behind the pitcher?
 

Have you ever called from behind the pitcher? I've never seen this (even in the youngest age groups), until last week. It was a fastpitch ASA rec league game between area small towns - 18U. The games are more relaxed than regular high school season, but they are generally competitive. I was really surprised to see the only umpire working behind the pitcher. Most of the spectators had never even heard of such a thing.

I have done it. The only time that I have done it, I was waiting for my partner who was the PU. This was at a tournament, and the umpires' room was about a half a mile from the fields(so it seemed), and the UIC wanted to keep games on time. My partner and I were having to work four back to back games on this morning, so we only changed once. I worked a total of one inning that way and hated it.

On the other hand, there was a local league around these parts where that was once a fairly common occurance, however. I would show up to work one man, with all of my gear on, and would take my position behind the plate. The other umpires looked at me as though I was from Mars!

Only in some scrimmages when there were no umps and I had no gear with me.

Then "most spectators" haven't been around very long. In my youth, many a game were called from behind the pitcher, more often at the younger ages. There were multiple reasons, but I think the best was that the catchers couldn't stop a pitch if their life depended on in and no amount of protective gear, not even the balloon was going to properly protect the umpire.

Watching HS ball in LA from 1997-2001, this was common for the JV game. Most schools in our area did not have lights, so Varsity games were played at 3:30 or 4:00, with JV getting in 2-3 innings before dark. One ump stayed and almost always called from behind pitcher. Experienced pitchers hated it.

I've called from there a couple of times - both when I was asked to work and didn't have my equipment with me, and both with girls that could throw hard enough that I didn't feel safe back there without my equipment. I called a couple of 8U tourney games from there once quite a while back, but didn't like it and decided to go back behind the plate.