Invisibility

[Shmuelg]

No, this has nothing to do with the famous ficitional British wizard, but everything to do with umpiring.

We are taught that a good blue is an invisible blue.

How far do you go to do that? I'm curious.

I'm asking this specifically, because there is an umpire here (Israel) whose calls I really like (his name is Yaniv). His "ball" and "strike" and "foul" and "time" all sound somewhat similar - he kind of grunts it and melts the word together, and you understand him because the word is a bit intelligible, and he uses hand signals. The advantage, I think, is that his personality is not imprinted on the game. Almost immediately, we ignore him, and pay attention to the ball, the runners, the players, in short, the game itself.

I, on the other hand, have been making very very clear calls. That is, "foul ball" sounds like "foul ball", "strike" like "strike", "ball" I rarely call at all (only ball four), but the point is that you can hear my voice, and right away you recognize that it is *me* making the call.

What do you guys think?


_________
ShmuelG
Israel

[mbyron]

My training was that invisibility is a standard Smitty principle (the term used by the pros was "Charlie," but you get the point), used by umpires who lack confidence and knowledge of rules and mechanics. Umpires have a role to play on the field, and they should adjust their volume and visibility as appropriate to the role. Close calls, for example, require selling.

BTW, I was trained always to verbalize "Ball," since failing to verbalize anything can interfere with your timing and can make you look indecisive. The only pitches on which I verbalize nothing are those so bad that the catcher fails or nearly fails to catch them.

[Tim C]

"We are taught that a good blue is an invisible blue."

Because I disagree with this basic statement I would not be a good person to answer your question.

I agree with this statement:

"One of the really wrong theories about officiating is that a good official is one you never notice. The umpire who made that statement was probably a real poor official who tried to get his paycheck and hide behind his partners and stay out of trouble all his life. Control of the ballgame is the difference between umpires that show up for the players and the managers." -

Umpire Bruce Froemming

[Shmuelg]

It's always amazing what you hear when you expand your circle of friends and acquaintances. We indeed were taught that a good umpire (bb and sb the same) is one you don't notice is there.

What I meant by "invisible" is that it's not as if the blue isn't there at all, but it's that the players, coaches, and fans are concentrating on the playing of the game, not on where the umpire is, what kind of call he's making, was is good or bad or "hey blue, ask for help" on too many instances.

My point was that perhaps I should change the way I make these calls, instead of enunciating the word, make it a bit more generic (yet still forceful), so the players and coaches won't say "Hey, that's Shmuel behind the plate there", they'll just know there's an ump there, and leave it at that.

Shmuel

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Shmuelg

We are taught that a good blue is an invisible blue.

_________
ShmuelG
Israel

You were taught wrong.

Unless, of course, game management and making the correct call are of no importance.

Somebody over there needs to save some shekels and get some real training. Umpires from Europe, Australia and Asia show up in Florida or Arizona every year to learn the craft. Surely someone from Israel can make the trip.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Shmuelg

It's always amazing what you hear when you expand your circle of friends and acquaintances. We indeed were taught that a good umpire (bb and sb the same) is one you don't notice is there.

What I meant by "invisible" is that it's not as if the blue isn't there at all, but it's that the players, coaches, and fans are concentrating on the playing of the game, not on where the umpire is, what kind of call he's making, was is good or bad or "hey blue, ask for help" on too many instances.

My point was that perhaps I should change the way I make these calls, instead of enunciating the word, make it a bit more generic (yet still forceful), so the players and coaches won't say "Hey, that's Shmuel behind the plate there", they'll just know there's an ump there, and leave it at that.

Shmuel

Maybe you should stop worrying about being invisible. Unless you are a terrible umpire, in which case it would be a fantastic idea.

[Shmuelg]

Perhaps you are right, and I'm worrying about the wrong thing.

Just get the call right, rules right, good mechanics, and everyone will be happy.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Shmuelg

Perhaps you are right, and I'm worrying about the wrong thing.

Just get the call right, rules right, good mechanics, and everyone will be happy.

Add: demonstrate good game management.

Even then, though, not everyone will be happy. After all, there will still be players, coaches and fans.

[Lawrence.Dorsey]

I think the premise of being invisible is desirable but it isn't always practical. The premise, in my eyes, is that you hope that the game goes smoothly and even on the close plays or rulings, people can say that the umpire was merely doing the obvious. It also means the plate umpire had a consistent, fair zone all evening and didn't have a gross miss that affected the game. We all have the above game from time to time. It's easy on the umpire but does it help us improve or gain a better rating from coaches, evaluators, or whoever decides your fate in a given league? Probably not....

As has been said in other places, "Sometimes you just have to umpire". You are going to make some people mad and some happy. I've had teams/fans that thought I was the best umpire they have ever seen and some that thought I was the worst. Sometimes that is a consistent theme throughout a season and sometimes it fluctuates between games. It comes with the territory. There are times when you have to step in and do something that isn't popular but it's the right thing to do. Game management is mostly proactive than reactive and mastering it takes time. But trials under fire, which can drive you nuts at the time, only serve to make you better if you take the situation and learn (and improve) from it.

There is a cautionary note here: while I would agree that invisibility is just not practical, interjecting yourself to the point that you become bigger than the game can be worse than being invisble. Umpires that have to let everyone know how important they are to the game often cause more trouble than they will ever fix. There was an incident this year in my area during a FED game where an umpire who is notorious for being bigger than the game ejected a HS head coach who was helping out with his JV squad's game. I know this coach and while he will throw in a chirp or two, if he comes out to argue he generally has a point and he is tactful in his manner. I normally give the umpire the benefit of the doubt when a coach complains about getting dumped, but honestly knowing the umpire in this case I would have to lean towards the fact that he was trying to show everyone what a great umpire he is and how he is in control. I'd take invisibility over a swelled-head any day.


Lawrence

[TussAgee11]

good post Lawrence.

I get from it this: in a game management sense, its best to be invisible as much as possible, until it seems something may happen. Then interject and do your buisness in a proactive way. That way you don't have to react to something, which makes you totally noticable. Of course, the best umpire in the world will still have a $hit house on occasion. Sometimes its just totally unavoidable and out of nowhere.

Now for the obvious (and clarification). As for being invisible while actually calling the game, I don't buy that one bit. Do the job the rulebook says. There will be things that happen that you have to rule on one way or another (anywhere from safe/out to some of the 3rd world stuff we read about on this form). Do your job, which requires you to definatly not be invisible. You are a part of the game just like the players. We all are invisible at some point during the year (no close calls on the bases, easy game with good coaches, etc.). But don't confuse invisibility with a good job, or a totally noticable umpire with a bad job. The two are independent from each other. Any combination of these things could happen at any game.

[JRutledge]

Let me put it this way. If you call a 3rd strike on 10 batters on the same spot, you will not be invisible. Do you have really anything to do with that as an umpire? You sure as hell do not have anything to do with batters not swinging at close pitches. But to some people you will have done a bad job if you call a pitch someone does not like. And you might be right on all 10 pitches and you will be made the scape-goat for what took place.

Peace

[ozzy6900]

Funny, I have heard that statement (good blue is an invisible blue) for years. It was taught by my instructors many eons ago! But in 20 plus years, I'll be damned if I can figure out how to be invisible on the field!

[canadaump6]

"We are taught that a good blue is an invisible blue,".

I believe this statement is true to a point. When we walk onto the field, it is best to do so as quickly as possible, and to not do anything that will attract peoples' attention. When calling the game we should try to be unnoticed, but this cannot always happen. Now and then there will be a tough rule to apply, or one that the people involved are not familiar with. In this case we have to sacrifice invisibility for getting the call right.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by canadaump6

When calling the game we should try to be unnoticed.

Should we whisper? Should stay in foul territory and peek at the plays?

Freaking ridiculous.

When a banger happens at first, where do people turn their attention? To the umpire.

When a batter with an 0-2 count stands and watches a cockshot go by, where do people turn their attention? To the umpire.

When a runner attempts to steal second and the throw from the catcher gets there just in time for the glove to go down as the runner is sliding to the bag, where do people turn their attention? To the umpire.

If you want to hide, stay home.

[Arnold A.]

In an earlier thread this year, I had a game in which I ejected six participants.

Does that make me a poor umpire due to the fact I wasn't "invisible"?

According to the league's BOD, UIC, my fellow umpires, and a few of the people I ejected, I did all the proper things in handling this situation. But, I certainly wasn't invisible.

A good umpire is one who DOES the job properly. One who is prepared, focused, and determined to do their best. One who does not look for attention, but is not afraid of it.