- Mar 1, 2013
- 416
- 43
"Where was that one blue?"
"I don't know, I was looking in the strike zone"
"I don't know, I was looking in the strike zone"
MARRIARD “Also... there can be NO BLUFF in your actions as an umpire. If I say next time it happens there will be consequences - there WILL be consequences.” [/QUOTE said:Many years ago, when I first started umpiring, it was mostly men’s leagues - some modified fast pitch, some slow pitch, one unlimited arc. (That’s a very strange game.) Many with beer. The very first thing we were taught by our assigner was that if the players or anyone else gets out of line, we had two choices - “warn ‘em or heave ‘em”. And then he would say, “But if you warn them, you can only warn them once. Once you warn them a second time, they know you weren’t serious about that first warning, and most likely won’t mean it the second time either.”
Of course, the better way to avoid real confrontations is to stay away from games played by drunken guys pissin’ in the bushes.
"Where was that one blue?"
"I don't know, I was looking in the strike zone"
THIS post ☝I miss strikes. I miss balls. If it’s a one-off, that’s on me. If my zone is consistently low that day, you need to adjust. The pitcher and catcher know what they need to do.
A few weeks ago, I had zone where I wasn’t calling low strikes and I hated it. I knew it. The team complained about it. Do you know why it was low? The catcher had horrible framing (NOT SELLING), was sitting right on home plate, and I had to adjust to see around him. Fix your catcher.
Another day I had a horrible zone where I was calling strikes too low. I was overheated, exhausted, and not positioning myself properly. That was on me. But I was consistent for 6 innings ... yes, it sucks, but you saw it, you know it, quit complaining and swing.
But players, they don't get to chirp. I have walked towards dugouts before after hearing chirping or a negative comment and said something to the effect of "I don't know who said what I just heard, but next time I hear it, someone is gone" and it always worked because the coach would gain control of the dugout
I will not answer this question. I used to. I absolutely will not anymore.
This is not a question to help a coach adjust a pitcher. It is arguing balls and strikes in a passive-aggressive manner, plain and simple.
I miss strikes. I miss balls. If it’s a one-off, that’s on me. If my zone is consistently low that day, you need to adjust. The pitcher and catcher know what they need to do.
A few weeks ago, I had zone where I wasn’t calling low strikes and I hated it. I knew it. The team complained about it. Do you know why it was low? The catcher had horrible framing (NOT SELLING), was sitting right on home plate, and I had to adjust to see around him. Fix your catcher.
Another day I had a horrible zone where I was calling strikes too low. I was overheated, exhausted, and not positioning myself properly. That was on me. But I was consistent for 6 innings ... yes, it sucks, but you saw it, you know it, quit complaining and swing.
There have been a FEW times where I was legitimately curious about borderline pitches, and usually I'm wondering if it was outside/inside because I can't tell from the side. Did it look good to me? Sure. I'm not asking on a dirt ball. But I'm also not asking on a single pitch that didn't go my way. If I see the same pitch a couple times, I might ask my catcher "was that low?" I'm not passive-aggressively complaining. I'm trying to figure out your zone (and I'm not going to ask you about it because, of course, the implication is that your zone is not the defined zone).
Now a question. Is there a better way to do this? The only reason I'd ask in the moment and not after the inning is half the time I ask my players about a specific pitch in an inning, they've already forgotten.
I don't complain about strike zones (to you... I'll quietly bitch to my AC though!), but if that bad catcher situation arises, how do I get that information from you? I don't expect an umpire to volunteer it, but if I go to talk about the strike zone I'm probably in hot water as it is.