betweeb innings

[MichaelVA2000]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

I don't care for the present mechanics and have never hidden my feelings. I have never had, nor witnessed any other umpire, experience a problem which was brought on by standing on the foul line between innings.



If there is ANYONE a partner should be counselling, should it not be a rookie? Remember, rookie or 20 year veteran, s/he is still your ONLY teammate on the field. BTW, there are plenty of 20 year veterans that I wouldn't mind knowing what they saw on the last play . I have yet to hear a valid reason why teammates should not communicate between innings. If you are so worried about appearances, when you have a serious issue that could cause a problem, what is going to draw more attention? Would it be a routine meeting between innings for a short chat, ignoring the issue and hope it will not affect the game or one of your calls, or have a rare meeting of partners that is going to stand out in everyone's mind?



In the case of a rookie, I'm going to give him his time. After the game, tell him you made an exception to the standing mechanics to help him/her. Inform the rookie of the between inning mechanics and explain that is what you will expect in the future.

Of course, this is JMHO

I've had partners wanting to converse between innings about women they've seen in the stands or about something else unrelated to the game. I feel this is unprofessional.

When I'm paired with a rookie my pre-game becomes more extensive and during the game I will tolerate game or rule related questions from my partner. As Irish mentioned earlier there have been times when I've wondered what the thought process was behind a partner's call that a quick between innings chat would clear up.

Just be cognizant of not pointing or making gestures and don't delay the game.