Dear Catcher.. from your freindly umpire

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sjw62000

just cleaning the dugout
Sep 1, 2018
93
33
North Carolina
I have been reading this thread with a lot of interest and I appreciate all the insight. As a coach and a bucket dad this thread has given me valuable knowledge to pass along to all my players, not just the pitchers and catchers.

Fun anecdote: When my DD first started pitching and she would miss a close one (all pitchers think umps are out to get them) she would stand at the front of the circle and stare at blue. Sometimes with a look of disbelief and sometimes with something a little more disrespectful. I used many conferences to explain to her that staring at blue doesn't help your case. In her defense she hadn't pitched many games and she genuinely believes that she never misses.
 
Aug 13, 2018
70
18
I have been reading this thread with a lot of interest and I appreciate all the insight. As a coach and a bucket dad this thread has given me valuable knowledge to pass along to all my players, not just the pitchers and catchers.

Fun anecdote: When my DD first started pitching and she would miss a close one (all pitchers think umps are out to get them) she would stand at the front of the circle and stare at blue. Sometimes with a look of disbelief and sometimes with something a little more disrespectful. I used many conferences to explain to her that staring at blue doesn't help your case. In her defense she hadn't pitched many games and she genuinely believes that she never misses.

Ha! My daughter likes to sigh heavily when she misses a pitch. It’s not directed at the umpire, she does it in practice even on BAD misses.

Have to had lots of conversations with her that she can’t do that in games because it won’t help. I know the umpire wouldn’t take it out on a 10U girl on purpose but everyone is human! I correct her every time she does it in practice too and she doesn’t do it as much
 
Feb 26, 2018
328
28
Why ask? You can see where the catcher catches it. If I didn’t call it a strike and her glove is outside/inside/low/high, that is where the pitcher is missing. She knows. The catcher knows. No need to ask. No need to answer.

If were feeling particularly cantankerous, I would answer: The strike zone, that’s where she’s missing. ;)
I don't agree with coaches yelling from the dugout at the ump asking where the pitch was. You either talk to your catcher when they come in, or a quick convo with the ump to see where P is missing as you walk to 3B.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
Is asking for a count really an issue, or do you just mean that you don't respond specifically to the coach and just announce the count on request? I feel like this request happens a lot during a game.

If I am asked the count, I avoid giving the count directly to the coach - I willl just announce the count to everyone. Small thing, but I don't want to give any sort of signal directly to the coach.

If they ask "Is it 2-1?" I may give them a quick nod if they have it right. If they are not right I will announce the count I have so there is no doubt on the count I have.

If I have it wrong - I expect my partner or the official scorer to correct me. Even the best umpire occasionally misses clicking his indicator or forget a pitch. Remember if I have it wrong, then the official score book is more official than my count so if it actually strike three, it is strike three even if I had it as strike two. If there is a dispute, I want to resolve it as soon as possible.
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
Back when DD was a catcher, she attended a Catching Camp clinic and greeting the umpire was something that stuck with me and I always encouraged her to do it. She never did -- too timid -- but it's interesting to hear that it's not always appreciated.

Sorry if I made it sound as if it wasn’t appreciated — it certainly is. I was just trying to make people aware some of those things are in contradiction to the training some umpires receive. (Whether you agree or not, it is like any other potential cultural difference. It isn’t intentional.)
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
I don't agree with coaches yelling from the dugout at the ump asking where the pitch was. You either talk to your catcher when they come in, or a quick convo with the ump to see where P is missing as you walk to 3B.

I gave this a “like” but it deserves a quote.

You don’t sit in your office and scream questions at your co-workers in the next cubicle. Don’t do it on the field. If you want to come talk to me, I am happy to talk to you. If you want to yell at me, we have a problem. If you want to yell at me in the moment, we have a bigger problem. It’s simple respect.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
If I have it wrong - I expect my partner or the official scorer to correct me. Even the best umpire occasionally misses clicking his indicator or forget a pitch. Remember if I have it wrong, then the official score book is more official than my count so if it actually strike three, it is strike three even if I had it as strike two. If there is a dispute, I want to resolve it as soon as possible.

I know it's usually a big no-no for an umpire to interject himself to overrule another umpire even if he's 100% sure the other umpire blew the call. I assume this is one of those cases where it's acceptable for the base umpire to call time and quickly confer with the plate umpire to correct the count?
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
This isn’t conferring on a call, so much different scenario. And it’s not “overruling”! :mad::)

No, it would not be inappropriate to confer. There are a few different schools of thought on this ...

One school is for umpires to have a discreet signal to each other that indicates one of them needs a “count check”. The partner should give the count discreetly. (No, I’m not spilling what those secret signals are. :censored:)

The other school, which seems to be more “modern” is not to conceal it. If an umpire needs a count, he/she is to verbally ask “Jerry, what do you have for the count?” The partner should verbally provide the count. If they don’t match, then they can get together.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
You don’t sit in your office and scream questions at your co-workers in the next cubicle. Don’t do it on the field. If you want to come talk to me, I am happy to talk to you. If you want to yell at me, we have a problem. If you want to yell at me in the moment, we have a bigger problem. It’s simple respect.
Agree with this. That said, if somebody did do this my first action would not to be confrontational about it but to simply (and calmly) say that if you want a question to be answered then please come and talk to me. If the guy kept yelling at me then sure at some point I would get red-faced :)
 
Feb 19, 2016
280
28
Texas
We had a couple of umpires this year that would signal where the pitch missed on every ball. It went over well with the coaches, and made the umpire seem really assured of his own call.
 

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