Swing-on-a-bunt mechanic--no poll
 

Pitched ball is out of zone, batter is thinking about bunting ... and you have a strike on the pitch.

I've seen (and heard):

"That's an offer!"

"That's a swing!"

and other such stuff.

I point at the bat, make my swinging strike mechanic, and say "strike" a tad louder than I would ordinarily.

Your move.

Ace

"pitched ball is out of the zone...and you have a strike on the pitch"

i rethink my strike zone

Well, if you mean you have a strike because you think the batter made an attempt to hit the ball;

1. Point at the batter with your left hand.
2. Loudly say, "Yes, He Went !"
3. Indicate a Swinging Strike (if different from your called strike indication).

if he makes an attempt on a pitch that would be a ball: i point at the attempt with the left, say "yes he did", and point the strike with the right (head stays facing the field).

I point at the batter and say "Yes He did" if he went around, then i use the hammer (if its strike 2 ill point 2 fingers also then, like i always do on swinging strike 2)

Jeeze, I am talking about a swinging strike here. Was my original post that cloudy?

Have you been taking Ozzy's meds again, Ace?:D

He went.....
 

Me: "Yes He Did!", point w/ left hand at batter, indicate swinging strike w/ right.

calm down...i was poking fun at a mistake. i clearly understood the thread, its purpose, its expected results, etc.

Finger point at the bat with left hand "Thats an offer", silent strike mechanic.

Well I'll admit to being a bit confused about the question, which is why I avoided answering until now. What do I do on an unchecked bunt swing? Point at the batter with the left hand, verbalize "He went" and signal with the "Wilma" hammer.

Ace, when you say "and say 'strike' a tad louder than I would ordinarily," are you saying you ordinarily verbalize swinging strikes?

On a bunt offer, I point to the batter with my left hand and say "Yes, you offered" where as on a normal offer I point and say "Yes, you went!".

Yes, very sotto voce. I am of the school that an umpire should give a verbal response to every pitch, excepting obviously foul balls.

Would be pleased, as wlays, to hear (NPI) your take, DH -- and those of others.

Ace

Verbalizing swinging strikes is not a taught mechanic in the high school, college or pro clinics I'm familiar with. In fact, the opposite - no verbal and a simple, casual strike signal - is the "standard" taught mechanic. I have to believe most guys I work with would equate verbalizing a swinging strike with verbalizing an obvious foul ball.

Is it a standard mechanic with your peers as well, in your area?

BTW -

I was at a 14 year old district tournament with an experienced and well respected guy behind the plate, calling a great game, and not verbalizing any swinging strikes. The scoreboard operator kept on getting the count wrong. When someone went to ask him about it, he replied that if he didn't hear the umpire say "strike", he assumed it was a ball.

Go figure.