in the case book anywhere. I'm not sure where I read this, but I explicitly remember seeing this for an NFHS case play, or example.