[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

Certain mechanics do need to be uniform and certain mechanics do not. Certain mechanics can be "personality" Others can be preference which allow the umpire to perform at his best because of genetics, god or McDonalds. You may have a preference because it looks good. I personnally think the umpire at this Tenn game was the BEST looking umpire mechanics wise I've seen working NCAA ball. He beat em all. It was refreshing to see good mechanics behind the plate of a softball game.

Well, to each their own. I don't think it was bad, but certainly not the best, IMO.

The misnomer sold to the softball masses is that if a PU used different stances than the allocated stance or a different strike 1&2 call... chaos would reign and and no one would know what is going on.

"Oh goodness," the softball umpire cries "how could I ever work with a partner from anywhere if he used a different stance!" Softball umpires, even in this thread, contend EVERYTHING must be uniform or they may not know what is going on. They need that uniformity to be able to work with anyone!

Are you kidding me?

WTF are you talking about? Are you making up your own story so you can argue against it?

I'm certainly not advocating people running around doing a double fist pump or inventing their own dead ball calls or what not.. but people would be just fine if certain areas were relaxed.

If an umpire, say, worked a Gerry Davis stance or used the dreaded "point" strike, and you as BU "lost" it and couldnt tell what is going on.. well then thats sad.

I wouldn't use a point, nor lose it if someone else did. But I would have a problem with it because the signals are supposed to be for those remote from the action and be some place where all can see. You cannot see a "point" from everywhere. Do you give a count in front of your chest or above your shoulders where it can be seen by all?

If I were president, we would have a chicken in every pot, a car in every garage..

Umpires could use any reasonable strike call, and would be evaluated on performance, not whether they did the robotics perfectly.

Umpires could use any reasonable stance and would be evaluated on performance, not whether they the specified stance.

Umpires, base or plate, could use any reasonable out call, and would be evaluated on performance, not whether they did the robotics perfectly.

Irishmike's contention that umpires can do so now is absurd. At least not in any place I've ever worked... maybe in Delaware they can.

I've worked nationals with an umpire would stand behind the opposing batter's box and bend over, almost backwards (SP), to see the pitch so he would not interfere with the catchers ability to retreive the ball and have a clean shot at throwing out a runner. Nothing was ever said to him about his mechanic. I worked another where the umpire's call for the first strike of the game was, "WHOOPS, THERE IT IS!" Nothing said to umpire. I have an umpire with nationals under his belt who goes to the hammer, then extends his arm straight up. Never been gigged for it by myself or any of his UICs at NC. I could go on for hours about this, but that would just be a waste of time and space.

All I ask of an umpire is that the strike/out signal be in the form of a hammer high enough for the people to see it. I prefer it to be not directly in front of the umpire, but I'm not going to "lose" it if it is.

I don't know what you are seeing around ASA, but it certainly isn't what I have over the past 10 years of nationals and world cups I've worked.