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Originally posted by Been Dare
I'm just saying that pointing to the side is not, in and of itself, such a deplorable action.
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Well, IMO, it is. The reason I believe that is because you need to remember the purpose for hand signals. They are not for the umpire to put on a show, they are there to inform those out of ear shot of what the call is. Just like holding up an open palm to the pitcher, the umpire must do so in a fashion where the pitcher can see it.
A strike call is no different. A signal to the side is easily blocked by a LH batter or a catcher moving to the LHB box to return the ball to the pitcher. This is why I also have a problem with umpires going directly to a hammer in front of their bodies instead of to the side. Not everyone can see it and when looking directly in from 2B/CF, it gives the impression the PU is shaking a fist at someone.
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I actually took more exception to his penchant for calling (in my opinion) pretty low strikes, and he didn't even show real good consistency there.
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Here's a shock, I've got an answer for that also.
In all the LL play I've seen so far this year (baseball and softball), I've yet to see an umpire get their eye level down to the top of the strike zone. The guy last night only got down to the batter's eyes. Some umpires can adjust for being high, but not everyone can do that.
There is no reason an umpire cannot get to the top of the strike zone, even with small players. All one needs to do is spread, S P R E A D out those feet, get your hands off your knees and sit down. If you don't believe it can happen, go watch Steve M umpire sometime.