Catcher's body language

[clueless]

One of the things I teach my catchers is diplomacy. Sure, try to freeze strikes and frame the close pitches. As a catcher myself in my younger days, I referred to this as "helping" the ump. lol. Nothing wrong with trying to keep the strikes you feel you earned or maybe stealing a close one. But, when the call is made, quickly throw the darn thing back to the pitcher. Be cooperative and be cordial.

Umps, like anybody else, can develop certain feelings that could have a bearing on the strike zone. The pitchers generally don't want to see that zone shrink. I'm sure most umps probably don't let stuff bother them to the point of squeezing a pitcher in retaliation. But, some probably could be moved to such action. Don't take this as an insult. I was raised to believe that contempt breeds contempt. If you treat somebody bad enough, they may return the favor. It's human nature.

Thus, if I see a catcher of mine trying to show up an ump, their day behind the plate is over. Same for any player. Once the call is made, let it go.

Fortunately, most players in our league are playing just for fun. They view the game more as a social function than a sporting event. Thus, it's rare to see a girl get too emotional about game related events. Sometimes it's hard to get them to concentrate on the game at all. lol.

I may have seen one player argue an ump's call all season last year. That player was reprimanded by her coach. Otherwise, we have a really relaxed league.