Well, I apologize for missing it.

But all someone had to do was tell me, and provide a link to that discussion. I would love to read it.

Thanks,

Somewhat tongue in cheek, but truly I think the pitch I hate to call is the foul tip or tip off the catchers glove that goes straight to my mask(or elsewhere).
I'll make the right call, but.....

Ball
 

To the the only tough pitch to call is a ball. We all know that strikes get us closer to going home LOL!!! Seriously, I don't find any pitch difficult to call. It is a strike if I say so. No questions asked unless the rat wants to go sit in the port-a-potty for the rest of the night.:cool:

Baseball Panties?
 

None of my business, but have you already had this discussion?

Green OAKLAND A'S ATHLETICS Baseball Thong PANTIES MLB

http://cgi.ebay.com/Green-OAKLAND-AS...QQcmdZViewItem

Talk about a very interesting place for your favorite MLB team logo.

Hockey Mask?
 

I do not see that switching the mask will help any. Only thing the mask does (beyond protection) is allows the umpire to see the ball better. He did not say he could not see it. He said it was a difficult pitch to call.

I agree this is a difficult pitch to call. There are many pitches that are difficult, such as the rising fastball, the fastball with lots of movement (lots of Lefties have this one), the big sweeping slider, etc. But the key is, I know the rule book has the zone spelled out, but the PU creates the zone early and if the pitch goes through that zone then it has to be or needs to be called a strike; regardless of where the catcher catches it. At least this is in an ideal world.

The best thing you can do is to try your best, be as consistent as possible and as fair as possible. The golden rule is to not interfere with the outcome of the game. You will miss a pitch here and there, but as long as the official does not determine the winner and loser then you can sleep at night.

Hmmmm
 

I took your ealier post as that of someone new to the board, now it seems possible you may not be as you appear.........

It's possible that he calls a hard breaking curve that knicks the zone a strike even if it's caught on or near the dirt. It's not something most of us will do, but I've worked with guys who will.


Tim.

"Rising fastball", CollegeUmp? THAT pitch be hard to call because it doesn't exist.

Exactly. It seems strange that a "pro school graduate' would list a nonexistant pitch as "hard to call." I rmember the chuckles from instructors at the Desert Classic when a young, LL excperienced only student inquired about a "rising fastball." Perhaps Wendelstedt instructors are the only ones who don't understand physics, but I doubt it. I'll check, though.

Well,
 

CollegeUmp06 should alert us to one of two options:

1) Troll alert or,

2) Moron alert.

Regards,

The toughest pitch for me is a guy who can actually throw a good knuckler.

The toughest pitch to signal is the inside fastball to a left-handed batter which finds a way by the swing and the mitt all the way to my wrist or hand. Tough to bring the hammer when that happens.

The Rising Fastball Is Not Myth
 

From http://www.infosports.com/baseball/arch/2346.htm
Some people pretend it can never be done or pretend that it is physically impossible. While others have simply stated the obvious. See
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print...135&type=story
Every generation, a pitcher comes along and consistently throws a rising fastball. Let's agree that we have over 100 years of evidence.

Please do not start this again. There's nothing in the article to support a physical upward movement of a ball once it has been released (or reached) a horizontal or downward motion. In fact, the author himself states, "Yes, yes, Egbert; we all know that a baseball does not literally jump in mid-air, it merely appears to do so to the batter. Very good; now sit down and shut up."