For the lefties

[oppool]

The Out Sell call was taught by the instructors to do it left-handed instead of right because it looks so weak when a lefty attempts to do it right-handed. I still think it looks strange even when doing it left-handed. I usally just end up making the standard out call but verbalize the out louder.

Just wondering what other lefties do??



Thanks


Don

[Gulf Coast Blue]

Don..........

At the ASA National School I attended, the instructors made it perfectly clear that it was OK for lefties to make the "sell" overhand out call lefthanded.

Their reasoning was the same that you stated. One of the instructors was left handed............and unless you were looking for it.....it was not noticable.

Relax.......the only people who would even notice would be another umpire........and ASA says it's OK!

Give it some practice.......it's got to be more natural.

I tried to swing a golf club left-handed once..........Ugliest thing you ever saw....

Joel

[Steve M]

Don,
Joel's right - I went to a different national school and they said the same thing. The intent is for the ump to make this an emphatic and coordinated gesture. I can do a lot of things with my left hand - maybe more than most folks - but I can't throw well. There was a movie some years ago about kids playing ball - sandlot team vs a LL team - and probably the biggest insult that was thrown out was "You throw like a girl!". Often lefties will not have the coordination to "throw" the out sell gesture with their right hand and end up looking like they "throw like a girl". And the movie wasn't talking about the girls who play ball.