Walking the line mechanics

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

OK mike, since this is obviously a very personal issue for you.. its the bestest mechanic ever. The great mechanic known as "walking the line" (very Johnny Casheqse, only adding to its allure) has vast importance in terms of moving to make the call at first, and timed properly and perfectly, you can even watch for other stuff too! Its AWESOME! I stand corrected and humbled before your wisdom, and the compelling arguments you have presented have indeed enlightened me.

No, what I take personally is someone who talks about training umpires is so adament about dismissing the prescribed mechanics based on a misconception.

One of the things that sets ASA umpires apart from many others is the championship level training available. Every time I've seen an umpire get in trouble at a NC it is because they were not trained in the proper mechanics, but it wasn't their fault. They honestly believed what they were doing was proper, but they got bad info that was "localized" or based on personal opinion/preference of the local UIC instead of what is prescribed ASA mechanics.

The problem is that it is the umpire that gets the gig on their rating.

I've walked onto fields without knowing another umpire any longer than five minutes and the crew has performed flawlessly. OTOH, I have also worked games and looked to my left for a partner only to find that I did not have one. When reviewing the game afterwards, his excuse was "that isn't the way we do it at home"!