FP: Called Strike Three
 

I doubt there's any Dutch Rennerts here, but do you put some extra juice on it? Or is your mechanic the same as strikes one and two?

On a called 3rd strike, my timing is the same and I keep my eyes on the ball/catcher's glove, but I'll come up & pull a bow.

Well YA, why else did we get into umpiring than a big sell out, and a called 3rd strike? Ok just kidding, but I do give it a little bit extra. First I call strike three, or more like " Haw, Hee" instead of "HU" of a normal strike. Now with that said I do a modified overhand out as my strike three call, not flashy, not trying to show up any batter....BUT letting the pitcher know she got the K in the book! I do agree with those that state there is no need to "show up a batter" but I argue there is a need to let the pitcher know she did good! There is the ability to ride the middle and not be obnoxious with it.

I send em to the dug out crying...

I bring it on called 3.

That's pretty much what I do. Same timing, and I give a verbal "three" when pulling the bow.

Wade...does your "bringing it" on K3 compare to Lt. Frank Drebin's mechanic?

My called 3K looks a lot like the Drebin Mechanic. :eek:

Really, though, on a called 3K, my timing, as others have stated, is pretty much the same as on any other pitch. Then my call becomes a "He yah" instead of the high pitched "strike" I use on the other two. As I am making my "he yaaaaaah" call, my right hand goes from its normal position in my crouched stance and makes a big sweeping move to straight above my head. I then stand, and accentuate this with a sideways bow pulling.

This is a point of confusion for me. I remember my first year, my third strike mechanic was the same as my first or second strike. I did not alter my ball four call either, resulting in a few batters that I would have to remind that it was either strike three or ball four. I received the advice, either on here or from a partner or perhaps an ASA school, to make the call "strike three" or "ball four". I have done it that way, including pulling a bow, for the last two years. Even got compliments last year at a state school for my third strike mechanic. Fast forward to this year, attending another state school, and I'm next to last in my group to get behind the plate. No one else has verbalized a "three" as part of their mechanic, but when I'm asked to break mine out, I stick with my "strike three". The "three" is barely out of my mouth when I'm descended upon by both instructors telling me not to call out three. So now I'm back to being confused again, wondering exactly what it is that I'm supposed to be doing while I rework my mechanic again. :confused:

So the batter is supposed to guess what your call is. Nice.

Bob

That's one of the things I don't like about clinics (while I generally love clinics)- depending on who is teaching, one person can can tell you to so something one way and another will tell you to never do that!

At a clinic last year, I had one evaluator tell me I was setting up too low behind the plate, then another one tell me I was too high!

There was a little of this at the ASA National Umpire School this year, but those guys were mostly on the same page. One instructor did tell us to never say, on a checked swing, "He went!", or "She went!", then another had us saying exactly that when we got to our plate work exercises.

Just smile, nod, say "okay" and try it their way. Then, afterwards, dig through your manual and see what the "official" position is on the questioned mechanic.

Modify, if needed, or stick with what you're doing if it jibes with the book and works for you.

That describes mine pretty well. I used to just pull a bow, but added the hand straight up to take advantage of my height. (My knees suffer from getting my 6' 4" down into the proper slot height. So I like to take my strike, out, and count signals way up high.)

By the way, my favorite Called Third mechanic is Atlanta's Betsy Kidd's. She's small and athletic and she literally leaves her feet with her punch out.

Larry,
As you k now I ain't the tallest or most athletic guy on the block. However, I try to give the count and my strike three as high as possible so there is no doubt. I try not to be flashy...SRW is the only one who pays to see me umpire (j/k)...but there is no doubt about my called K3, the count or my one-legged sell out. Somewhere I do have a picture of the blue flamingo. If you are NFHS and have a rule book, the umpire rep on your NFHS rules committee also does a one-legged sell out.

Lori Bish, who will be going to the Olympics, also goes as high as possible. She is not tall at all, but everyone sees that high-reaching called K3. However, I believe she has both feet on the ground for the K3 and the sell out.

My called strike three is a loud noise that sound something like "Freeeeeeeee" while my right hand shoots up, then I step back and pull the bow....and, yes, there have been times when I rang up the batter on strike two.....:eek:

I sympathize with BlitzkriegBob...When I first started I used to verbally call strikes and say nothing on balls. One respected guy in our association told me to call all the balls the same way, just say "ball", then on ball four to say, "ball....four"

Several years later, I am working a fall scrimmage with the same guy and he asks me why I say "ball...four". I tell him that is how I was taught many years ago. He tells me not to say "four" for this reason: What if you have R1 on first and you screw up the count and say ball four on ball three. The BR heads to first and R1 heads to second...the defense knows its only ball three and tags R1 for the out....or....you correct yourself and bring BR back to the plate, but the offensive coach tells you that R1 legally stole second and you have to leave her there.....either way, you have a mess of your own creation and somebody is not going to be happy with your fix.

It did not dawn on me until later that it was the same umpire that told me to call ball four that is now telling me not to......

I give them a jumping bow followed by 6 feet of "moon-walk". Fans love it!

Does it look anything like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMZQg...eature=related

I snuck my way to every FP line (and who knows, maybe I didnt get so much into the SP group since I wanted to work my FP skills....)

Each one was different.

Take what you can from them and learn from it, and the rest..