plate mechanic

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Watching the Astros/Twins game right now, and noticing three things about HP umpire Jeff Kellogg:

1) he turns his head to indicate location in/out on borderline pitches, which is what I do also.

2) he tucks his slot hand behind his thigh, which is what I do also.

3) he puts his other hand on the back of the catcher, which I have never, ever, done.

And watching the Padres/Mariners game tonight, I noticed Greg Gibson putting his hands all over the catchers' backs, but other than that, his mechanics were spot on.

What's the deal with the hands on the catchers? I never understood the attraction. Is it to keep from losing balance? Does anybody out there do this? We heard from all the former catchers who seem pretty grossed out by it. Inquiring minds want to know!

[lawump]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Perhaps you should ask the person(s) who wrote the NCAA Evaluation Standards, since he/she/they wrote this as one of the criteria:

"Has a grasp of how the zone can be adjusted in lopsided game."

I don't think that anybody considers a 6 run deficit to be "lopsided." Lopsided is usually 10 runs or more behind.

And maybe lawump had a big strike zone to start with, and couldn't have widened it out more than it already was. How about it, lawump?

Well, after one of my minor league games in 1997...as I was taking a shower, my Dad was waiting for me outside our locker room, and he started talking to one of the team's pitching coaches, Bob Stanley.

After Bob asked my Dad who he was with (and my dad said the umpire), Bob cracked a joke. He said, "If your son was umpiring 10 years ago, I'd still be in the major leagues!"