Pregame duties question
 

I read about this in a local paper. Just a few small sentences embedded in the game write-up but to me as an umpire very important.

Before a recent OHSAA Tournament game the paper quoted a coach as saying that upon arrival to the field both umpires came directly to him and stated that his pitcher's delivery motion they witnessed while she was warming up was illegal.

The coach was very classy and worked with his pitcher to comply to the umpires reqirements but it was obvious it put undue pressure on the pitcher and team in addition to the pregame jitters of a tournament game.

Your thoughts about the umpires decision to do what they did?

Methinks those umpires have been calling rec leagues for too long. We're not there to put on pitching clinics. We just call what we see.

...while she was warming up ...
We officiate the game, not the warmups. :rolleyes:

If a SP pitcher is warming up and asks me "what was that, Blue?" regarding his last pitch, I simply respond, "a warm-up." :cool:

This used to be standard, and still is, in some areas. It comes under preventive umpiring. Luckily, the coach understood and instead of giving the umpires a hard time, he worked on getting the pitcher prepared.

Tell me there is a FP umpire on here that hasn't heard, "she's been pitching like that all year". I think you give the umpires the benefit of the doubt. Even in a state as small as mine, we constantly hear about how this or that is called in another part of the state which may or may not be correct.

How is this undue pressure on the pitcher? The other alternative is to call the pitches illegal in the game and have them adjust in the game situation. Now there is pressure, embarrassment, and penalties. This is just a courtesy from the umpires. Take it for what it is. Fix it or be penalized for it. If anything the coach should be thanking the umpires for the courtesy. Yes we are not coaches and they didn't talk to the pitcher did they, they talked to the coach, so it was his option to fix it or not. Just my $.02.

At the levels I have worked it never was the standard.
At the levels I have worked this has never fallen under the guise of preventative umpiring. And to suggest it is is rec league logic.

Preventative umpiring would be to inspect the playing field for dangerous items and have them removed before the game starts. Maybe see that bases and pitchers plate are at proper distances and correct if not. Seeing that the batters box is proper dimensions. Inspecting and removing any illegal equipment. Making sure catcher who is warming up the pitcher is wearing mandatory equipment. These are preventative umpiring issue.

Telling a pitcher her warmup technique is illegal is not.

1. It is undue pressure because right or wrong the pitchers normal pregame warmups is being disrupted. The umpire has interjected an element that is foreign to the normal "rituals" the pitcher uses to warm-up. That is not my job as an umpire to play head games with the coach or his pitcher . Besides, the reason for warmup is just that. To loosen the arm for pitching in the game. I couldn't care less whether the mechanincs used are by rule or not. (Until the game starts!!!!)

2. The "other alternative" you mention is really just my job description as an umpire. The game starts with the first pitch and then and only then do I make a ruling...ball, strike, illegal pitch.

3. Courtesy? See my remarks above (ie Preventative officiating). They apply equally. I guess to be courteous, since we have told the coach the warmup delivery was illegal we should also tell the coach that during the pitchers warmups none were strikes by rule either and she needs to change or she will walk every batter.:rolleyes:

Tell me there is a FP umpire on here that hasn't heard, "she's being pitching like that all year".

I always heard, "She's been pitching like that all season".

Bob

I guess now that the sermon is over "Preacher". I guess I will never be able to work at the levels you have worked. I'm not bigger then the game.

Yes, we all have heard it. But that is no reason to give a rules clinic before the game. We have all heard coaches question our strike zone but good umpires do not give a pregame clinic on that either.

But, that is not the issue in this sitch.

This sitch is about is it appropriate for an umpire to raise the issue before this infraction has even occurred? My opinion is that it is highly innapropriate due to reasons I have already enumerated.

My opinion is that you're offering "tips" to one team and not the other. That's not my job as an umpire. I might caution an inexperienced catcher during rec league not to block the plate (without the ball and when there's no play), but that's about the extent of my generosity.

I'm very cautious in what I say to players before, during and after a game to avoid being accused of having bias towards or against a particular team. I think that offering "tips" on what I intend to call might put that in jeopardy, so I just don't do it in tourneys. Paranoid much? Maybe. But that's my version of preventative umpiring: not giving a coach the pleasure of accusing me of bias.

On the contrary, preacher's sermons are never over. Many times they become prolix treatises.:D

I started the sitch as an exercise into dealing with game management issues especially pre-game responsibilities. Unfortunately, there are too few game management threads on this forum.

I never want to be accused of looking down at another official because he/she does not have as much experience as I do or work the levels I have attained. A couple of my comments gave that impression and so to IRISHMAFIA and Ed I offer my sincere apologies.

Game management is one of the hardest concepts of officiating to comprehend. Those that become better at it seem to be the ones who attain higher levels. Doing four sports also compounded the learning process because what may work in one sport may be frowned upon in another.

When I started umpiring I mastered the rules very easily. Before I ever umpired a game I could quote rules with the most experienced umpires. Even so my first game was a rec league game. When I worked with a more experienced umpire things went smoothly. When not, things happened. Why? Because I only had my own knowledge to go on...ie rec league logic. It means I was a beginner and in the early stages of the learning process and not yet learned when to speak and when to keep silent.

For this sitch I feel it was better for the umpires keep silent.

typical preacher...preaching to the choir, but also telling them altos must sing bass or go home.;)

why wouldn't you want to use preventative umpiring? I don't wanna take too much for granted here, but let's just suppose that my buddy is a preacher for an old-fashioned Southern Baptist church. should this preacher tell everyone oh, don't worry about it, you're saved, there is no need to pray.

Prayer = preventative umpiring. IMHO there is not enough of either one.

OK...off to pharmaceutical land. Cya later.