[umpandy]

Ladies and Gentlemen (and boys in some cases),

Professional [third-dropped strike] Mechanics that we can all take home are in place from Rookie Ball/A-Ball up to the Major Leagues. Maybe its not something you don't catch at home, but the professionals at this level are paid well to make the big calls correctly. Home Plate Umpires do NOT make a ruling on a TDS call without the assistance of either the third or first base umpire. Therefore, an out signal by the Plate Umpire would be a reflection of what the third base umpire ruled in this case. His ruling? The ball hit the dirt.

My second point is in reference to the discussion in this thread. I may have a slight benefit in that I am late on the action, BUT if everyone here cannot make a ruling on the infamous "frame-by-frame super slow motion" replay that was probably shown thirty times or so, then would you not give the benefit of the doubt to the professional umpires?

Mechanic Used in AAA-Ball & Major League:

In a TDS situation, the base umpire who the batter-runner is facing will make a fist at belt-level to signal a clean catch. If this signal is not made the ruling is no catch.

The majority of you may have not heard of this mechanic previously, but it's simply the best way to get the best angle on these close situations. Imagine, all of these calls with no replay... viewers would go nuts and umpires would be happy.

Finally, my last comment is in regards to the statements and language exchanged on these forums. Maybe a notice to everyone would be that not everyone on here wants to (nor should they/we) be forced to read your irrelevent posts and "come-backs." Therefore, do us all a favor and utilize the invention of 'PRIVATE MESSAGING' so all we read is contribution to a topic, opposed to silly behavior. Remember that not all readers are grumpy-umpies.