Maybe he thought it was a Magic 8-ball and was asking it "do I look unprofessional doing this?":)

Behind the plate, I use my left hand for my indiclickatator.

When on the grass, I leave it in my equiment bag.

"Try Again Later" :D

maybe he was getting the out of town scoreboard!

c'mon SDS - spill the beans - who was it?

I can't remember, but it may have been Marty Foster. But that's just a guess, as he did work the plate in a game I watched recently, but I typically take in the Cubs, Braves, and Padres telecasts on a daily basis, and the umpires tend to run together much like this sentence.

When PU I hold my indicator in my left hand. It has balls, strikes, outs, and inning on it. My left hand is usually pretty accurate, and I don't try to memorize the count.

When BU I don't use one and I use my memory more.

I also don't pick on folks who call it a clicker because I know what they mean. Mine clicks too when I use it.

Doesn't it drive you nuts...
 

When you are the PU and your partner says: "I always carry a clicker when I'm on the bases, so (either) a) "I can stay in the game", or b) "so if you miss the count I can help".

Then they usually brush or clean off the pitching rubber during the game....:p

An Indicator is held in the Left hand, because it is DESIGNED to be held in the Left hand. If you try to hold it in your Right hand, you can't turn all the wheels without using your Left had. But if you hold it in your Left hand, you have a finger & thumb lined up on each wheel.

Now, if you choose to use one, use it as a Back-up to your brain, and not the main count keeper. So, after each pitch, you indicate / announce the count, then you take a quick glance at your Indicator while it is up in the air, and make sure it matches the count in your head.

Try to avoid looking down at your Indicator...Why, because stuff is happening out on the field, not in your hand. There is nothing like the feeling of having your head buried down in your Indicator, and the Pitcher picks off a runner (while you're working a one man game). :o

Ah, this whole thread reminds me of the "Sheps Rule" in the Missouri Valley Conference, where the third base umpire is required to carry an indicator in every game. After a forgotten count--none of the three umpires on the crew had the correct count--led to a major brouhaha a while back (ejections, cost a team a run, you name it!), this "rule" was implemented conference-wide.

This is precisely what I do. I indicate the count on every pitch starting with the second and verbalize every other count and interesting counts (3 balls or 2 strikes). I almost never have the count wrong but I double check it as I put my hands down with a simple turn of the wrist. I also find it necessary to have as my mind does a hard reset when a runner scores and I have to reload the count.

I'd be thrilled to carry one. I would likely forget to turn the wheels, though.

Not in the Valley you wouldn't. Ever since that debacle, it's become rather significant.

What happened?

Its posted in #25 above.

Ever use a braille indicimatator?