Catching Ettiquette

[briancurtin]

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

Sal Giacomantonio

Man there's a name I haven't seen in a long time!

[jdmara]

Sorry Gentleman that I missed all of the action the past day...I guess I'll explain myself as it seems I've been misread with my sarcastic comment and poorly formed response.

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

Hmmmmmmm. Poor John. It's a shame he didn't have your abilities. He might have become a top plate umpire. Oh, wait. He was THE top plate umpire.

Obviously you missed the sarcasm, next time I'll put fancy brackets or something around it to differentiate it. I thought it was pretty obvious since nothing was said about John before my initial comment and then you put a quote of his and say I disagree. *shrug*

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

Josh,

No, you have not.

You do not understand what "timing" is, and I assure you there is no "mechanism".

JM

You're absolutely right, I oversimplified my statement about a catcher's techniquie and then equated it to timing. It was a bad choice of words.

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

So basically, you are saying that you decided the pitch before it was through the zone. If you ignore F2 (as you stated), then you are deciding the call well before the ball crosses the plate and that is a fact. I've trained enough rookies to know that what you are doing is using tunnel vision and deciding the call before it happens. I can also guarantee you that you do not see very many breaking balls (good ones) because these have to be tracked all the way to the glove in order to decide what they are.

So you can discount John McSherry if you wish but I will tell you this, he was a fantastic man at the plate and a great teacher. His videos are still used by many instructors to teach rookies how to use everything at their disposal to make a proper decision on a pitch. I doubt very much if you could ever attain anything close to what John did.

Damn, again I let the BS at the LLWS and a total moron get me going.

Ozzy-

As said above, I was not discounting McSherry, I was being sarcastic. I have seen some clips of his videos and I would never discount them by any stretch of the imagination. I was trying to point that I don't let what the catcher does after he catches the pitch effect whether it's a ball or strike (ie. if the catcher muffs the catch, it's a ball or if he frames the pitch it could become a ball or strike).

The rest of your post was a given hopefully with the above comment taken into account.

.......

Did I miss any other comment I should address? Let me know gentleman

-Josh

[David B]

Originally Posted by mbyron

Around here varsity catchers don't move the mitt much. If I find one doing it, I'll tell him to hold the mitt nice and still so I can get the strike: "when you pull it, that tells everyone you thought it was a ball, and I'm likely to agree with you."

Very well put, I agree totally!

Thanks
David

[jicecone]

The basics I have always followed is to watch the ball into the mit. Lower level ball, it is probably better to concentrate more on the location than the total picture because of the inexperience of the catcher and because your probablby using a bigger stike zone for that level.

Higher level, VHS and above your using all the tools to get as much information as possible to get a solid consistent zone. And whether you want to believe it or not the benches get some indication of the pitch from how it is caught. A catcher straight up center on the plate usually, can't catch a fastball just below the knee for a strike , without turning his glove over. Is it a strike? Maybe? It probably doesn't look that way though. Up in front of his mask is probably a ball, along with any thing outside his shoulder width.

Not hard fast one's but, little tools or indicators I have used to help me stay consistent. Catcher sets up inside and pitcher throws outside corner. Ball or Strike? A duce catches the front part of the plate/corner and is caught outside. Ball or strike?

You decide but, for sure, if your truly calling what only crosses the plate and passes through the straightup stike zone, I suggest that at more advanced levels of ball, you may consider more tools to help make your decision or your in for some long and noisy games. JMO

[gotblue?]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Done that with the larger ball. And I agree. I find that release point easier to call, actually.

I have done that with the larger ball, and I agree that the release point helps there. More recently, I had a kid purported to be throwing 80-82, from 50 feet. The release point (kid was about 6 feet) and the distance to the plate make it probably more difficult at the low end of the zone than anything thrown from 60'6" in the high 80's to mid 90's.

[piaa_ump]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

Framing and pulling are two different things. A catcher who can frame properly is an umpire's best friend. A catcher who pulls is setting everyone up for a long day.

agreed 100%.......my thoughts exactly

[rookieblue]

Dear Mr. Muller,

You have been waxing dyspeptic of late - everything okay?

On topic, I was always taught to track the ball, using the eyes only, from release to the catcher's mitt.

To the point raised, I do precisely as mbyron does. If he's pulling it, I tell him he's costing his pitcher strikes. Simple. Season to taste for the level of ball.

[rookieblue]

Oops, double-tap.