1st Playoff Series

[David B]

Originally Posted by davelock11

I have my 1st playoff series assignment this weekend. I'm pretty excited about it, but also a little nervous. I've been studying the 3-man mechanics for the past couple of days, but I've never used them on the field.

What are some of the most important things that I need to be aware of (areas most likely to screw up) when going to 3-man for the 1st time? Any advice or tips?

Congrats and I would simply add that you enjoy, learn, and have fun. One thing i always do before playoff games is to look over the rule book, go over the dead ball tables etc., just to refresh.

This might be your first playoff game, but expect the unexpected. I have gone to too many game (as umpire and fan) and have something "crazy" happen and the umpires didn't know how to handle it - well they handled it but not by the rules.

Go over the simple stuff like "dead balls", "balks", "appeals", "equipment" - so many times when the pressure gets turned up the coaches start begging for calls on things that are not in the rules, and sadly I've seen many umpires make the wrong call simply because they were depending on past experiences and were not prepared for "today's game".

Mechanics and all will take care of themselves if you just watch each other and react.

Thanks
David