Calling Balls

The only objection I've ever had to calling the location of balls (high, low, etc.) was from other umpires. I'm curious to know why that is and what other's thoughts are.

Here are some of the excuses I get.
"If you call a pitch a ball, you might miss a strike"
Well, if I have to force myself to pay attention to where the pitch was, I stand a better chance at getting the borderline pitches right

"The coaches/players will complain."
Not yet

"You should let the players/coaches ask instead of telling them, it keeps the game moving."
Well, if it takes the coach 3 seconds to tell the pitcher to ask, then 5 seconds for the pitcher to ask the catcher, then the catcher 5 seconds to ask me then 3 seconds for me to respond to all three, that' 16 seconds we've lost just in asking. It adds about 20-25 seconds per pitch asked if you don't say the location of the pitch. How does that speed up the game?

I first posed this in an umpire room on AOL a few years ago (this was when I was just starting too) and got, "You'll never hear an umpire above Little League do that." As I was reading that response, I was watching a Devil Rays game on TV and heard the plate umpire go, "ball, low". Hmmm. Since that first post, I've heard several other Major League umpires do it and a couple of Minor League umps.

The benefit to calling the location is it forces you to watch the pitch and decreases the second guessing which comes on all close pitches. Plus, it helps for you to paint your strike zone with bolder colors and the players will know exactly where it is.

What are some thoughts here??

[JEL]

"STRIKE, outside corner high"

"STRIKE, inside high"

"STRIKE, breaking ball low"

I dont do that either. It is my responsibility to call BALL, or STRIKE, if no swing occurs. It is pitchers responsibility to put strikes in the zone, and "garbage" pitches wherever he wants. If a coach, catcher or pitcher wants to know where I think pitch is missing, he better ask civily, and calmly, otherwise he will be arguing balls and strikes, and that can be a problem.

[johnSandlin]

For me, if it is a real close(and I do mean close) pitch and I call it a ball, I will advise where it was to everyone. However, I normally just go "Ball" or "Ball 1, Ball 2, etc."

If the catcher or the coach politely gets my attention, and inquires as to where a particular picth was, I will pay them the respect to respond, otherwise I do not announce location of each pitch that I call a ball.

[Rich Ives]

Coaches never ask where a strike was - only a ball.

They are telling you you blew the call.

Just call "Ball" and let it go.

If they ask, tell thenm you don't discuss judgement calls.

[chris s]

Originally posted by Rich Ives
Coaches never ask where a strike was - only a ball.

They are telling you you blew the call.

Just call "Ball" and let it go.

If they ask, tell thenm you don't discuss judgement calls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coaches in the dugouts can tell high/low....catchers trying to pull crap back to the zone....and then asking were it missed??? Now F2 gets a friendly reminder.

Few years ago, big stud batting(f2 also) opposing coach asks catcher(mouthy little frosh on varsity) if pitch was inside. F2 shakes head.... skippy got tossed next pitch

[PeteBooth]

Originally posted by sportsannouncing

The only objection I've ever had to calling the location of balls (high, low, etc.) was from other umpires. I'm curious to know why that is and what other's thoughts are.

A pitch is either a ball or a strike - PERIOD. No rule says we have to give location. In fact I was taught like most others NOT to give location.

Now I admit, I will tell a coach or F2 a response ONCE Maybe twice, when He says "Hey Blue where was that" but that's it.

Bottom Line do not give location.

Pete Booth

[chuck chopper]

I don't think it is a big deal if in a tight situation on a close pitch..I just might quietly tell the catcher if it was low, etc.. I tell him immediately after the pitch not after someone asks.
.
Sometimes he will bring the target up, might go speak to the pitcher, might just hold off until the inning is over & then he, the pitcher, and the coach can have their benchside chat about MY stike zone. I am not going to critique every pitch as mentioned by others.

[JEL]

If you quietly, or otherwise, tell the catcher the pitch position, so he may change the way he sets up, would that not be considered coaching? Umpires should refrain from any appearance of attemted coaching.

[johnSandlin]

I totally agree with JEL comments. As umpires and referees in other sports, we do want to refrain from the appearance of coaching, due to some coaches take that very offensively.

[Rich]

I don't give location and I won't give location on the initial "BALL" call.

Why give managers an opening like that? I call a pitch a BALL -- it's borderline high and outside, for example. If I tell the manager it's high and he disagrees he's going to start chipping. If I call it outside, the catcher disagree and get word back to the manager, who will then start chipping.

Most umpires I know see the strike zone as an oval -- if it is borderline high OR outside, for example, it's a strike. If it misses or is really borderline in TWO dimensions (high AND outside), it's a ball.

Now, how do you explain that while calling a pitch?

Major league umpires can do whatever they want to. They work in a different world. I would never recommend that an amateur umpire give location on a pitch.

I will if I'm asked in the right way, of course.

Rich

[jicecone]

Bullcrap. Anyone telling you they need the location of the pitch wasn't watching the game and is indirectly disputing your call. Period. When I'm asked where the pitch was I comment "Not in the strike zone, don't ask again. Believe me I am not a hardass either. But I will not let this type of dialogue to go on.

A pitch misses low and you call it a ball. Well you are going to have to explain to me in 1000 words or less, how in the world some idiot can't tell from the dugout or anywhere else on the field where that pitch was. It certainly wasn't high.

A catcher asks where a pitch was, well he just caught the dang thing if he doesn't know, then he would have missed it.

There is only ONE reason this question comes up. To me it is just the same as disputing Balls and Strikes. Unacceptable.

[DownTownTonyBrown]

Blue, was that low?.... Yep.

Was that out?... yep

Was that a little high?... Yep


Independent of what I thought... if the catcher offers me the answer, I simply agree.

[TriggerMN]

Here's the easiest way...

"Where was that, blue?"

"Out of the strike zone."

[brian43]

Originally posted by TriggerMN
Here's the easiest way...

"Where was that, blue?"

"Out of the strike zone."

had to tell that to a coach 2 weeks ago, several times. he came up between innings to tell me (with a pissed off attitude) the catcher told him the pitches were perfect strikes. he thought i should widen up my strike zone a little bit because they werent getting any calls (which wasnt the case, the zone is the zone and it goes both ways). i responded with a quiet "if you want to petition to the rules commitee to make the plate wider thats fine with me. let me know what they say."

no more questions or comments after that.

Originally posted by Rich Fronheiser
Why give managers an opening like that? I call a pitch a BALL -- it's borderline high and outside, for example. If I tell the manager it's high and he disagrees he's going to start chipping. If I call it outside, the catcher disagree and get word back to the manager, who will then start chipping.

Most umpires I know see the strike zone as an oval -- if it is borderline high OR outside, for example, it's a strike. If it misses or is really borderline in TWO dimensions (high AND outside), it's a ball.

Now, how do you explain that while calling a pitch?

I will if I'm asked in the right way, of course.

Rich

I've noticed a lot of responses that had either the player or coach was upset and the location wasn't called. Maybe, this will help as to why. Call the location each time.

Now on Rich's quote above, if the pitch is high and outside, you simply say, "high and outside, ball 2". That's how you explain it while calling a pitch.

But my question is, why wait until ask and let a pot boil possibly to the point it explodes? I understand other umpires saying, "I just call it a ball, simple as that" but I want to know why. Why don't you call the location. I know it doesn't say anywhere that we should, but communicating this with everyone would seem to be a good idea to quell any possible discrepancies.

Views are different from all over the field and yes from some dugouts you get an honest view of high and low. But I'd want to know if the pitch that came in high on V1 was the same as the high pitch on H1. If I say it was high and inside on V1 but just high on H1, the coach has a good idea laterally. The only people who see the plate directly and know where exactly it is are the CF, pitcher, catcher and plate umpire. However, only the plate umpire (I hope) is the only one that is right behind the plate and sees exactly what it was. Why keep it a secret?

Again, I'm wondering why others don't do it. Has anyone else tried to keep it as a constant? Will anyone in here be willing to try it out for a couple of games and give honest feedback? I know I'm only one person, but to not have as many gripes as I see others have, I'm just throwing something out there that might be of use to others. That's what these boards are for.

BTW-To the wiseguy who was calling the location of the strikes, if it's a strike, you don't need to call the location, it's in the zone! Kinda funny.