nobody called timeout!!!
 

Federation. Runners on 2nd and 1st. Two man crew. Plate ump takes his mask off , turns hus rump to the pitcher and proceeds to whisk off the plate. Runner on 2nd calmly strolls over to 3rd base as iff to talk to the coach. When he gets there he stays on the bag. Defensive coach screems that he has to go back to 2nd because plate ump had his back turned so time was automatically out. Umps allow runner to remain. what do you think?

With runners on I always call timeout if the plate requires cleaning. It doesn't take all that long to put the ball back in play and saves a lot of unnecessary grief.

Rita

Since most umpires would call time to dust the plate, I think you have a couple Smitty's to allow this to stand.

Offense request time?
 

What I think?
Coaches say the darndest things.
Live ball!
Two man crew.
BU in C position.
Offense doesn't request time.
Defense doesn't request time.
Neither ump grants time.
Coach should coach.

You've got it backwards, change 'Smitty's' and 'most umpires' and it would be correct.

"Of course I called time. You just didn't hear me. Everybody back."

If you allow runners to advance while you're cleaning the dish, you're a Gomer. (You're a Gomer for not calling time in the first place, but not covering yourself is even worse)

if you are amongst the group pointing fingers and calling people names you should keep in mind that when you point that finger there are 3 fingers pointing back at yourself. time should not be called to clean the plate. the less times you call time during the game, the better. runners advancing on the basepaths (other than those coming home, of course) during times like this are of little concern to me, as the PU, in anything other than a 1 man game. if they want to advance, more power to them. my partner will keep an eye on them.

I guess I'm a Gomer, then, whatever the hell that means. Leave it live. The base umpire can handle any call that needs to be made without my help.

When I am on bases with experienced pards, PU never calls a strong "time" for dish whisking. If I see any runner getting antsy, I hold up one palm, about chest-high, turn and face the runner, silently.

Have never had a sitch like this where any advance was allowed.

IMHO, BU was snoozing.

Ace in CT

I never knew it to be handled any differently until I read some of the earlier posts in this thread. I have to wonder why they don't trust their partners.

If I see my partner going to dust off the plate, I am going to make sure that nothing, NOTHING happens on the bases! Where the hell was this guy's partner? Then to allow the play to stand? Yeah, just a couple of Smitties here!

show me ONE umpire manual that says to call time when cleaning the plate. i wish you luck.

Why would you put the officiating crew in a predicament that is just aiming for trouble? Is not the PU the UIC for that game? No way am I not calling time to dust off the plate. Preventive umpiring 101.

When I coached, we would instruct our players that if you are on third and did not hear "time" when the PU dusted the plate, take off. You would be surprised how many different officials didn't understand what was going on and how many times we scored because the officials didn't control the game.

Take control of your game and prevent this before it happens. If your ego prevents you from doing this because you believe its your partners job, then remember when he looks bad and blows it, you both look bad.

I'm being pro-active and preventing it. "TIME"

Show me one that says you can't.

Step away from the field
 

Who has the ball? The defense.
Did the offense actually request time to talk to the runner? No.
Would the OC scream the same comment if a tag were applied to his runner for coming over to talk?
I can hear it now, "I wanted to talk to the runner while the PU was whisking the plate."
What would you instruct a fielder to do when a runner ventured too far from the base?
Perhaps the defense should have been watching the runner too.
Never once discouraged a pitcher/fielder initiated pickoff move.
But then a team can always find ways to blame the PU.
Come-on blue!

i can't, but ask one of the numerous guys on here that have been to one of the schools and they'll tell you the same thing. do not call time to clean the plate. unless you are using a friggen vacuum, it should take all of 2 seconds to do. get in, swipe 5 or 6 times, get out. if cleaning the plate is taking so much of your time that you are risking missing something on the field, you're being lazy. do it faster. if you have a situation where the plate is completely covered after a slide, or maybe it's raining and there's mud all over it, sure, maybe you're going to need 10 or more seconds to do it. in that case i wouldn't have a problem calling time to do it cuz there is going to be a significant amount of time spent dealing with it. a 2 second project does not warrant calling time, turning your lazy butt around, diligently swiping every speck off, strolling back behind the plate, waiting for everyone to get ready again and then putting it back in play. you've turned that 2 second deal into 30-45 wasted seconds. you call it pro-active, i call it an unnecessary waste of time.

i've said this before (though i don't remember if it was this site or one of the other ones) that you guys have a tremendous resource in former pro guys and former pro school instructors on here. there's always talk on here of being as professional as you can be when doing your job, so why not use this resource and strive to do things as they are taught at the schools? granted, there are some parts of the pro game that do not fit into amateur ball, but there are many, many things that do. these are simple things that we call "polish" when instructing and are universal to umpiring. this "situation" is one of them.

In EVERY baseball and softball association I belonged to, we considered brushing the plate to be an IMPLIED TIME OUT. Even if it wasn't verbalized.

Bob

you just lost a protest.

Doubtful. He could just say, "I called time."

That said, I'm with you. I'll not kill it unless I feel I need to (there's a truckload of dirt on the plate, for example).

Gotta go with Bobby here. It's not a big deal, you see the plate needs to be attended after the play, pull out your brush, step up and quickly brush it off. Why call time? If there is action on the field, you're no doubt trying to brush it off to soon. Action stops, brush it off, get back behind the catcher, if you're doing it right, you will most likely be waiting for the catcher without calling time. JMHO.

Ha ha, officials need to control the game by calling time to prevent runners from advancing....So the guys you work with are terrible and don't know what they are doing, so instead of trying to help them out and teaching them that the ball is not dead just because they turned their back for 3 seconds you just call time.

Ok so R1 and R3, partner turns and dusts the plate and R3 runs and scores, and I as the BU look bad? So instead of the defense looing bad for not paying attention to a guy trying to score, it is the officials fault because they did not call time. That makes no sense at all.

So you guys who insist on calling time when the plate is cleaned, do you also call time when the PU has to return to the plate area after having moved somewhere during a play? In both situations the PU's back is turned away from everyone for a couple of seconds. What is the difference?

Show me ONE that says not too ever do so.

There are obvious regional differences here, because this is standard around here to call time with runners on to dust the plate. That stops all the weird sh*t from happening, such as in this case posed.

I can tell you at school, they teach NOT to call time for every little thing and or request. When the action is stoped, brush it off, quickly and efficently, you must enjoy those 3+ hour games for seven innings huh!

I have been following this thread since last night. AND the bottom line is that if the PU is going to turn his back to the field to clean the plate he had better call timeout and if he does not call timeout, timeout is implied. While the offense made a good effort to gain a base, BUT the PU had stopped the game to clean home plate and that means the ball is dead.

With all due respect to the people that have taken the postion that the PU should not make the ball dead when turning his back to the playing field to clean home plate: I cannot understand how any umpire would allow the ball to remain live in this situation. To do so is utter nonsense.

MTD, Sr.

well here goes, i am a pointer, on my strike call i point, i would also look too the right as i pointed. i was told i should stop because i could miss something as i was looking at my finger, made sense too me so i have made every effort to stop. now some of you think i can turn my back to the play? not a chance, i call time, get it done, put on my mask, call play.

steve

Mark, I would respectfully disagree. On what basis do you say that " if he does not call timeout, timeout is implied" ? I have never seen this in any manual. I do not understand why you think to leave the ball live in this instance is nonsense. As long as I am working with a partner, and I do not work solo, I see no reason to kill the ball for a few seconds of dusting the plate. The base umpire can easily watch the ball, and make a call if a play is made. Besides, why deny the defense any opportunity to make an out ?
If the plate is heavily covered, or at times with a runner at third, I will call time, while making eye contact with my partner. If I'm not calling time, I will still make eye contact, while removing my brush, so that he knows where I'm headed. It's over quickly, and we move on.
I'm not trying to be combative, just trying to understand where you are coming from on this issue.

Lets stop with the school crap here.

I am a graduate civil engineer and it doesn't mean I know everything about engineering, and please, lets not try applying what happens in minor and pro ball to amateur ball. It not same.

Its obvious, that the common sense things of amateur baseball certainly were not covered at school, nor should it be. But it is certainly lacking here.

But then again, who the hell am I to try teach that stuff, I DIDN'T GO TO UMPIRING SCHOOL.

Handle your games as you see fit.

[QUOTE]When there is 2 of us no need to call timeout. I trust my partner.

Now if we have R3 that's a different story.

In the OP what is the defense doing?

If they allow R2 to simply stroll on over to 3rd base (without hearing the call of Time or an umpire giving a signal of Time) that's their fault.

Also, as Bobby says cleaning the plate takes all of what 2-3 seconds.

This falls under the category to each his own. My partner is taking care of action on the bases for the 2-3 seconds I have my back turned.

Pete Booth

That's not how you do it in pro school.

2007-08 Umpire Manual. Page 19, #26 refers to the time when the umpire cleans the plate as "stopping play". A synonym of that phrase would be "suspending play".

Rule 5-2-1f. Time shall be called by the umpire and play is suspended when...the umpire suspends play for any other cause, including an award of a base after an infraction, or for inspection of the ball.

For any other cause includes cleaning the plate.

And the rule is clear...time shall be called. It is not an option

On what basis do you say that " if he does not call timeout, timeout is implied" ? I have never seen this in any manual.

I haven't seen it in a baseball book, but ASA softball 10-4-B:

"The plate umpire will call time when they leave [sic] the umpires [sic] position to brush the plate or to perform other duties not directly connected with the calling of plays."

As I remember, there's a case play or test question in which the PU steps to the side to show and state the count, and the runner on 1B breaks for 2B. The ruling is that the umpire's leaving his regular position to perform duties created a time out, and the runner has to go back.

In baseball, I think that the calling of time out to perform duties may be a habit that stems from doing a lot of one-man games. For example, many of the rec games around here are one-man, and if you don't have a BU to watch things, you tend to protect yourself with time outs. These habits can carry over unnecessarily when there's a partner.

I know that this has been true in college softball, where the experienced umps often remind their partners (many of whom also do one-man rec games) not to call time out unnecessarily. I was doing it, too. A few years ago, my partner asked me between innings, "You do a lot of one-man games, don't you?" When I said that I did, he said, "Don't call time out every time you turn your back. I'll cover the runners. At this level, they know the rules."

Nobody called timeout
 

In full agreement when time is properly called and play is suspended.

Do you suspend play to whisk off the plate, and allow the R(s) to visit BC, and then wait for them to return to their bases?

Do you suspend play to grab more baseballs from the batboy, and allow the R(s) to visit BC, and then wait for them to return to their bases?

Do you allow the offense w/ a "free pass" to visit whenever play is suspended for any other valid reason, under FED 5-1-1 and FED 5-2-1.

Do I have a protest situation if I allow a free visit and not charge either team with a conference?

OC now want to protest. You sent his runner back during live play. Is this a judgment call?


Coaches don't call time out.

No need for a rule citation, let's just use common sense.

From my rookie year. R3, and I go to scrap off the plate. With my back dutifully turned to the pitcher I bend down and get an @ss full of baseball and R3 sliding right in front of my face.

Calmly call time boys. It takes a whole seven seconds to take care of business. Just get your partners attention (and the pitcher), and get on with it. Not a big deal here fellows.

I had the plate tonight and thought about this post.

Come on guys. I have the runner slide in. I take my brush out as I wait for things to calm down. I move into position with my brush out and my hand up for time. I bend over, quickly use a few strokes to clean the plate. I move back into position, point and we're going again.

Takes no more time than if I didn't call time. I mean, really. Sheesh.

I choose to do it. I don't plan to go pro. It saves me potential grief. I'm good with it.

Rita

The time "wasted", according to some, is the time to put the ball in play, which would be less than the time to dust off the plate, which if needs it needs doing anyway.

The answer to all your questions is No. I would not allow the base runner to vacate his base to go talk to a coach. I would not allow a couch to vacate dugout to talk to his defense. The only time these acts may accur is during a charged conference (3-4).

Conferences are not allowed when ball is dead per 5-1-1, 5-1-2, or 5-1-3.
Conferences are not allowed when time is called per 5-2-1a-d,f. (I purposely omitted "e" for a reason).

5-1-2e states that "time" is called... when a player or coach requests "Time"and is granted by an umpire for a substitution, conference with the pitcher or for a similar cause.

Confences are not allowed if time is for the substitution. Conferences are only allowed when time is granted for that specific purpose.

Rule 3-4 addresses charges conferences. 3-4-1 reiterated what is said in 5-2-1e. First, time must be requested for a conference but allows a substitute or other attendant to make the request in addition to coach or player.

3-4-5 allows the other team to have a conference also (not charged) but they must be ready when the requesting teams' conference ends.

Coaches do not call time out? Agreed. They may only request time out. Umpires grant time.

I will throw my hat in bobby's "Do not call time" group. There is really no need. By doing so this could deprive the offense of stealing a base or the defense of picking someone off that's sleeping.

To me, it's as bad as an umpire holding up a hand just cause the batter isn't ready. All that time, we're potentially missing out on a play on a runner at a base.

If I need to stop a pitcher from pitching too quickly, I'll do it, but I won't hold time out just so a batter can dig in. The pitcher should know to wait until the batter is ready, as doing anything else is unsportsmanlike.

I don't call time to dust the plate. Like I said above, I have a partner and I would be thrilled for him to get an out while I was cleaning the plate. Another out down, another out closer to beer.

Agreed. But, you (and I) work only HS varsity and above -- and a runner would be "stupid" to try to advance on this type of play.

Someone above posted something like "when I coached youth ball, we taught the runners to do this" -- at the 12U level, it's probably "good" offense to try to advance here.

so, the "right" answer might depend on the game being played.

The pitcher raises the baseball, and shakes it, the universal sign that he'd like a new one. You reach in your ball ball, and toss him a new one as the old one is tossed back to the catcher. R1 steals second as both balls in are midflight.

Do you allow it, or is time implied?

So.. interesting opinions on either side, most make sense on how they would handle things. Seems to me the biggest issues in this post are: is this in the rules, and does calling time lengthen the game.
I call time after a slide at home, ect, like most here, and also try to pick moments when it wont interrupt the flow of the game(hey, I like short games too).
But I also cover my butt in those situations w/runners on by just raising my hand prior to the 2 second whisk. If you do this right, the next batter hasnt arrived at the plate yet, and you havent added the "30-45 seconds" to the game. Then point to the pitcher to play at what would be the normal time w/ batter in the box.
In my area, we work w/many different officials, each with different skill levels....As PU, I'm not taking the chance of having my partner miss something that could be prevented, or causes a scene that takes maybe 5 minutes to clear up-get the HC off the field-partnerconference, ect....Yes, preventive umpiring, and my varsity games rarely go over 2 hrs....

Bob, as usual, has his finger on the pulse of umpiring. Regional and level differences likely account for the disagreements in this thread. In a HS varsity contest I personally would not call "Time" to clean the plate unless (1) it was completely covered, or (2) I was working solo (occasionally we have this around here due to weather-related issues, e.g. one nice day during the week and 4,000 baseball games scheduled that day).

Of course, the other solution to this issue not mentioned so far is: don't clean the plate, except between innings or after a slide covers it. That's my usual strategy.

No such thing as "implied time." If an umpire calls "Time," time is out, otherwise not.

In your sitch, I will always call "Time" before switching baseballs.

I can see it now, R2 and R3, R3 scores, ball goes back to the pitcher, PU turns around to dust the dish, and here comes now R3 and the pitcher with the ball...wow

The ball is dead!

Really? I quit calling time to clean the plate years ago! I see no reason to do so! My partner can handle the bases :rolleyes: for a few seconds without my assistance! ;) I consider guys that DO call time every time to be "Smitty's" because it seems that only a Smitty feels the need to kill the ball to do a bit of sweeping UNLESS he is working by himself. In that case, indeed, it would be very prudent to call time to clean the plate, although truthfully, I probably still wouldn't.

The play DOES stand. I have never seen anything anywhere that requires the umpire to call time to clean the plate. If the defense is not situation aware, that is not my problem.

LOL....I got so freakin' mad that I posted before I seen this. :)

Amen...

This is one of those big "giveaways" that a guy is new and inexperienced. :)

Why would you not call time before changing balls? This is TOTALLY a different scenario.

A very reasonable and appropriate response, Bob. Sometimes I do only think about the games I work, I guess. I certainly don't want a runner sliding into the plate while I'm cleaning it :D

Did you not read my post #30. I gave proof in umpires manual and rule book.

Now. Show me one paragragh in the umpires manual or rule book that says DO NOT call time when cleaning the plate.

I'll only do this if I have a courtesy runner ready to come out or I have to change baseballs or something -- in other words, if I'll have to call time anyway once I get to the plate, I may as well do it and not have to concern myself with any runners on the trip.

What umpire's manual? The NFHS one?

Tell me you cover third on a bases empty triple as the PU, too. :D

This is not clear, Daryl. I am not suspending play. I am merely clearing the plate.

Before you come back with something like "would you let the pitcher pitch," let me say that the answer is no, just like when I'm clearing a bat or waiting for a batter to get set in the box. Good umpires don't hold their hands up and suspend play while a batter is digging in. Why is this different?

For any other cause could include 200 other things that I want to make up, too. It's a catch all that provides support for the umpire to call time IF HE WANTS TO. It certainly doesn't say that it's required to do it if play isn't suspended. Cause a 2 second sweep of the plate is not suspending play, not in my world.

rei:

If I am your partner and I am the BU, you can be sure that no base runner will be advancing because the ball is DEAD!! And if the offensive coach wants to have a conference with a runner he is going to have to request a TIMEOUT from either me or you. I am not going to let any play be made while you are cleaning the plate.

MTD, Sr.

Cleaning the plate is most definitely a suspension of play, because the defensive team cannot pitch the ball.

MTD, Sr.

Bullseye. If I see that my partner has not called time before dusting off the plate, I will right away.


John

That is great! And around these parts, if we had the situation described, and you dealt with it like that, it would be the last time we would be working together, and that wouldn't be a good thing for you! I would imagine that after the call to the commissioner about how you sent a runner back, WHO LEGALLY STOLE A BASE WHILE THE BALL WAS LIVE, you would be doing a lot of JV ball. :rolleyes:

And by the way, our commissioner here is a 40 year umpire veteran, past PAC-10 umpires, and current PAC-10 evaluator, and is the one that told me years ago "Don't kill the ball to clean the plate numbnutz. Let your partner keep an eye on things".

rei:

Let me get this straight, R1 is on third and you get out in front of home plate with your tuchus facing the F1. R1 comes running home and touches home while you are cleaning the plate. F1 just stands there on the mound with the ball in his hand because he does not want to drill you in the tuchus. Oh boy, I do not know if I want to be around for that fun the ensues after you tell F1's coach the that run counts. Then again, I just might tell F1 to go ahead an pitch so you truely will be a numb nuts.

MTD, Sr.

The ONLY time I call time to clean the plate is NEVER. I do not start cleaning the plate when action is still going on or has JUST ended. Usually, because I hustle and get to the spots I am supposed to be at, I have to walk to the plate, which is even MORE time to make sure all playing action is done. If when I walk up, the pitcher is on the mound with his foot on the rubber ( I have NEVER seen this in 23 years!) I would simply let play resume and call the plate I can see, if you catch my drift. I have NEVER had a pitcher try to pitch while I was cleaning the plate. IT JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN, and any umpire who HAS had that happen to them must have lost control of the game LONG before he needed to clean the plate, and probably lost the respect of every player long ago! While some may joke about possibly doing that, I doubt that ANY player I have umpired in the last several years would ever consider pitching while I am cleaning the plate. :rolleyes:

If R3 decides to try to steal, I am a big boy and can see him coming and am fit enough to take a few steps out of the way before he can run that 90'. :rolleyes: I will call the play, then probably clean the plate again, although sometimes that slide at home actually does the job for me! :D

Have fun doing JV. ;)

Also ask your partner to remove the white thing from your orfice while telling the defensive coach his team has to be more cognizant of what is happening, yea right!!! (Thats truly having your partner cover your rear end)

Bob, when I stated that we would instruct our players to head for home when the ump was dusting the plate , they were 17-18 yrs olds, not LL.
Yes that meant we had Smitty's doing our game. For the most part though, there are a lot more smitty games out there than the high level games were things like this, generally don't happen like this. And those situations should also be covered.

For the most part though I agree, calling time should be kept to a minimum and a brush of the foot can be just as effective at times. But to say that this works all the time for all levels, is just NOT true.

If there is one thing for sure, always expect the unexpected.

So, if I understand you correctly, in instances where the defensive team cannot pitch; the ball is dead. Thus, again, if I understand you correctly, the ball is dead after a batter strikes out and another batter is coming to the plate because by rule the pitcher cannot pitch during that lacuna. I hope I don't understand you correctly.:)

With runners on base I call time to clean the plate. It uses the same amount of time than if I wouldn't call time, and it heads off something happening behind my back that may need my input to sort out.
I also call time with runners on base to change baseballs.
I also call time with runners on base when a pinch hitter comes up.
Of course, others do things differently, and they are not necessarily wrong. I use what works for me, and it's worked very well.

JJ

To follow this logic, then there's no need to raise your hand before you exchange baseballs w F2 after a 'dirt' ball, since it will only take an instant. Yet the pros always raise their hand...hmmmmm.

This is just a risk/reward thing for me. Takes no more time to raise my hand ever so briefly, yet any TWP on an advance is forestalled, no questions asked. So little effort, yet potentially huge reward...esp when one's BU quality can be, shall we say, 'variable.' ;)

Small price to pay for being thought a Smitty by the 0.0000001% of specs who would actually think this. If that's the only Smittyism someone could hang on me at a FED game, I'd take it to the bank and thank them kindly.

Im all for "less Smitty-more pro," but this would have to be a small exception that proves the rule for me.

correct. no time, unless 1 man.

Finally, someone has responded to my rule citations. I agree it is a catch all phrase which leaves it open to abuse. I respect your decision to not include sweeping the plate. Respect because we are both making a decision by considering a rule and either accepting or rejecting certain optional parameters to come to our decision.

I cited instructions from 2008 NF Umpire Manual pg 19 #26 entitled "Keep the plate clean". The wording involved says to minimalize when you clean the plate to keep the game moving and I believe we both agree to that. I think we can both agree also that a bigger abuse would be an umpire who calls time 50 times a game to sweep the plate.

While I do call time to sweep the plate I can assure you that in 27 years of umpiring I only do so maybe 3 times a game and always only when th plate has become completely covered or near so. Sometimes I just use my foot to quickly dust the plate as I walk by it (whch is becoming an accepted practice). I do not call time to do that nor do I turn my bck to players. The rest of the time I use the natural dead ball times to clean the plate.

I agree with you in the other situations you described above that time should not be called. But in those situations I can do my job and not turn my back on a live ball. The proper mechanics stated by umpire manual to clean the plate does make me turn my back to players and therefore I briefly declare ball dead.

that's because there is a new ball being put into play. the friggen ball is dead when the umpire handles it, so they call time before handling it. 5.10e.

the rule is clear? ridiculous. the catch all thing has already been covered. using your "the rule is clear" logic, read 5.10e. "the umpire shall call time when..." it doesn't list cleaning the plate as one of those times. that's a lot more clear than your third world interpretation of your previously stated rule citation.

5.10e???? Does not exist in NF or NCAA.

Is this Bobby talking or the duck?:D

pardon me for citing the OFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES

They are not official for NF or NCAA.

And in 1995 when I worked professional ball in Cleveland Indians Development camp at Chain-O-Lakes complex in Winter Haven we were taught to call time when cleaning the plate.

I'm not saying that is the proper mechanic for MLB umpires here in 2008 but the rule 5-10e has not changed.

that was a pretty lengthy level/name/complex/ drop you just laid on me. shall i return the favor? who was teaching you? UDP guys, or was that just what the guys at the complex wanted? things have changed a lot since you worked this D-league, and you just pretty much proved my point by saying that that rule hasn't changed, while the practice of calling time as you were taught has.

I was working with guys who had just come out of one of the schools for MLB at that time. Yes, it was bad baseball and given the talent of the players your D-league name is a compliment.

5-10 The ball becomes dead when an umpire calls “Time.” The umpire-in-chief shall call “Time”—

(e) When the umpire wishes to examine the ball, to consult with either manager, or for any similar cause.

Similar cause was then interpreted to include cleaning the plate.

So. Will you please give me an example of what OBR would consider any similar cause?

similar to examining the ball = switching balls. they don't really examine anymore. if it hits the dirt they call time and sqitch it out.

similar to wishes to consult with manager = argument. whether he wishes to consult or not, the skipper is coming out. assuming the playing action has ceased, call time and argue away.

if the guy you worked with in the D-league was taught at school that they were going back to the old school and the plate umpire would sit in an armchair, would you still be doing that today, or would you follow the current practice of what is being taught at the schools and/or used in pro ball now?

Where can I sign up to work the plate in an armchair? :)

Of course I adapt to changes in mechanics and rules. When I worked using OBR I did how they wanted. When I worked NCAA I did it how NCAA supervisors wanted.

My point is that applying MLB mechanics to NCAA and NF is not good unless the rules agree. MLB umpires have far better field awareness than most of the umpires posting on this forum. When HS and youth umpires that have not developed the same keen field awareness they more often than not will get themselves into trouble trying to emulate.

you'll need one of these...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...&ct=image&cd=3

I am content to stay in the present.:)

I have enjoyed this intellectual exercise.

When I began umpiring I was very fortunate to be taught by AAA umpires in my association. Our entire association worked professional mechanics with a few modifications the state/Fed. wanted.
It's not the "trying to emulate" that brings trouble, it's the inexperience of not knowing what you're looking at which brings problems; solved by experience.

And really, through all this hand-wringing about calling time or not, how many times during a game is this necessary? Once, twice? More time is wasted during the game by the kids not hustling to/from their positions.

Yeesh... After reading all these, the impression I get, is the umpires who handle their games like "Big Dawgs", take care of the small things, know when and when not to do something, take charge, are the ones not calling time. Yes, a matter of preference. Not that big of deal. But its one small bullet in the big gun, that overall, seperates the top guys, from everyone else.
Do it at the right time, play over, runner dusting himself off, F1 walking around the mound, new batter stepping in, make quick eye contact with my partner as I spin to dust, 2-3 seconds later, Im back up, behind the catcher.
Call it, dont call it. Yeah, again just one small piece of the big puzzle that happens during a game. But add them all up, its running your game that much better.

I still cannot fathom the reasoning for a PU to turn his back to the diamond to clean home plate and allow the ball to remain live while there are runners on base. It is just not good game management.

MTD, Sr.

and i still cannot fathom the reason for a PU to call time to clean the plate simply because there are runners on base. it is just not good game management.

bobby:

Everyone of who has ever umpired baseball games using NFHS rules has on more than one occasion has had to umpire a baseball game by himself. Are you going to let the ball reamain live while you turn your tuchus to the diamond while you clean the plate with runners on base?

Furthermore, when you do have a partner and there are runners on base, why would you take yourself "out-of-the-game" by turning your tuchus to the diamond to clean the plate and allow your partner to worry about a third world play. As I have stated in earlier posts, I just hope you don't have a partner who tells F1 to ahead and drill you in the tuchus because the ball is live and the batter is in the batter's box while you are cleaning the plate.

MTD, Sr.


P.S. Years ago I was the BU for a H.S. jr. varsity game (NFHS Rules) and my partner cleaned home plate six times in the top half of the first inning even though the visitor's had only one base runner and he only reached second base. As soon as the top half of the inning was over, I went to him that the next time he cleaned home plate when it didn't needed to be cleaned I was going to have F1 drill him in his tuchus. He got the picture.

first, i don't work in fedlandia.

second, if my partner is worth his weight in wooden nickels he can handle any third world play that develops on the bases. that's why they call him a base umpire. a play developing at the plate is irrelevant because i don't clean the plate when plays are developing at the plate; that just wouldn't make any sense. and don't give me that crap about a runner taking off from third when i turn my back, cuz i'd be done cleaning before he had taken 3 steps...and it's a lot more than three steps from 3rd to home.

third, i put a disclaimer in for one man games a looooooong time ago in an earlier post.

fourth, if i had a partner that did that i would likely never umpire again because i would be banned for kicking the $hit out of him on the field.

finally, if you were working with me and approached me with that kind of attitude you would be working by yourself the rest of the way, and i would stay behind the backstop and loudly criticize every wrong move you made until you got the picture.

have a nice day.

I think both sides of the discussion have been fully explored.

If you call time, you *might* be doing something "smitty-ish."

If you don't call time, you *might* be risking a play.

Pick your poison.