Issued my first Forfeit yesterday

[nickrego]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

My favorite trick is to move up to where they were set up and they have no choice but to move closer to the plate.

One of the disadvantages of the GD system is it gives the catcher too much room to hang themselves.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by nickrego

One of the disadvantages of the GD system is it gives the catcher too much room to hang themselves.

Since you mentioned it, I have recently abandoned the Gerry Davis stance in favor of a standard heel toe. I have taken to placing my hands behind my thighs, leaving only the soft underside of the arms exposed. I have seen numerous MLB umpires doing this, and I have taken to doing it that way.

If I could get decent catchers ever, I would love to work the scissors again, as I did most of my umpiring life.

[nickrego]

Interesting...

I switched from what your doing now, to the GD system.

I find I get a much better look at the ball, and get hit a lot less (maybe just coincidence).

Although, in this game I took a high inside fastball untouched on my right pec.
A foul ball untouched to my inside right thigh (glad I bought the padded Interawear this year).
And another high inside fastball to the cage.

[BuggBob]

If the ball goes through the strike zone it is a strike, I don't care if it is a good or bad the catch. You can't tell catchers to move up, left, right or back --that is coaching, we're umpires not coaches. If the catcher is blocking my view of the plate, the strike zone just got smaller, I may tell him if he asks.

Good for you Nick from what you described you did exactly right. I would however have words with my partner, many bad words.

Bugg

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by BuggBob

If the ball goes through the strike zone it is a strike, I don't care if it is a good or bad the catch. You can't tell catchers to move up, left, right or back --that is coaching, we're umpires not coaches. If the catcher is blocking my view of the plate, the strike zone just got smaller, I may tell him if he asks.

Of course I'm not going to instruct varsity HS or higher players concerning anything. I am talking about inexperienced catchers who obviously have no clue about the position.

I'll tell the catcher to move up if I so choose. I'm not coaching, I'm controlling the situation. If I want to be closer to the plate, the catcher is going to have to move up and catch where he is supposed to. I'm not going to call balls and strikes from 10 feet behind the plate. And I don't plan on being there all day trying to get strikes out of the pitchers, or being a human backstop for lazy catchers.

The closer and better target presented by the catcher, the easier it is for the pitcher to focus on and hit that target. If the coach hasn't taught his catchers properly, I intend to help them out, and I have. Many of these catchers have thanked me, and told me that their coach would have never noticed these things.

The catcher's main #1 job is to keep the ball off of me (with the exception of fouls, of course). Anything else he does is secondary as far as I'm concerned. I'm not out there to take a bunch of untouched fastballs off my thighs, hands, wrists, forearms and elbows. This is usually not a problem at the varsity level, but at the youth ball level the catching is usually atrocious.

[SAump]

I wish you non-denominationalist would stop taking pot-shots at us Christians every time the religion subject RISES.

[big]

Originally Posted by SAump

I wish you non-denominationalist would stop taking pot-shots at us Christians every time the religion subject RISES.

We Chritian Officials do have our own forum now.

http://cofficial.forumer.com/

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by SAump

I wish you non-denominationalist would stop taking pot-shots at us Christians every time the religion subject RISES.

SAump,

As a Christian, your comment prompted me to look for pot-shots, but I couldn't find any. Just what pot-shots at Christians are you referring to?

[DG]

The catcher should set up far enough behind the plate so I get a real good look at it. Any closer and he is not helping his pitcher. Any pitch that the catcher makes look difficult to catch is a ball, because strikes are easy to catch. I have often told catchers they need to stop crowding the plate so I can see it better.

So far this year I have taken one off the thigh untouched, and one off the mask untouched, both in a college level game with the same sorry-a** catcher. Every thing else has been fouls off the chest protector or shin guard. I changed to the GD after an untouched inside fastball broke the little finger on my left hand in yet another college level game with a different sorry-a** catcher, and it was the first inning of the first game of a double header. I finished both games on a Sunday and went to the doctor on Tuesday.