Casual mechanic
 

I was hardly paying attention to BB tonite but I caught a play ay the plate between DET and CLE. Joe West (I had to look that up) had the most casual punch out while strolling to a little bit to the left of POP. Can he read the plays that well?

Just to bust on you. If you had to look Joe West up, he is more on top of things than you are.

Hmmm,
 

I am really trying to understand the cause/effect of your post.

I am guessing as a casual fan you probably have not followed that many MLB umpires have gone to the "less is more" style of umpiring.

No longer does a "big punch out" mechanic mean anything.

Even a poor old smuck like me went to "LIM" and had no trouble with selling my calls.

Agreed. Especially on the plays that might be "close" to fans, but aren't really close to umpires. It's as if we are saying, "Yawn... he was out by at least 1/4" ... nothing to get excited about here."

I cannot remember the last time I gave a "big punch out". It used to be the "thing to do" in the '70's & '80's but not any more.

I've seen Joe in person a couple of times this year, and he doesn't move an inch any more. I recall a couple of line calls where he barely got turned around, much less hustle down to see a ball near the line. Sad.

Some will tell you he's earned that right. I do not agree with that point of view.

As for the casual call, there was a great one last night on a check swing for strike three to end an inning. I was coinflip call, but the guy at third, instead of going through some crazy gymnastics, gave an easy fist at chest level. Awsome call, and I laughed out loud at it.

There is a huge difference between a casual punch out mechanic and the lazy-looking "I couldn't care less" example's that West and McClelland employ on a regular basis. Nothing wrong with a good old standing banger on a close play. Most professional umpires use it to differentiate between close and not really close plays. A very close or exciting play deserves a little more than a "ho-hum, I'm bored" style of call. I'm not talking about an old-time "dagger down through the heart" ridiculous theatrical production, but a standing fist punch on a nut cutter is still appropriate, IMO.

It's schmuck, Tim, and this proves you're not one. ;)


As for the topic: I think a five-foot stroll, a brief yawn, and a barely functional lifting of the semi-closed fist while completing the stroll is more than sufficient. I think that if more umpires emulated Joe West, this umpiring would be a lot easier for everyone.

But until they do, I guess I'll keep busting my @ss and looking like I care.

Paul Nauert, when asked why he's never "punched out" a runner at first.

"What's the big deal? He's safe or out. I report what happened. I've never seen a play that was so close that that a punch out was required."

I should have said casual stroll instead of casual punch out. It was a dead duck play and what caught my attention was how he strolled to get into position and was moving when it happened. I can answer my own question now and say that he can read plays that well after getting MLB TV and looking at that play.

Believe it not, there is a contingent of officials, (including Baseball), that actually believe that everyone came to watch them officiate.

I was doing a game once and gave a casual out at first base for a relatively close play and sure enough Mr. Bigmouth in the stands yells "You made that play look a lot easier than it was Blue,"

From having done this team a few times I knew Mr Bigmouth was being critical so I said "Thank you sir".

I agree, What's the BFD.

Do you also believe that a called third strike doesn't deserve a punch out, even though that is what is known as a punch out? And Paul Nauert's called strike mechanic (strikes 1 and 2) looks smittyish, so I don't put a lot of stock in what he has to say about mechanics. He does look good in the scissors, OTOH.

What signal do they teach at the umpire school? Seems like, from some posts and articles, that umps are just using school mechanics that are taught from the beginning. Your voice can be used on the bangers and no voice for everything else.