[nickrego]

Everyone is talking about the replays, and what they show. The problem is, we need a replay that shows what the ‘Umpire’ saw, not what the center field camera saw. Look at a replay from the Umpire’s viewpoint 30 times, and then tell me if you agree or disagree with the call ?

I watched the endless replays last night, and my opinion is that the ball DID NOT hit the dirt. But the umpire thought it hit the dirt, so it is a Third Strike Not Caught…Period.

I think the catcher, also believing he caught the ball cleanly, didn’t even think about tagging the runner. Although, a more experienced catcher may have realized that an umpire, looking at a low catch from behind him, ‘could’ have thought it was a trap, and would tag the runner just to be safe. There’s something to be said for experience.

Lastly, I don’t think the umpire’s first physical motions have that big of an effect on this type of play. His verbal calls are more important. The catcher, and the batter are not looking at the umpire. By the time they do, all the motions are over with anyway. The only signal that matters is the last one, and it should be held until the play develops. I only work HS, and in my association, for a Third Strike Not Caught [TSNC] (not a Dropped Strike Three DST), we say “Strike 3” and hold our right fist up above our head to indicate the ball was not caught. We hold it there until the runner starts running, or the catcher tags the runner. Then, we signal the outcome of the play. In any case, I think a physical signal needs to be held to indicate the situation, whatever it is.

I do think the Plate Umpire’s signals were very confusing for those who can see them. He pointed out to the side to indicate a strike (so I thought), and then hammered to the front for an out (again, what I thought). I use a low, extended hammer to indicate strikes, and a traditional hammer to indicate outs. No one has ever mistaken my signals, because they are different enough. It is always best to have a forward facing strike signal at any level. Just because there was a strike, that doesn’t remove our responsibility to keep our eye on the ball / play.