Clicker (counter) question

[Shmuelg]

Say, folks -

What hand to you hold your clicker in? Right or left?

Why?

Thanks,

Shmuel

[blueump]

Originally Posted by Shmuelg

Say, folks -

What hand to you hold your clicker in? Right or left?

Why?

Thanks,

Shmuel

We hold our "indicator" in the same hand as the baseball umpires.

Check back on that board.

[JEL]

We have a new guy in our group this year who is left handed. I have been prodding and prodding, but he can't, or won't put the indicator in the left hand!

Has decent mechanics and stance and will make a good umpire, but with the indicator/clicker/counter in the righy hand, and the ball bag on the left hip (only), he just looks backwards! At least he has learned the strike/out with the right! It's gotta be a bit awkward for a lefty to learn.

I was watching this guy saturday though and this thought struck me, I have never seen an indicator made for the right hand! There's probably a reason......

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by JEL

We have a new guy in our group this year who is left handed. I have been prodding and prodding, but he can't, or won't put the indicator in the left hand!

Has decent mechanics and stance and will make a good umpire, but with the indicator/clicker/counter in the righy hand, and the ball bag on the left hip (only), he just looks backwards! At least he has learned the strike/out with the right! It's gotta be a bit awkward for a lefty to learn.

I was watching this guy saturday though and this thought struck me, I have never seen an indicator made for the right hand! There's probably a reason......

Left-handed... Right-handed... The reason why they want it in the left hand is simply for conformity among umpires. Strike/out is done with the right hand. Honestly, I wouldn't want to have my indicator in the hand that's the most signaling on the field. Sometimes, I lose my grip on it, and it has gone flying a few times.

My father was an umpire, and he's left-handed. He never had a problem with it, and neither should the new guy.

[Shmuelg]

Thanks guys.

To tell you the truth, it feels more comfortable in my right hand, and I'm a righty. But I can see why it should be in the left.

I have some trouble when I need to remove my mask, already having something in my left hand, I tend to take it off with my right, and hold it there, and that definitely is not good. But hey, I guess I'll have to re-train myself. Shouldn't take more than a few games.

Shmuel

[greymule]

12-C-4-g

"The umpire shall hold the indicator in the left hand."

You won't find this in your regular rule book. It is in the comprehensive rule book issued to UICs.

And 12-C-4-g-(note), added a few years ago to conform with the Americans with Disabilities Act: "If the umpire does not have a left hand, he/she may hold the indicator in the right hand."

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by greymule

12-C-4-g

"The umpire shall hold the indicator in the left hand."

You won't find this in your regular rule book. It is in the comprehensive rule book issued to UICs.

And 12-C-4-g-(note), added a few years ago to conform with the Americans with Disabilities Act: "If the umpire does not have a left hand, he/she may hold the indicator in the right hand."

My indicator has the wheel for innings, so the way it's curved would make it very awkward for anyone to hold comfortably in their right hand. I guess I was just lucky when I first started, and I figured it out right away.

[BretMan]

Three years ago I broke my left hand playing softball. For the next three weeks I was forced hold my indicator in the right hand, as well as remove my mask with the right. For the mask, after removing it I could transfer it over to one of the fingers sticking out of my cast. The cast left three fingers exposed, so I was still able to flash a slightly crippled three ball count.

It felt awkward at first, but after a few games I had my backward routine down pat.

When the cast came off, doing things the right way again felt backwards! It took a couple more games to get settled back into the normal routine.

I'm a righty and using the left hand to work the indicator is now as second nature as catching a ball with a glove worn on the left hand.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Shmuelg

Say, folks -

What hand to you hold your clicker in? Right or left?

Why?

Thanks,

Shmuel

Left hand for the same reason the mask is in the left hand, so you don't end up in court after nailing someone when making a overhand out call.

[NSABlue]

Originally Posted by Shmuelg

Thanks guys.

To tell you the truth, it feels more comfortable in my right hand, and I'm a righty. But I can see why it should be in the left.

I have some trouble when I need to remove my mask, already having something in my left hand, I tend to take it off with my right, and hold it there, and that definitely is not good. But hey, I guess I'll have to re-train myself. Shouldn't take more than a few games.

Shmuel

I've always used my left hand to hold my clicker but like you, I have never felt comfortable removing my mask with my left hand. I pull the mask off with my right hand and make a quick transfer to my left, leaving my right hand free for the out call. It works very well for me and has never been a problem.

[Mountaineer]

Mine is in the left hand. I usually only look at it when I'm bringing the wheels back to "0". I saw a guy once keep his in his ball bag, take it out and click it, put it back in the ball bag after every pitch. I thought that was very strange.

[CecilOne]

1) It's not supposed to be displayed, just kept unobtrusively by the ump, so which hand only matters when we are using the right for a signal so it does not fly away.
2) The ump putting it back in the ball bag is nuts, oh sorry, contradicts what I said in #1.
3) We don't use clickers, they are for changing channels. Oh wait, those are remotes. Clickers are for nuns.

[NCASAUmp]

So does this guy signal DDB with his right hand? Call strikes with his left?

Nuns are mean.