Things a ROOKIE NEEDS to know...

[sm_bbcoach]

What are some things a rookie needs to know going into first year - yes, even the REAL basics!

Thanks for input.

[Thom Coste]

Wear your hat correctly (bill forward), shin guards inside your plate pants, remove your mask with your left hand, and it ain't a "clicker"!

[Justme]

Study the rule book & case book

Attend clinics

Practice mechanics

Remember to Pause, Read, & React

Angle over Distance

Ask the vets lots of questions

[Durham]

Get strikes!

Be consistent.

Don't be too fine with the zone, if it is a little big and you are consistent with it, you won't get much grief.

[LMan]

well, the BASIC rule would be.....read the forum and use the search.

[jumpmaster]

trust your equipment to protect you.

get strikes! (echo)

study the rule book.

[shickenbottom]

There are a few things that haven't been said yet, so here they are:

1) Relax - let the game play itself, you will only need to nudge it along once in a while if it gets slow.
2) Allways bring your A game to any level of game. You never know who is watching or evaluating your performance.
3) Hustle into position.
4) Keep you eye everlastingly on the ball, glance at the runners.
5) Get set prior to viewing a play.
6) Use non-verbal coverage / communication signals with your partner when ever there is a change of batters or change in the position of runners on base.
7) Study your mechanics manual, know where to be on the field at all times.
8) Don't go looking for trouble, it most surely will find you.
9) Don't throw you partner under the bus, or you may get thrown under the bus yourself.

And finally, Anticipate possible plays but not their outcomes. Be ready to react when the play develops (ball is pitched, hit, or thrown).

Sound mechanics, timing and positioning, will help you to be in a position to see the play and make the appropriate call when it occurs.

[JRutledge]

Despite what anyone might tell you, no umpire is perfect. We all make mistakes. When you make a mistake move on and work harder the next time.

Peace

[big]

Looks like most of the basics have been covered EXCEPT for these...

1: Who pays you

2: When you get paid

3: How much you get paid

[DG]

Show up for the game on time, meaning at least 30 minutes prior to game time. Use the time to properly prepare to do the game including a good pregame with your partner.

Develop good timing on calls. Good timing = not too fast. It ain't nothing till you call it so make sure you saw what you think you saw and then call it. Never call a pitch until after it has hit the catcher's mitt, and never call a out on the bases until you know the fielder did not drop the ball.

Never make a call "on the move". Get set and make the call from a stationery position. Also, don't get too close to a play.

Study the rules for whatever level of ball you will be calling and learn as much as you can, but make sure you know the right answer for the MYTHS.

http://eteamz.active.com/baseball/ru...ths/index.cfm?

Have fun, don't be uptight.

[JIGGY]

LETS NOT FORGET:

MOST OF THE STUFF YOU FIND ONLINE (HERE) IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE AND WILL ONLY GET YOU INTO MORE TROUBLE.

BETTER IDEA:

START WITH THE OFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES (OFTEN REFEREED TO BY AMATEUR UMPIRES AS "PRO-RULES")AND ONLY THIS RULE BOOK. LEARNING THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE GAME. THE HIGH SCHOOL BOOK MAKES NO SENSE AND THE NCAA BOOKS MAY AS WELL BE WRITTEN IN HIEROGLYPHICS. THERE ARE CLEAR INTERPRETATIONS ALREADY IN EXISTENCE FOR THE OFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES, WHERE THERE AREN'T ALWAYS FOR HIGH SCHOOL OR NCAA. FROM THERE YOU CAN MAKE IT THROUGH ANY GAME AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LEARN THE DIFFERENCES.

BUY THE PBUC MANUALS- THE RED BOOK IS THE MOST CLEAR AND COMPREHENSIVE OF ALL TWO-MAN MECHANICS MANUALS. THE MECHANICS TAUGHT IN THAT BOOK ARE TIME TESTED AT THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL. HIGH SCHOOL OR NCAA MECHANICS AREN'T REALLY ANY DIFFERENT, JUST USUALLY SLIGHTLY BEHIND WHAT THE PRO GUYS ARE DOING. THEY ALSO COVER THE RULE INTERPRETATIONS (THE BLUE BOOK) YOU CANNOT GET JUST LOOKING IN A RULE BOOK. THE BLUE BOOK WILL ALSO GIVE YOU POINTERS ON PROPER PROFESSIONALISM AS AN UMPIRE.

GO TO UMPIRE SCHOOL IF POSSIBLE, THE BEST CLINICS YOU CAN IF NOT. ALOT OF GUYS DON'T WANT TO ADMIT THIS, BUT GUYS WHO WENT TO SCHOOL ARE LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF THOSE WHO DON'T. (SOMEBODY IS GOING TO START CRYING AND TELLING ME HOW MANY YEARS THEY HAVE UMPIRING AND HOW THAT IS JUST AS GOOD AS GOING TO UMPIRE SCHOOL) ONE OF THE TWO SCHOOLS (I WON'T SAY IT IS CLEARLY THE BETTER OF THE TWO SCHOOLS) IS JIM EVANS ACADEMY WWW.UMPIREACADEMY.COM . JIM ALSO DOES LOCAL CLINICS. JIM'S PASSION IS TRAINING YOUNG UMPIRES. CONTACT HIM AND ASK HIM AS MANY QUESTIONS AS YOU CAN.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by JIGGY

LETS NOT FORGET:

MOST OF THE STUFF YOU FIND ONLINE (HERE) IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE AND WILL ONLY GET YOU INTO MORE TROUBLE.

How nice. Show up, and in less than a week, pass judgment on an entire board of baseball officials. You are a piece of work, my friend.


For the rookie umpire, here are a few suggestions, some of which may have already been covered.


I'll tell you what I tell all of our rookie umpires. Now that you've decided to become an umpire there are several things you should do to help you along as you get started. The first and probably the most important thing to do in order to become a good umpire is to diligently study the rules of the game and learn how to apply them in real game situations. The rulebook itself can be very dry reading and difficult to understand at times. However, there are numerous suplemental resources to the rule book that contain case plays and detailed interpretations. A good place to start would be to make sure you get copies of the J/R manual and the PBUC. The rules that seem to give new umpires the most problems are 7.06 and 7.09. These are the rules covering obstruction and interference. I strongly suggest you try to learn these rules before you begin working games. You'll find that even some of the seasoned veterans on this board still debate these two rules at times.

I recommend that you get yourself out to a clinic or two There will no doubt be some excellent umpires at the clinic who will be more than willing to help you out. Watch them closely and pay attention to what they have to say. The on field mechanics taught at a regional clinic are instrumental in becoming a competent umpire. You should try to emulate what you see them doing. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Those instructors were all in your shoes at one time and understand that there is no such thing as a worthless question coming from a new umpire.


The next thing I recommend is to get yourself a proper uniform and decent equipment. Looking the part of an umpire when you take the field shows an air of professionalism to all the games participants. This will help you gain a measure of respect even before you call your first pitch. You don't need to go crazy and purchase all top of the line equipment in your first season. Ask other umpires around your league and see what they might recommend. A lot of times you'll find them willing to let you try certain pieces of their equipment out so you can get a feel for what works best for you. Make sure to get yourself a pair of plate shoes. If you don't want to go to the expense of purchasing an umpires pair from an equipment supplier you should at least buy a pair of steele toed black athletic shoes. Places like Wal-Mart sell them at a reasonable price.

I guess the last thing I would recommend to you would be to stay tuned to this forum. There are many excellent umpires here that are always willing to help. Sometimes we appear to fight like cats and dogs but I guess that's the nature of the beast. Jump into a discussion if you don't understand what we're talking about and ask as many questions as it takes to get yourself clear on the rule or mechanic.


Tim.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by JIGGY

GO TO UMPIRE SCHOOL IF POSSIBLE, THE BEST CLINICS YOU CAN IF NOT. ALOT OF GUYS DON'T WANT TO ADMIT THIS, BUT GUYS WHO WENT TO SCHOOL ARE LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF THOSE WHO DON'T. (SOMEBODY IS GOING TO START CRYING AND TELLING ME HOW MANY YEARS THEY HAVE UMPIRING AND HOW THAT IS JUST AS GOOD AS GOING TO UMPIRE SCHOOL) ONE OF THE TWO SCHOOLS (I WON'T SAY IT IS CLEARLY THE BETTER OF THE TWO SCHOOLS) IS JIM EVANS ACADEMY WWW.UMPIREACADEMY.COM . JIM ALSO DOES LOCAL CLINICS. JIM'S PASSION IS TRAINING YOUNG UMPIRES. CONTACT HIM AND ASK HIM AS MANY QUESTIONS AS YOU CAN.

Jiggy,

Don't type in all caps. It's rude.

Many of us who did not attend pro school were instructed in clinics and classrooms by:

1) Pro School Graduates who did not get minor league jobs
2) Minor League Umpires giving back to the association

In these clinics and classroom instruction, we were trained with the same intensity as in pro school. We were taught the same mechanics. We were taught game management skills just like at the pro school, with instructors posing as managers getting in our faces. All the boring, tedious safe/out drills, all the plate work in the cages, all the hour after hour of base mechanics, etc. Every facet of the game, with refresher courses every year!

After attending 9 or 10 of these clinics, and having MLB umpire Mike Winters as an association member and classroom instructor, and being taught meticulously the "pro school" way, I do feel that my 20 years in the business gives me a great deal of credibility, whether you think so or not.

I was in the Army back in the early '70's. We went to pro school too. It was called Basic Combat Training. We didn't come out of there and think we were better than the grizzled old veterans who had been around for 20+ years. We had respect for their service, even though we were freshly trained. You are disrespecting the umpires on this forum with your statements to disregard what we have to say.

[smac1231]

Well said, Steve and Tim.

Ya know, I checked into this forum before registering, and decided that it would be a good place to both gain and share knowledge or just bounce stuff off others.

This "vet vs newbie" thing is old news. IMO, we can all learn from each other. If someone has been to a school/camp/clinic recently, I can pick up new mechanics or interpretations from them. If someone has kicked a call and has learned from it, I can learn from it when they share it with me. Have these people been to a "proper" school? I don't care, really. I can learn from both.

Whether someone has been to one of the pro schools or not, I think we can all learn by imitating the good behaviors/mechanics we see on the field. I, personally, had several people commenting on the good things I did, even before I went to a camp. Why? Because I was fortunate enough to work with some good dudes who modeled proper mechanics and behaviors, and am fortunate enough to have the attitude and willingnes that enabled me to learn from both the "unschooled" vets and the "schooled" newbies.

Yeah, I also learned to let some stuff go in one ear and out the other, depending on who the information came from. It's all about filtering ... heheh.

[LMan]

Day-yum Tim...that was a good post. Kudos to you