[BretMan]

Lately I've had a long string of partners who want to do this. Drives me batty.

Taking personal opinion out of it, I've never been instructed to do this in any class or clinic. It's not in any umpire manual I've ever seen. That right there's enough to convince that it's not a recommend mechanic.

To me, it does strike me as "coaching". I mean, come, on, kids have four coaches in the dugout and their own set of eyeballs. Do they really need the umpire to tell them "the situation"?

Besides coaching, it reeks of an umpire who's itching to interject himself in the game any way he can. The guys that really get me are the ones who, while telling the pitcher which bases are occupied, make a dramatic point at each runner as they list them off. Like the pitcher doesn't even know where first, second or third bases are and has to have the umpire show her?

I pity the coach who decides to "get livid" because I don't do this. I'll tell him that how he coaches his team is his business, how I umpire the game is my business. If he wants to enjoy the rest of the game, he probably better not press the issue beyond that.

This one rubs me the wrong way just a little bit more than umpires telling the fielders to throw their hands up in the air if the ball goes out of play!