[Gulf Coast Blue]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

I've seen this before. Umpires think that if they echo their partner's call, no one will ever ask an umpire to go for help. It was the old secret handshake deal.

One day, as a player (catcher), the PU was really annoying with the constant repitition of every call.....until a banger at 1B that I thought there was a pulled foot as I could see it clearly from trailing the play to back-up a possible bad throw at 1B. Problem was I only hear one call. I request & receive "time" and go trotting out to the BU. He was stunned that anyone would question a call. When I reached him it was, "what do you want?"

I just smiled and asked him to go to PU for help on a pulled foot on the play. He told me he didn't need help and I informed him that I understood, but his partner definitely saw the pulled foot and would have had a different call. He looked at me and asked how I could know that. He was also pissed at his partner for telling me that, even though he did not as I had come nowhere near the PU since the call.

When I got back behind the plate, PU asked what I said and I told him. He then asked how I could possibly know what he was thinking and then I simply stated "you didn't echo his call like every other one this game." That umpire never echoed another call. He left umpiring and ended up an NCAA DII coach.

Of course he did.........

Although I coached quite a bit of FP softball and soccer......even a tad of volleyball and basketball.......but I usually left that to the proffesionals.....lol

Joel