Thats a Balk - by the numbers

[UmpJM]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

If I make 3 80% balk calls over the course of a week, I have a pretty low chance of getting them all right.

Tuss,

If I follow your logic, you would actually have a better than 50% chance. Do the math!

Baseball, most of are calls, there has to be a call (ball/strike, safe/out, fair/foul). Things like balks, OBS, INT, we make either a call or a no call, very similar to basketball. Basketball guys will tell you, only call what you know you have.

I believe the analogy is inapt for the point you are trying to make. The basketball principles you allude to primarily have to do with officiating contact in basketball games. While there is often (but not always) contact in interference and obstruction sitches in baseball, the underlying rules - and principles of application - are very different between the two sports.

And balks don't have much to do with contact at all. Balks are more like basket interference or traveling or backcourt violations in basketball. You have to know the rules and apply them to what you see. Advantage/disadvantage doesn't enter into it.

Its not a trust issue, its an understanding of yourself and the limitations that surround you on the field.

To me, it's a "trust in yourself" issue. I believe that balks are generally "undercalled". Primarily, because the umpires don't have confidence in their understanding of the balk rules and/or the presence to call it when they see it.

I have found this to be one of the more challenging aspects of learning how to umpire for myself. It's still an area of focus on improvement for me. I don't believe I've ever called a balk that "wasn't", but I know I've seen definite balks that I did not call. I am dissatisfied with myself when that happens, and it happens less than it used to.

Dissent within balk philosophy isn't anything new, I don't suspect we'll clean it up in this thread.

There are certainly a lot of different philosophies on calling balks. Personally, I subscribe to the one that says balks are "level dependent" - I would use different criteria to rule on whether or not a pitcher had balked in a 13U game than I would in a HS game - but the rule would be the same.

Anything above HS Frosh that I work, the expectation is that balks will be called. So, I try to call them when I see 'em. "80%" is sure enough for me.

Unfortunately, a lot of umpires use "balk philosophy" as an excuse for not understanding and properly officiating the balk regulations. And the coaches!?!? I can't believe some of the stuff I hear!

Anyway, try calling some more balks (only if you see 'em, of course). It's fun!

JMO.

JM