For your viewing enjoyment...
 

Gentlemen,

I had an evaluation done this past July while working a "summer" HS Soph game (working solo for this game). My evaluator was kind enough to videotape part of the game and send me a copy. Linked below is a video of a few of my calls from that game. I would be interested in your commentary.

Click here to watch UmpJM07142007

Thanks.

JM

i'll have a bunch of time tomorrow if you'd like my input.

and if you do, please specify if you'd like it publicly or privately.

bobby,

I'm interested. Public is fine. My evaluator had a number of suggestions for me, and I've tried to incorporate his suggestions, but I'm interested in what others have to say as well.

JM

PM on the way.

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.

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

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

I like the heel-instep that you use; I prefer using it to the heel-toe as I find it gives me better balance.

With a right-handed batter at the plate, it probably isn't necessary to hide your right hand behind your thigh; the catcher is already protecting it. Try putting your left hand behind your left thigh, as it is more likely to get hit by a foul ball. Then place your right arm in front of your crotch, or on your right knee, whatever gives you the best protection. Use the opposite steps with a left-handed batter at the dish.

Another thing I'd suggest is to stay down a bit longer after saying "strike". I like to say it verbally, and only once I have said it out loud will I come up out of my stance and make my visual strike mechanic.

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.

As opposed to saying it how?

the two part practice (verbal first, visual second) is a very softball-like mechanic. the verbal and visual strike mechanic should be "married," meaning coming out at the same time.

i'm going to try and do this part by part along with the video sections. my girlfriend went nuts with a camera at one of my games this year, so i'm gonna throw a couple of photos in there to illustate a couple of points.

part 1.

point A to to point B and locking in looks good. you do well getting from the rest position (point A) to the set position (point B) quickly and at the appropriate time...not too early, not too late. also, good hustle getting out from behind the catcher and up the line, and good job going to the catcher's left. that is a good practice to be in, clearing him to the left. good work.

part 2.

i'd like to see a crisper "play" mechanic. snap it off and get it so it's pointing straight at the pitcher instead of up in the air. i'd also like to see you in there and ready to go before putting the ball in play instead of moving around. it wasn't too bad, but you never know when the pitcher will snap a throw somewhere immediately after you put it in play.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...eump/play3.jpg

the strike mechanic.

if you pause it at :27 it almost looks like you are signalling a home run and not a strike. if you are comfortable with your arm in that position that you use, consider switching to the hammer. if you would like to go to the side, work on going more to the side and bringing the mechanic down lower, as was brought up in an earlier post. i also agree with an earlier post that your timing may be a little quick on the strike call. make sure you are using your eyes properly and tracking the ball all the way into the mitt.

the first one is to the side. the second one is acually an out, but it looks the same as when i use the hammer for my strike call.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ump/strike.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...eump/h4079.jpg

part 3.

i agree with the earlier post about displaying the count everywhere. straight out in front crisply is best, unless somebody asks you for it, then go ahead and show it to them. be careful with your head height getting too low. looks like you have a monster catcher working in front of you. be aware that sometimes he may set up higher and you may have to adjust (will be evident later.)

part 4.

at :57 you explode out on the infield fly, which is good, except that you actually are moving before the ball is even hit. make sure you stay locked in until something actually happens. on an infield fly, go out in the direction of the ball. i couldn't tell where the ball was hit, other than it wasn't hit to the third baseman, so you shouldn't have been headed toward third. you don't need to go too far, maybe halfway to the mound or a little less, but in the direction of the ball.

i am assuming this is a 2 man game, but i'm not 100% sure (i didn't hear anybody echo the infield fly, so maybe you were alone.) if it is a 2 man game, the BU is responsible for initiaing the infield fly call unless it's toward one of the lines or in the area of, or in front of, the pitcher's mound. good terminology. be careful looking up at the ball. this is one of the few times it is ok to take a quick glance up because you need to determine the apex of the ball and whether or not it is going to be an infield fly. you will see later when it isn't a good time to look up and i'll cover it more there.

part 5.

at 1:14 the catcher makes an adjustment and you don't move. i like that and that's what i teach my guys around here. i teach to set up on the edge of the plate and only make adjustments to your height. it gives you the same look at the outside pitch every time.

your timing on strike three is lightning fast, so much so that you were coming out of your stance while the ball was still in flight. this goes back to proper use of eyes. you had made up your mind on this pitch before it even got to the strike zone. see the pitch all the way in. the verbal mechanic for strike three needs to be more emphatic, and the visual mechanic just looks uncomfortable, almost like you were surprised it happened. watch video of the big leaguers calling third strikes and try to find something that works for you.

part 6.

at 1:40 the catcher sets up high. pause it and look at your head height. you are looking at the back of his head. again, make sure you are aware of what the catcher is doing and adjust your head height accordingly. when the ball is hit you immediately look straight up. you know the ball went up, you don't need to find it. let the catcher take you to the ball. your first movement should be to get out of your stance by taking a step or two backwards, opening up your gate by drop stepping (with your right foot in this specific situation) then distancing yourself from the catcher by moving under control sideways allowing him to take you to the ball. you quickly backpedalled, which is dangerous and is generally not a good idea to do anywhere on the field because you can't see behind you. also, this was dangerously close to needing a fair/foul decsion. make sure you are aware of this and be ready to get on the proper line to make the call. you were off the screen, so you may well have been in good position, i'm just making a point.

part 7.

at 2:00 good job once again busting out from behind the plate, and much better job going in the direction of the ball. you looked up again, which is unneccessary as you already know the ball is in the air, and you already know which drection it is going in. good job staying on the line for the fair/foul call. you don't need to be hands on knees set for this play, in fact, it is detrimental as you may hurt your view of the play by angling your eyes downward. the play is happening off the ground. stay standing for this play. you have multiple responsibilities with the fair/foul and catch/no catch. good job keeping your distance from the play, allowing yourself to see everything that happens.

if you are on the line (at any time, not just on this play) then you need to give a fair/foul mechanic. when the catch is routine as it was in this play, there is no need to give an out mechanic. if it is obvious to everyone there that it was caught, you do not need to give the mechanic on a routine caught fly ball. instead, only give the fair/foul mechanic and do not give an out mechainc.

hope you find something in here that helps. feel free to ask questions either by PM or on here.

edited for spelling after review.

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

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.

Yt you see it constantly at the MLB level. So, not worth commenting on.

Whoa there Banana, why are you looking to the sidelines? F2 has already returned te ball to F1 and your looking way from the field entirely. Showboating?

I thought you did well. Especially ballsy to call that Stike Three when F2 pulled his mitt back into the zone for no reason.:)

I would suggest that you have a wee little commo with him about pulling any pitches.

I always keep my helmet on.

Nice job of locating F2 on the foul and backing straight out for distance.

The signalling to the coaches, been there, no scoreboard, do that. Beats having to hear "Blue, what's the count" 200 times a game. Comment: Palms in on showing the count is easier to read from the field. Glance over andmake sure that the 3rd base Coach is looking, forget about the 1B Coach. I like to make certain that F1 sees the count if possible.

The comment about "pointing as if it is a HR" is absurd. Staying down, you do fine, you call a strike when you see a strike.

Learn to use your inicator without looking at it. Notch the wheels so you know where 0-0-0 is.

You can tell good timing from a still shot with no field view? Congrats. I see bad habits.

I didn't find Mr.Benham's comment to be offensive, although we certainly have come into conflict in the past.

I'll have to change my strike mechanic to combine the verbal and visual parts of it. The reason I didn't do this in the past was because I wanted to do whatever I could to stay down in my stance longer, even if it meant a two-part mechanic. I don't want to fall into the habit of coming up too early and suddenly get fooled by a curveball.

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.......


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.

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.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ump/strike.jpg

A supervisor once told me that when I point out that strike I should keep my eyes forward. He said if I do it with no runners on base it will become a habit that will continue when there ARE runners on base, and that's the time looking away COULD be a problem (batter's interference, for example). He suggested pointing not toward the dugout but up the first baseline. I know of an NCAA CWS umpire who does it that way - I opted to just keep my eyes forward while still pointing out to the side.
I will agree with posters who said to "marry" the verbal and signal for the strike call. And yes, that is a hard habit to get into. And no, I still don't do it that way. Something about "old dog, new trick..."

JJ

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.

Don't have much to add other than your shirt tail is coming out, JM. Invest in a flexbelt.

Trying to get a video of me on youtube in the coming weeks... so you all can have at me then :)

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.

my .02
 

Ill let the others give you the detail, but I liked the hustle...........

good read off of the catcher on the pop up.............

Not only is it "softball-like", it is softball mandated! That is precisely how it's supposed to be done, by the book, for the major softball sanctioning bodies.

It took me awhile to get the hang of the "bifurcated" (two-part) call after coming from a baseball background of giving the simultaneous verbal and visual signal.

I've finally separated the two styles to the point that I can effectively use the correct method for the correct sport. But during the season, if I find myself switching back and forth alot between baseball and softball, every once in awhile I'll catch myself slipping up and doing one the "opposite" way!

I gotta thank UmpJM for posting that video, and for the constructive comments from y'all, especially bobbybanaduck. Picked up a few things here painlessly. (Nice photos, too, btw!)

Interesting about the "bifurcated" strike call - our dear Papa C was at one time recommending precisely that, at least for new umpires, to assist with timing.

Thanks all around, gents.

Bob James

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

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.

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.

[QUOTE]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.

bobbybanaduck

When do you point to the side on a strike vs. hammer out front?

there were some days that i honestly didn't think about which i was going to use. if the first called strike of the game i happened to go out to the side, then i'd go to the side that day. if i happened to come up with a hammer, then it was the hammer for the day. as i said earlier, if i do happen upon any one man games i'll probably use the hammer so there are always eyes on the field.

[QUOTE]I commented on the following statement

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

John, just my 2 cents.

I dont' see you having a 'lock-in' mechanism using the stance shown in the video. I use the GD, so I suppose I'm biased. I did not notice any major head movement, however. What would you say is your 'lock in' mechanism is, something you feel everytime you go from A to B?

A small detail, on a pop up near the plate, don't look for the ball first thing. Locate the catcher and he will take you to the ball.

I know that this was a one man game. My impression was that you felt rushed. When doing solo games, it's important, IMHO, to take your primary responsibility first, that is calling balls/strikes. Don't feel the need to make your calls quickly because you are the only umpire. After all, we are only talking about 1 - 1.5 seconds of delay that only WE percieve, but it makes a big difference in the quality of our strike zone.

[QUOTE=PeteBooth]And I'm simply saying that it is not "inevitable" to develop bad habits. It is possible, but certainly not inevitable. I don't cut any corners when I work solo. I give it my best effort. If someone is stealing, oh well. The play is still either going to be safe or out no matter where you call it from. You don't raise up early on steal plays. You come up and give it the lean and look when the catcher comes up throwing.

I have worked solo games where the pitching was first class, and the ball did drop off the table, and the pitchers were throwing in excess of 85 to 90 mph. There are one-man Colt and Palomino games here that have great pitching. You still don't umpire differently than you do with a partner. You just have to get the best distance and angle you can on each play. The coaches know this and are theorhetically supposed to cut the umpire some slack, especially on stolen bases. I find working solo easy as pie. No pesky check swing begging, no "ask the other guy" crap, just you VS them.

Gentlemen,

My thanks to each of you for your feedback (public and private).

I'll just comment on a couple of points that were raised.

Many of you commented on the "quickness" of my timing on ball/strike calls. This was actually the second game I had evaluated and both evaluators commented that my timing was fine on "ball" calls but too quick on "strike" calls. I honestly didn't know what they were referring to until I saw the video. Then it was clear to even me that I was much too quick on the strike calls. I believe my timing is better now, but I'd kind of like to see another video to be sure. I don't believe this is a result of working solo (my first evaluated game was 2-man & the evaluator had the same comment), but just a part of my learning process.

As to Pete Booth's question regarding why I am working solo, as SD Steve suggests, the norm around here is for most "lower level" games to be covered by a single umpire. As a "new guy", I was mostly working lower level games this past season. About 1/3 of the games I worked I had a partner and about 2/3s I worked solo. I certainly prefer working with a partner, but I also prefer working solo to not umpiring at all.

A couple of things I've changed since the video was taken....

I no longer "shop around" the count - I just give it straight ahead to the pitcher.

I still "point" strikes, but I do it pretty close to horizontal & keep it lower than my shoulder. (I swear that Dick Nelson taught me the "high point" at the Desert Classic last year on the last day when we were allowed to personalize our strike mechanic. So many people told me that it didn't look good that I changed it.)

On strike three I don't point and then punch anymore. Just punch out on a called K3, hammer on a swinging K3.

Finally, a number of you commented on no visible "lock-in" mechanism. I try to use my "slot arm" resting on my thigh as my lock-in. The clip below shows a couple of pitches to a LH batter where you can see this.

Click here to watch UmpJM2

Thanks again for the feedback. I appreciate it.

JM

I still "point" strikes, but I do it pretty close to horizontal & keep it lower than my shoulder. (I swear that Dick Nelson taught me the "high point" at the Desert Classic last year on the last day when we were allowed to personalize our strike mechanic. So many people told me that it didn't look good that I changed it.)

I believe that the high point strike call is known as the "John Travolta Disco Point.":)

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/5/5_5_138.gif

Believe me when I say I'd take it over Ed Montaque's strike and punch out mechanic any day. You'd think bees are swarming around him. Thank goodness the World Series didn't go seven games. If I was to compare myself to any MLB ump it would probably be Tim McClelland.

McClelland's mechanics are absolutely horrific, so that figures.:eek:

Let see. He's in the show. He must be doing something right. :confused:

So he's in the show. What does that have to do with mechanics? My mechanics were always better than McClelland's and I wasn't a pro umpire. I was only speaking of his mechanics, not of his overall umpiring abilities or his longetivity in the major leagues.

You're just going to have to put some video on here so we can take a look see..........;)

Old school BS, you do so, you'll enjoy a cat quick catcher sandiwich for your helmet/mask.

Drop step first then..........

The ones who have me on their Ignore List you will detect easily, missing this gem of wisdom, next year they will have their two front teeth missing. :)

Quote:
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You can tell good timing from a still shot with no field view? Congrats. I see bad habits.
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I sooooooo care about the hierarchy of baseball. Bananaduck ought to know the game is on the field not showboating for the camera (which appears to be anything but a happenstance btw). I mean if you can see that there are (not) runners, that Mr.Bananaduck is (not) paying attention to, the intelligence agencies have several million to pay over for your remote viewing and photo-vision peripheral skills. :D

He's certainly not as flamboyant as others in terms of calling safe, outs, balls and strikes. So what's the big deal. That's his style. Tell me you don't like his style. I'm sure you're a fine umpire, a good partner and do an excellent job, however, I don't think your mechanics are better than McClellans. If his mechanics were poor he never would have made it to the show.

Hey ump JM, I was at that Desert Classic with you. You should remember me, I had no clue, Jim Evan's level 4, now level 3; But; I still do have a critique point: I don't like grey ball bags, you should be using black or blue.

Certified level 3 ump

Better is in the eye of the beholder. My mechanics were always sharp, crisp, and professional looking. Better than McClelland's? I don't know. My evaluators usually praised them pretty well, but I never got to show them off in a side-by-side with McClelland's, so I guess it's a moot point.

Yeah, just like our buddy up north! Then we can have a sleepover. And make smores.:)

I sure everyone would get a kick out of watching my fat a$$ run around on a ball field showing my mechanics. What a sight!:eek: