[BnThereDnThat]

Originally Posted by Freddy

Partner on Wednesday verbalizes the count, when necessary, as I've been accustomed to do, that is, "TWO...TWO", signalling with fingers, of course, with one hand for the balls and two for the strikes. We post-gamed it, agreeing on the clarity of using fewer words, skipping the "and" between the TWO's, and omitting the words BALL and STRIKE.
Partner on Thursday commented to me, "You're supposed to say "TWO BALLS...TWO STRIKES", not just the two numbers." He said, "That's what the book says."
I thanked him for his input, since I'm always willing to yield to "the book" in order to comply with Fed mechanics. But I can't find anything specifying one way or the other.
I know different officials have different habits and preferences, and I come down on the side of clarity with the fewest words necessary. But there a preferred Fed mechanic for verbalizing the count?

As for proper use of words behind the plate I would ask this..."In your last plate job, how many pitches did you miss?" If you say zero, we all know you're lying. If you say three, then worry about what caused you to get them wrong. The coaches, players and fans don't give a rat's behind if you use the word "and" or not when giving the count. Concentrate on what matters.