Did he go?

[Warren Willson]

Originally posted by Tim C
So here is what I suggest you do (it would be at least palitable too me) . . . if you are the PU and there is a checked swing that you "see" and know was not a swing, use old Warren's mechanic of saying "NO, he didn't GO!" at the TOP - then when asked to check simply say, "Hey, coach didn't ya hear me I said he didn't go!!!"

I have avoided entering this thread on the substance of the discussion, until now. Having been specifically named in this post, I simply cannot stand by and allow this sort of misinformation to remain uncorrected. Following is the approved professional mechanic, from JEA, for dealing with a check swing which the plate umpire clearly sees:

"All decisions on checked swings shall be called loudly and clearly by the plate umpire. If the pitch is a ball and the batter does not swing at the pitch, the mechanic to be used by the plate umpire is: 'Ball! No, he didn't go!' if the pitch is a ball but the batter commits on the checked swing, the mechanic to be used is: 'Yes, he went!' while pointing directly at the batter and then coming up with the strike motion." JEA Appendix 12 {my emphasis}

If there remains any doubt that this is the approved mechanic, it can also be found at Section 10.9 of the UDP Manual for the Two-Umpire System pp84-85.

So you can clearly see that this is NOT just "old Warren's mechanic"! Furthermore, while I admit advocating that an umpire should resist checking with his partner when he has clearly seen the half-swing checked, I have never advocated refusing to check except for such appeals that are deemed to be made too late - in which case the official should use OBR 9.01(c) for justification.

The problem with "hobby horses", Tee, is that they seldom take you anywhere and riding them too hard always makes you look childish!

Cheers,