Delayed Asking For help.......

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by Andy

There have been times when I have been asked to get help on a call that I have no intention of changing because I had the entire play. As a game management technique, I will go to my partner in private away from the rest of the participants and say something like...."D*mn, it's hot today", or "So, whose turn to buy after the game?"

One of my fellow umpires told me this story. He made a judgment call on his base that he absolutely knew was correct. The coach asked him to talk with his partner about it, so he motioned to the other ump to approach. They met in the middle, and my fellow umpire asked under his breath, "do you like hot dogs?" "Yeah, I like hot dogs." "They're good, aren't they?" "Yeah, they certainly are." All the coaches could see was two umpires talking to each other, nodding their heads. In the end, the call stood, and the coach went away happy.

I see no real harm in doing this (as long as you're POSITIVE no one can hear you). If it's your call, and you are 110% certain of what you saw, there's little point in asking another umpire his/her opinion, other than to soothe a coach's ruffled feathers. I'm not saying let the coaches run the game by any means, but sometimes, to keep the peace on a tight play in a hot game, appearances can mean a lot.

Just don't do this.