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my 2 cents
If your looking for ways to work better with your umpires, I'll help......As far as giving you catcher tips, well lets just say I was the worst back-up catcher on my teams growing up.....
It doesn't take very much to get along with me. Hustle in and out, know how many pitches you are allowed to take in warmups and send it down with out being reminded. Frame pitches but do not pull it.....no one ever had to pull a strike. So if your pulling pitches back into the zone, you and I both know its a ball.
Once your set up, try to stay as still as possible. This gives me a chance to set up correctly without being screened. I promise you this will get you strikes. On appeals I'm not too picky, just ask " can I get an appeal", and I'll go everytime.
You can call me "blue" or sir or Mr. Umpire, Im not one of those guys who thinks blue is derogatory. I know in higher baseball its common for Umpires to be addressed by their first names, but in my experience it is not in the best professional interest of the HS game by having players addressing umpires by their first names. It can appear to a visiting team of an umpire being a "homer"
Im an umpire, a father of a college player and an ex-catcher, so Im a fan of the game. I love hustle, chatter and enthusiasm. I like seeing baseball played with spirit.
Good luck!
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