Switching Batters Boxes in Pony baseball

[SAump]

Repeated
10) To signal STRIKE

11) To point towards first base to my partner to signal, "Are you ready to start this game?"

12) To point towards first base to my partner to signal, "DID HE GO?" You may use your LEFT-HAND.

Correction for Tee,
13) Edit "one warm up pitch left" to "check out that mommy over there"

Continued
14) Point to the lights to have the field manager turn them on at an appropriate time.

15) Point out obstruction and award an extra base

16) Point out interference and signal an out

17) Point to the ground and yell "NO Catch" repeatedly

18) Point up into the air and yell "infield fly, if fair"

I'll give it another rest for now while you guys think of some more good lefty indicators

[briancurtin]

tee was right.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Gee, when I call "ball four" I say "ball four." I have only had a few who still stood there waiting for a fifth one. To these, I simply say "that's four." Always does the trick.

I make my called strikes (first and second) with a point to the right. Very similar to the way Mike Winters or "Cowboy" Joe West does it. Is he going to say that these guys get laughed at when they work games at Minute Maid or the Ballpark At Arlington?

[BigUmp56]

Steve:

He won't get it until his assignor hears about it or an evaluator knicks him for it during an eval. That's assuming he's even being evaluated and critiqued, which from some of the things he says I seriously doubt.

Tim.

[SAump]

Real UMPIRES don't raise either hand or BUTT while pausing to call BALL (4). It has nothing to do with extending the arm outward. That is the proper mechanic and the strike mechanic is entirely different. I think I am asking for the umpire's signal to indicate how a BASE ON BALL AWARD is made by an UMPIRE to alert the official scorekeeper that it is an OFFICIAL decision, and not one made by the BATTER-RUNNER.

First the base on ball award created confusion and then the check swing appeal created confusion. Yikes, baseball experts seem to confuse a particular right handed signal for a strike every time. Now that is the most popular call. So why are these experts confused? Is it really confusion or are we discussing something that goes beyond the "spirit of FAIR PLAY?"

No one has explained how extending the right arm without pointing signals a strike. A catcher can hold his right hand up and everyone recognizes the signal for an intentional base on ball award. No one has explained why I have to keep my mask on to make a check-swing appeal, other than to free my left-hand up for POINTING. A catcher can hold his right hand up and point and everyone will recognize the signal for a check-swing appeal.

It is my responsibility to use mechanics everyone may clearly understand. It is not my responsibility to adopt a separate set of signals so that the RATS can nitpick a judgment call. If they don't understand something clearly, they have the right to request time and ask for a proper explanation. Sometimes I can tell a right or wrong by how he asks a question. Sometimes I just eject the questioner.

These events have even been repeated in this particular thread. Why the double standard for the one person standing two feet behind the catcher. Why have baseball umpires adopted a separate set of signals to communicate the catcher's original intent? Rule 9 comments about an umpire's decisions being final. So now we get around that by questioning his standard mechanics. Let's develop our own signals to avoid the confusion entirely by NOT POINTING with either hand; such as removing the mask or waving an open hand.

[Rich Ives]

It is my responsibility to use mechanics everyone may clearly understand.

Yep - and to achieve that, ue the same signals everyone else does.


It is not my responsibility to adopt a separate set of signals . . .

You already have.


. . . so that the RATS can nitpick a judgment call.

If you toss up an unconventional signal, the teams are going to get confused and the coaches will start nitpicking.

[umpduck11]

Originally posted by SAump
But I got to ask, "Where do I put my traditional mask and indicator when I point towards first base with my left hand?"

I suppose some of YOU don't even bother to remove your HSM to address an appeal. But us tougher gentleman refuse to shout through a mask. Do you suggest I now move it to my right hand?

NO, I think you're full of BS anyway. I will not even consider making a call with my left hand. I already made the trade to hold my indicator while taking off my mask with my left-hand. Now how the hell am I suppose to POINT, too?

I guess its only my problem though since everyone else is already pointing with their left hand. I must be DUMB and CLUMSY too.


You must make an awfully slow move to check
with your partner on a check-swing, if you
feel that you must remove your mask first. IF
I wore a HSM, all of my partners would know what
I was doing even if they couldn't hear the question.
I would have to say that you are right, it does seem
to be your problem. I'm left-handed, and I have
no problems with the way mechanics are done.

[SAump]

I think I am asking for the umpire's signal to indicate how a BASE ON BALL AWARD is made by an UMPIRE to alert the official scorekeeper that it is an OFFICIAL decision, and not one made by the BATTER-RUNNER.

I'll go right again. Real UMPIRES don't raise either hand or BUTT while pausing to call BALL (4). There is no signal to call ball 1-4. Is there no signal to award a batter with a base on balls?

[RPatrino]

You are looking for a signal so that the scorekeeper knows when the base on ball award is "official"? I've never heard of such a thing.

How about this? The scorekeeper is actually keeping score, knows when you call strikes or not, keeps an accurate count and can figure out(with their shoes on) that the current batter just recieved the fourth ball. The next action "should" be the BR trotting, running or stumbling toward first.

Now, here comes the hard part I suppose. The BR erroneously runs to first on "Ball 3". Oh MY, quite a dilema on our hands!!! What are we to do? Our mechanics are inadequate, we have no signal for this situation. The scorekeeper is confused as well. Was a 'ball' missed? Is the count wrong? On my!!

How do we handle such a play? Any thoughts folks? I have an answer ( once I get my tongue out of my cheek).

Bob P.

[jxt127]

If this is a problem I'd suggest preventative action and stop hiring scorekeepers that have been to the free lobotomy clinic.

Hmmm runner runs to 1st on ball 3. At some point we will have time and the umpire will send the runner back to the plate to pick up the bat and get back in the box. No signal necessary to figure this one out.

[LMan]

Originally posted by RPatrino
The BR erroneously runs to first on "Ball 3". Oh MY, quite a dilema on our hands!!! What are we to do?

I had this happen once, in probably my 3d or 4th game ever. I am PU, count is 2-1, R1. Runner is stealing on next pitch (which was right down the pipe and not offered at), I call "strike!", but F2 pops up, fumbles the ball on the transfer to throw down and ball dribbles a few feet away. Runner, for some unknown reason, aborts the steal and returns to 1B.

Scoreboard goofball assumes pitch was a ball from all the confusion and dropped ball (I assume) ..it says "3-1". I signal/announce 2-2 and we continue, scoreboard is never right, anyway.

Next pitch is a ball. Batter thinks its ball 4 and starts trotting to 1B. He's about 10 feet down the line when I ask 'where are you going?'. Once batter figures out its 3-2 he comes back.....

F1 notices that R1 has drifted 15 feet off 1B during this (thinking he is being forced to 2B, no doubt) and is just standing there when F1 fires ball to F3 and picks him off

You can imagine the coaches 'conference' I had then


"But it was ball 4!" "No it wasnt, coach"
"But MY scorekeeper in the booth had ball 4!!!"
"I'm the only one on this field whose 'count' counts, coach'

..and so on and so forth

[SAump]

"Runner, for some unknown reason, aborts the steal and returns to 1B."

Now there is a coaching mechanic problem. Coach, you have no argument to pick. Complain all you want after a play because if it doesn't stop, I will eject. The rest is simply predictable when your dealing with confusion.

Just to show you, AGAIN, what happens when you go looking for problems to complain about. It usually turns around by itself in the "spirit" of the game.

I suppose whatever the UMP does right, the eval guy properly blames him for something too.

[briancurtin]

sorry to bring up the old thread, but i saw an example of the pointing with the right hand confusion. smitty behind the plate in my brothers game down in st. louis used the point for his strike call, except he pointed more towards going up the line than the traditional out to the side call. so its something and 2 strikes, batter half swings, and smitty comes up pointing (which looks EXACTLY like he normally does) and the batter turns around and walks to the dugout.

smitty PU barks at him to pay attention, BU said he didnt go. BR laughs and says he just pointed like every other pitch and PU muttered something like 'nuh uhh'.

[SAump]

I have repeatedly asked for someone to describe the "clincally" accepted strike mechanic. No one on this thread had even offered a suggestion. I'm sure they don't want to face the onslaught of criticism from the peanut gallery. But I did find some interesting stuff in the following thread.

PRESEASON JITTERS – NEED HELP (Pages: 1 2 3 ) PAT THE REF

In SUMMARY: There were many different nuances to choose from. Each individual has one or more preferences. Nobody has put a definitive mechanic up and a democratic choice among baseball umpires prevails.

Right-hand Pointers, Repeated
10) To signal STRIKE --> To EACH HIS OWN
I also recommend that you turn with your POINTER when the bases are empty if you expect to hit your TARGET.

I would like to add one mechanic I saw on TV last summer between TEAM USA vs. JAPAN series in Norman, OK. The umpire(s) would signal a strike with a high open-hand CHOP and close the hand into a fist. It was consistent from game to game. I am sure my short description does not do it JUSTICE.

I also saw that TEAM USA's pitcher, A TX product, wore matching white sleeves below the TEAM USA jersey. NO one said anything about it at the time. There were several close plays made at the plate and TEAM USA lost the game. NO one commented on the professional rules allowing the catcher to block of the plate away from the baserunners either. None of Japan's baserunners took an open shot at the catcher. Each of them took their chance running around the much taller catcher.

[GarthB]

Timing play, one run scores.