How would you do on TV

[LomUmp]

Hey all,

I think that after the nerves calmed down over doing something like this for the first time, I would be fine. It's still the same game that has been done before.

LomUmp

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Pete...this is an interesting topic, but I have an easier way to judge your abilities. Have a group of your umpire colleagues evaluate you while working a BIG game. Give them the NCAA eval form and tell them to be honest. Get a family member or friend to video tape you...not just in game situations, but follow you around between innings, etc.

Collect the evals and watch the tape - yes, you will look lumbering, not as sharp as you remember and definetly fatter. Pay close attention to how you act when play is relaxed. Did you bust out from behind the dish correctly? Did you clean the plate like a pro? How did you look on foul tips and foul balls? Any flinching...wavering...delayed calls?

The very idea that we scrutinize the guys on TV is the same if we were sitting in the stands. Umpires enjoy being critical and showing their mastery of the game. Ego plays an important role in umpire development. Being able to decipher and adapt to an accurate eval is another.

I've had many games covered by television and never saw one of mine that didn't make me shudder in some respect. Like listening to a tape of yourself singing or looking back at old photos, we're never as good as we like to think we are.

[bluezebra]

I was on national TV three times.

1..Three nights before boarding ship to go to Korea, I was in the audience in the NBC Studios in Burbank, CA. The program was called, 'The Peter Potter Platter Parade', and Zsa Zsa Gabor was one of the guest stars. My Marine buddy and I, and two swabbies in uniform, were asked if we would take part in a 'gimmick' involving Zsa Zsa. Too make a long story short, I was on full screen for a few seconds. Too bad there were no VCRs in those days, because my Mom had half of Chicago watching.

2..In 1987, I worked with the chain crew at the last pre-season game between the Bears and the Raiders at the LA Coliseum. Unfortunately, no one taped it for me.

3..In 1994, I got a 4-man crew together to work one of the 'Silver Bullets' Games at Mavericks Stadium in Adelanto, CA. ESPN filmed the game, and a friend of mine taped it for me. My highlight was getting hit in my ample rear by a foul ball (I was working 3B).

Bob

[aceholleran]

1) My strike zone would be too small

2) I'd be tucked in, pressed and buffed.

3) I'd look into Nutrisystem.

4) My mechanics would be clear and crisp.

5) This board would tar and feather me.


Ace