Doug Eddings
 

I don't know if any of you happened to see the Braves / D-Backs game on TBS today, but HP Umpire Doug Eddings used a couple of different stances during the game. The first batter of the game, a lefty, Eddings was down on one knee, then the next batter, a righty, Eddings was in the GD. He didn;t always go down on one knee for leftys and sometimes did it for rightys, and sometimes would do it for only one pitch in an at-bat. So I was just wondering if any of you change stances based on batters handedness or if you think there are some that work better in certain situations. I think the GD gives you a pretty good view no matter what the situation. I just found it a bit odd.

I saw on Baseball Tonight, he was one a knee and I thought that was kind of weird because I had always seen him use GD. I don't know if he's thinking of changing to the knee or what.

Paul Nauert was doing the same thing in the sox game today. Some batters he was down on 1 knee,and others he was using the usual stance.

Also,Scott Barry a minors ump did a great job in the sox game today.

I think they were using the one knee stance because of the catcher lineing up inside and the batter crowding the plate.

Also, did any of you see the small incident between Eddings and the lead off batter for Arizona?

Eddings would not let the batter go back to the on deck circle to get more pine tar for the bat. The batter and exchanged words breifly and then everything quieted down.

I thought it was some what of the wrong way to get a game started.

As to #1...I think Doug definitely used the knee only when his slot was "squeezed" by the catcher setting up way inside.

As to #2...that is a pro rule (I think its in the umpire's manual and not the rule book, but don't quote me on that)...but its definitely a rule and the vast majority of players and managers know this rule. (They don't know many rules, but they definitely know this one.)

I'm sure Nauert was too busy tossing Jim Leyland to worry about his stances changes ;)

A couple of weeks ago in Chicago, Eddings was in GD the whole game.

He also seemed to be trying to keep the game moving along, so it would make sense that he would be firm with the pine tar rule to start the game. His body lanugage the whole night was defintely indicative of that. He was pretty quick to break of meetings, etc. It was the game where the squirrel was running around in the left field, and from his body language, Eddings didn't see a reason to get rid of the the squirrel. Given that I don't think it ever got apprehended, I think he may have been right in judging it not to be a good reason to delay the game.

I could not find any reference to returning to the on-deck circle for pine tar in the MLBUM, but I did find it in the NAPBL manual:

"Once a batter has taken his position in the batter's box, he shall not be permitted to step out of the batter's box in order to use the resin or the pine tar rag unless there is a delay in the game action or, in the judgment of the umpires, weather conditions warrant an exception. This rule is to be strictly enforced."