Balloon sighting!

[JJ]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

I know that this is a minor point but it really doesn't bother me when a PU points toward 1B after a Ball 4. After all the Batter is awarded 1B when the pitch is Ball 4 and we do point to 1B when the Batter is HBP or a throw or pitch goes into Dead Ball Territory we point to the appropriate base. I think this is nit picking.

MTD, Sr.

One of the biggest "discussions" I've ever been involved in was when, with a full count, a plate ump pointed to first base on ball four to indicate the batter should go to first, and the base umpire (me) said "Yes he went".
Go ahead and point, but use the left hand, please after you've distinctly yelled "BALL FOUR". Just sayin'....

[Publius]

Originally Posted by JJ

One of the biggest "discussions" I've ever been involved in was when, with a full count, a plate ump pointed to first base on ball four to indicate the batter should go to first, and the base umpire (me) said "Yes he went".
Go ahead and point, but use the left hand, please after you've distinctly yelled "BALL FOUR". Just sayin'....

I hear ya. That's a pre-game item every time, given the ubiquity of pointers now. I tell them unless I hear "Publius!!" I'm not weighing in on a swing. Just pointing at me don't do it.

[BretMan]

There are several reasons not to point to first on ball four. Can anybody give me one reason why they think it is a good idea? What piece of information are you communicating (communication being the ultimate goal of all the signals we use) to the teams by pointing that simply saying "ball" or "ball four" doesn't relay? I'm assuming that the batter already knows where first base is located and how to get there.

I had the same thing happen to me once that JJ posted above. I'm in "A" position and there are three balls on the batter. Pitch comes in, there is some movement of the bat. Plate umpire points at first (which is to say, he points at me) and, to make it worse, he says, "Too low", (another thing I hate is announcing pitch locations) which 100+ feet away and combined with a point makes me think he said, "Did he go?". And I answer, "Yes he did!"...except it was ball four. Not exactly the kind of confusion that inspires confidence in the teams that you know what the heck you're doing out there...