Giving a batter time

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by BretMan

The ASA umpire manual says to use the hand "opposite" the batter- right hand for a right handed batter, left hand for a left handed batter. See the illustrations of umpire signals (out, safe, dead ball, etc.) and the accompanying text for the "Hold Up Play" signal. This was also covered at the National Umpire School I attended last year.

I had never given much thought to this until I was at a high school baseball clinic about five years ago. During some plate drills, one of the umpires used his left hand to signal "don't pitch/hold up play" when there was a left handed batter. The instructor about had a cow. Dressed the guy down pretty good for using the "wrong" hand. Sure enough, baseball mechanics are to always use the right hand.

Since this incident raised my awareness of which hand I was using, the ASA instruction about switching hands based on the batter has always stuck in my mind.

Finally back in the States, so I'll start tossing my $0.02 in FWIW.

This is still the prescribed mechanic in ASA, as emphasized by the NUS this year, last year, and so on and so forth. I'll also emphasize that when you're doing so in SP, make sure you're not completely hidden behind Bubba Da Catcher when holding up the pitch. I step out a little towards the unoccupied batter's box if necessary.

More pertaining to the OP, if the game's tempo is progressing fine, I see no need to deny a batter time to collect his/her thoughts for a couple seconds. If I feel that s/he is abusing the privilege, I simply tell them, "let's pick it up, batter. Step in, please."

A number of years ago, I did have this one knucklehead who, upon stepping into the batter's box would do this drawn out, tai chi-like stretching ceremony with the bat. Every time he stepped up to bat, he'd do this crazy motion with the bat that would take a good 5 to 7 seconds. I told him to quicken it up a bit, but he wouldn't listen.

That is, until I told the pitcher to pitch while he was about halfway through his little jig, and I banged it for a strike. He never did that crap while I was behind the plate again.