Umpire Mechanics
 

Dear Umpie,
I saw a decent ball game last night. I went as a fan just to see a game and to go to school on the umpires. I got there in the third inning. Home team was clearly better than the visitors but the Umpire Mechanics were HORRIBLE. These blues were not in my association.
Game 1 - Varsity
PU crouches behind catcher - other ball and stick mechanic, calls a strike as he points to his right. I was not at the start of the game but he batter's box was chalked way too small - I am assuming baseball. BTW Would you have allowed the game to start on a field that was not lined properly? Maybe both coaches agreed to play anyway. But the smaller batter's box put the visiting team at a disadvantage as they had two slappers in the lineup. PU did not brush the plate from the time I got there to the 6th inning when a "fan" questioned how he could call a pith a ball when he couldn't see the plate because it was so dirty. He also held up his hand to the pitcher to allow the batter to get set, IMHO not keeping the ball live between pitches. We were told not to do that. Even if a batter holds up her hand, that is not a request for time.

Game 2 - JV
PU is now BU and vice versa. BU has his pullover jacket untucked and it hanging to his thighs. What made this so bad was the PU warned the visiting team about their untucked shirts as the leadoff batter was coming to bat. He also crouched behind the catcher, no slot, but he did use a hammer instead of pointing on his strike calls. He was way quick on calling balls and strikes. On one pitch that was extremely low, bounced in front of the batter, he called it a ball as it bounced. The pitch hit the batter on the foot so his called ball had to be changed to dead ball. He was calling strikes as the ball was hitting the mitt. This plate meeting did not involve the size of the batter's box but they played anyway. I doubt the JV coaches even noticed.

I am so thankful for my association teaching us proper softball mechanics. Am I overly critical of fellow umpires? I want to feel like a part of a fraternity that sticks together and stands by each other but I couldn't really find anything there to stand behind. Honestly they looked like baseball guys who were just grabbed to do a softball game. I want to keep going to games just for the fun of it but I don't want to overly scrutinize the men and ladies in blue.

Blue in NC

That only thing lamer than getting a jacket that doesnt fit properly is tucking in your jacket.

What the heck are you talking about? Who tucks in a pullover?

And yes I've started a game with goofed up boxes.. it just means its all my judgement. The boxes dont mean anything. If I can, I have the front raked away. If not, its gone soon enough anyway.

hmm seeing your location.. Tucking in a jacket isnt some southern thang is it?

Say what? If necessary, why would you not give the pitcher an indication the batter is not set in the box? Not doing so is just asking for trouble and possible liability for an injury.

And one of my pet peeves, what is going to happen with the live ball in the circle between pitchers anyway? The umpire is not killing the ball, simply giving direction to the pitcher.

When saying it is "not a request for time", has anyone told you exactly what it is? Of course, it is a request for time. That doesn't mean the umpire must acknowledge and/or grant the request. If the umpire believes it is appropriate to permit the request, so be it.

Hey now! ;)

Maybe it's a pullover sweater? I don't know. I'm no fashion cop.

I agree. I grant it 99% of the time, so long as it isn't obviously excessive and the game is moving along at a decent pace.

Don't group us all in there! I think the jacket tucked in is a Baseball thang... bleeck. :D

Mississippi here so you cant get much more southern than that and my pullover fits properly and is never tucked in.

Trust me, it isn't!

Huh???

While I don't like this mechanic, I am not going to hold against someone if it is his/her only flaw. No biggie. Of course I would have started the game like this. As Wade has already pointed out, it is my judgment anyway. I would have made a note of it at the pregame meeting with the coaches, though.


No more so than if they had been playing with regulation batter's boxes marked. Again, totally my judgment as to whether or not they made contact with the ball outside of the box.

What mechanic were you told to use to prevent the pitcher from pitching before you and the batter are set? The mechanic you state is the prescribed mechanic in nearly all softball codes. Sounds like, in this case, your association provided you with some incorrect information. This is not a calling of time, it is just an umpire telling a pitcher that you cannot pitch yet!

Pullover jackets are made to be worn untucked. Now it sounds like this guy may have been wearing one that was a little oversized, but who knows, maybe he has lost a lot of weight recently.

Common rookie mistake. This is why we are always telling each other to slow down. Heck....these many years later, I still have games where I say to myself "slow down."

Maybe just a little.

In some cases, such as the holding of the hand to prevent the pitcher from pitching, you have been given some incorrect information from your association. Might I suggest, in addition to what you have been told there, you read the ASA Umpires manual, view their DVD, perhaps read the CCA Umpires Improvement Manual, and the NFHS Umpires manual. They will give a lot of useful information. Use it for discussion at the next association meeting where they are giving you info that doesn't agree with what you have read. A big part of umpiring sucessfully for many years is always being a student.

Thanks Scott

If the lines are wrong or non-existent, it boils down to the umpire's best judgment as to whether or not a batter is in the box. Best way to handle it is to make it clear in the pregame conference that you know the boxes are wrong, and that the lines will not be used to judge whether or not a batter's in the box.

Last night, I was calling on a field where the crew chalks only the outside and back lines to the box. The front line and line closest to the plate are always missing, so it's my judgment as to whether or not they're beyond the lines.

One guy decided to get cute with me about it and stepped into the box with one foot about an inch or so from the plate. I told him to get back. He fussed and grumbled. Long story made very short, his attitude and attempt to show me up afterward earned him the first ejection of the year.

Well, it is more than just that. It is holding up play, effectively a momentary dead ball.

As to the batter's box, if the box is improperly drawn so as to put the batter at a disadvantage, I will inform the coaches AND solicit the team captains' help in kicking out at least the front of the boxes, depending on how badly they are drawn. I take it this far just to avoid the inevitable fan comments if I merely blatantly ignore the lines during the game.

As to umpire uni's... we have such a wide disparity of umpires in my group, ranging from "spit and polish" to wearing whatever is kind of gray (including skin tight capris by one female), never-washed hats, etc., that I can't possibly be offended by it or I would be in a constant state of offense...

But does she wear 'em well? Any pictures? :D

I disagree. Would you not enforce the LBR during this "momentary" period? After all, you just stated it is a "dead ball". Cannot have an LBR violation during a DB period.