For your viewing enjoyment...

[BigUmp56]

Just a couple of things, John. There looked to be several times where you started coming up out of your stance to call the pitch before the ball made it to the catchers mitt. I'd suggest staying locked in longer. The other thing I saw that I didn't particularly care for is you giving the count to the third base coach and rotating it around to the opposite foul line. It's best to just signal the count to the pitcher. This is especially important when you're working solo so you don't take your eyes off of the ball while you're looking at the coaches box. Eventually there'll be a pick-off attempt that you'll miss if you continue to signal the count like you do.


Tim.

[JJ]

Start your stance with your feet farther apart - it will lower your center of gravity and help with balance.
When calling a strike, wait longer, come upright, then with a closed fist higher than your head, pretend you're banging on a door (one time) as you yell, "Strike!". The pointing the strike with one finger looks like you're indicating to the pitcher to "look over there!". If you want to do the finger thing, snap it out there more authoritatively (and keep it up a bit higher than horizontal).

JJ

[bobbybanaduck]

Originally Posted by JJ

(and keep it up a bit higher than horizontal).

JJ

Originally Posted by msavakinas

jj,

FWIW we agree all the way until the end. but if he's gonna do the point, don't put it higher, point it out there authoritatively a lil lower than shoulder height. it looks a lil more athletic IMO.

viso gero!

a bit higher than hoizontal and a lil lower than shoulder height are the same thing in my world....

[bossman72]

just a few things i noticed.

1- be louder. your strike calls lack "umph" for lack of a better term. a little bit more energy in the call is needed.

2- strike mechanic needs to be more crisp. by crisp i mean a little faster and harder with the movement of the arm with an abrupt stop at the end. looks better. use in conjunction with point #1 i made and you'll look sharp. i personally don't have too much of a problem with the point, but make it more crisp if that's what you want to use. i personally use the hammer as JJ suggested.

3- it appears you don't have a "lock in" mechanism in your stance. i suggest putting your slot arm across your waist / upper thigh so you have something to lock in with. you seem pretty rock solid, but without a lock in mechanism, you may drift without realizing it.


i'm glad that you want to improve yourself by asking for criticism on the board though. it's refreshing to see umpires who want to get better.

[fitump56]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Just a couple of things, John. There looked to be several times where you started coming up out of your stance to call the pitch before the ball made it to the catchers mitt.

Whew, Tim, I thought you had died. I never saw anywhere he did that, not even close. Several? There were only a few B-S calls in the whole video.

The other thing I saw that I didn't particularly care for is you giving the count to the third base coach and rotating it around to the opposite foul line. It's best to just signal the count to the pitcher. This is especially important when you're working solo so you don't take your eyes off of the ball while you're looking at the coaches box.
Tim.

Then signal the count but don't look away. Turn the torso, hands, eyes forward. On 90' basepaths, no scoreboard, it's a different game, Tim.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by fitump56

Whew, Tim, I thought you had died.

I can't tell you how nice it is to have the time to post again and see you're still here, Donovan. Nope, haven't died yet, just been busy.......

Originally Posted by fitump56

Then signal the count but don't look away. Turn the torso, hands, eyes forward. On 90' basepaths, no scoreboard, it's a different game, Tim.

Sorry, Donovan, but I don't think it's our responsibility to constantly update the base coaches on the current count. If they aren't paying attention that's their problem. 90', 70', or 60' basepaths. Scoreboard or not............


Tim.

[gordon30307]

You looked good back there. If I were a spectator or on the bench I would beleive your calls this is perhaps the most important aspect when you officiate a game. Hustled down to first on the ground ball. Pointed in the air on the infield fly and verbalised it. Your timing on balls and strikes was fine. I'd be honored to be your partner.

Don't let the nit picking on style points bother you.

[bobbybanaduck]

Originally Posted by gordon30307

You looked good back there. If I were a spectator or on the bench I would beleive your calls this is perhaps the most important aspect when you officiate a game. Hustled down to first on the ground ball. Pointed in the air on the infield fly and verbalised it. Your timing on balls and strikes was fine. I'd be honored to be your partner.

Don't let the nit picking on style points bother you.

he did do a pretty decent job, and i assume he knows he does a pretty decent job otherwise he probably wouldn't have posted the video. with that in mind, i think he posted looking for the nit picking. umpiring is never perfect and can always be worked on and tweaked to be better. when you become satisfied with your work, it's time to hang em up. and, if you are satisfied with the timing on some of the pitches and employ the same when you work, i guarantee you are missing ball/strike calls. it is physically impossible to have seen the ball all the way into the mitt if you call the pitch before it reaches the mitt.

[gordon30307]

Originally Posted by bobbybanaduck

he did do a pretty decent job, and i assume he knows he does a pretty decent job otherwise he probably wouldn't have posted the video. with that in mind, i think he posted looking for the nit picking. umpiring is never perfect and can always be worked on and tweaked to be better. when you become satisfied with your work, it's time to hang em up. and, if you are satisfied with the timing on some of the pitches and employ the same when you work, i guarantee you are missing ball/strike calls. it is physically impossible to have seen the ball all the way into the mitt if you call the pitch before it reaches the mitt.

Ball hit the mit and he made his call. At least that's how I saw it.

[bobbybanaduck]

the "call" is mental, the "signal" is visual. go to 1:17 in the video and then watch it, then click back on that 1:17 mark. do it repeatedly so you are seeing it over and over again. the "call" is made before the ball hits the mitt. this is evidenced by the fact that he is already mving out of his stance prior to the pop of the ball in the mitt. watch him and listen for the pop.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by gordon30307

Ball hit the mit and he made his call. At least that's how I saw it.

Ball hitting mitt and making the call at that point is still way too fast. The Frank Pulli method looks horrible IMO. Plus, it really doesn't give the PU time to take into account the many variables that can occur.

When the ball hits the mitt is the time to start determining whether the pitch was a ball or strike, not the time to be announcing it. This is where the phrase "proper use of the eyes" comes into the mix for good timing. If you've already made your mind up before the ball comes in there, disaster can easily follow.

[gordon30307]

Sorry, Donovan, but I don't think it's our responsibility to constantly update the base coaches on the current count. If they aren't paying attention that's their problem. 90', 70', or 60' basepaths. Scoreboard or not............


Tim.[/QUOTE]

Whether you verbalize balls and strikes every pitch every other or never it's simply a matter of style. I do it on every pitch (almost) not for the players etc. but for my partner and it also myself. It helps keep me focused.

[PeteBooth]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Just a couple of things, John. There looked to be several times where you started coming up out of your stance to call the pitch before the ball made it to the catchers mitt. I'd suggest staying locked in longer.

Tim this is common when working SOLO which is the reason one shouldn't work solo on a regular basis otherwise you get bad habits.

In the one video, the IF was in effect, so perhaps JM had a glimpse of the runners.

We all know or should know to stay down and not come up to quickly however when you are working SOLO with men on base sometimes it's a natural reaction to come up a little quicker than normal.

My question to JM is this.

Why are you working SOLO?

Pete Booth

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

Tim this is common when working SOLO which is the reason one shouldn't work solo on a regular basis otherwise you get bad habits.

In the one video, the IF was in effect, so perhaps JM had a glimpse of the runners.

We all know or should know to stay down and not come up to quickly however when you are working SOLO with men on base sometimes it's a natural reaction to come up a little quicker than normal.

My question to JM is this.

Why are you working SOLO?

Pete Booth

Pete, with all due respect, you are out of your gourd on this one!

I have worked hundreds of solo games and this has never been a problem. Timing is timing whether there are two, three, four, six or just one umpire.

When working solo games you still have to wait until the action takes you somewhere. Why on earth would you pop up quick just because you are by yourself? That sounds pretty ridiculous to me and it's a flimsy excuse for poor timing.

As to why he is working solo, JM lives in an area, such as I do, where if the game didn't have a solo umpire, it wouldn't have an umpire. Solo games are very commonplace in many larger cities where the volume of games exceeds the number of available umpires. A good percentage of youth games below the varsity level here use one umpire, unless it is a tournament of some kind or a championship games.

[PeteBooth]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Pete, with all due respect, you are out of your gourd on this one!

I have worked hundreds of solo games and this has never been a problem. Timing is timing whether there are two, three, four, six or just one umpire.

When working solo games you still have to wait until the action takes you somewhere. Why on earth would you pop up quick just because you are by yourself? That sounds pretty ridiculous to me and it's a flimsy excuse for poor timing.

I commented on the following statement

There looked to be several times where you started coming up out of your stance to call the pitch before the ball made it to the catchers mitt. I'd suggest staying locked in longer.

As mentioned perhaps the reason JM came up too quickly was because there were men on base and maybe a steal attempt in progress etc.

I do not think I am out of gourd on this one.

When working SOLO "something" has to give. IMO, it is not a flimsy exuse for poor timing but a matter of circumstances. You cannot possibly be everywhere when working solo so some aspect of the game will suffer.

Yes you first need to call the pitch but as you mentioned for the most part these types of games are at the modified level so it's not like the pitch is going to "drop off the table" or something like that.

I am simply saying it is difficult to "rate" someone not impossible but when working SOLO inevitably one will develop bad habits because you do have to 'cut corners"

Pete Booth