[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

I was trained by a guy who told me to adopt a style that has me facing the diamond. I adopted the Pulli Punch for called strikes, and the delayed, casual hammer for swinging strikes. I never look away or turn away, even on punch outs. Once, I had a turn-and-step-and-point-at-the-first-base-dugout partner, and the catcher made a quick throw back to the pitcher that got through and rolled toward the second baseman. While my partner was recovering from his elaborate strike call, a runner from third was about to slide into home as the second baseman scooped and fired on the run. My partner barely saw the play, which was pretty close, and of course, he got it wrong because it exploded on him. I've never even considered using the point since that play.

You can still turn your head and point without doing a complete Dutch Rennert style call, like your fancy partner, and still not miss anything on the field. It's called peripheral vision.