[gordon30307]

Originally posted by mcrowder
Umpires yelling anything other than SAFE, OUT, or other calls that players need to hear is probably a bad mechanic. But regardless of the mechanic you and your partner decide to use, make SURE you are exactly on the same page regarding how you are going to do it - sounds like you thought you were going in, until it came time to actually do it.

Another reason this should be a look, and not a yell, is - once coach sees this once, if he hears you do it again and you (PU) DON'T have the call (perhaps there was other items more directly your responsibility that you were watching), coach will be irate that you "missed" the pulled foot (whether there was one or not!)

The mechanic that I, and my guys, use is for BU, when unsure about a possible pulled foot, to glance quickly at PU. If PU has seen a pulled foot, he's got his hands near his sides, pointing out (sort of a mini-safe-signal). If he either has an out, or did not see the play, he does nothing. This way, BU makes the call relatively seamlessly and coaches are not alerted to anything at all.

With all of the guys that I've worked with including a number who went to professional umpire schools and all of the camps and clinics that I've attended and I've been to the Jerry Davis umpiring clinic twice I've never heard of hand signals being used between the base umpire and the plate umpire when it comes to a pulled foot or swipe tags at first base. I've been asked for help verbally and I've asked for help verbally and the defense is never confused. And so what if the coaches know that you as base umpire asked for help on a pulled foot.Asking for help is the proper mechanic. Done properly there's a second or two delay when you make your call. Hey if I'm wrong refer me to a recognized source that hand signals are the proper mechanic.