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Originally Posted by scarolinablue
I went from having my best game (IMO) of the season last night (4-2 1:40 7-inning game between two local HS powers and rivals) to my worst game of the season tonight (18-13 3:15 uglyfest between a good 4A school and a so-so prep school in a spring break tourney). I say it was my worst game of the season because I felt my strike zone tonight was a tad on the inconsistent side, mainly on the low strike. Probably had 6-8 pitches that I muffed...maybe that's not too bad in this length of game, but I hate missing that many, or even feeling like I did.
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scarolina blue,
I am speaking from experience: I have found through the years, that my very worst plate jobs virtually always occurred immediately AFTER my very best plate jobs.
I don't know why that is, but I have a theory. Basically, I think after a great plate job we, either consciously or sub-consciously, feel like "I've finally figured it out" and begin to believe that we're better than we actually are. In otherwords, I think on a sub-conscious level we go into our next game (after a great plate game) maybe a little too laid back or with a little bit of a swelled head.
From my own example (and this is only one): I had a great, great plate game in the first game of a 4 game series when I was in the minors. To top it off, there was an evaluator there (which I did not know until after the game). After the game, I got as good an evaluation as any minor league umpire could ever hope to hear. (I'm not patting myself on the back...it is what it is).
Anyways, my next plate game (game three of the series) was the worst plate game I've ever, ever had. I ejected people from BOTH teams over balls and strikes. It was miserable...and my partner was laughing at me after the game (and deservedly so). I looked like I couldn't umpire a middle school game.
I began to notice a pattern over the years...my worst games always came after my best games. I decided that subconsciuosly, I must have been having mental "let-downs" after a great game. That is, I probably wasn't focusing as much before and during the game as I probably needed to.
As a result...whenever I have a great game...I focus twice as much before the next game. I CONSCIOUSLY go through a meticulous pregame of stretching, reviewing some rules, focusing on timing, etc. Even during the first inning, I might really try to be very mechanical in calling balls and strikes just to make sure I'm totally focused.
As a result, I have significantly reduced the number of "bad" games I have. Now I rarely have one after a "great" game. Sure, a bad game still pops up once-in-awhile, but I just write it off and move on.
So, I guess, in short...take a moment and see if you made the same mistake I made: that is not focusing enough before your next game after a great game.
You might find out that that is/was your problem.
To paraphrase a well-known basketball coach in our neck of the woods (SC), "you're never as great as you think you are after (a great game) and you're never as bad as you think you are after (a bad game)."
Good Luck