Your chance to wipe out a bad mechanic

[BlitzkriegBob]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Do you pick PU who has to go chat with the crowd between half-innings?

Out of the four you listed, this would probably be the one I'd pick, but I'd expand it to include anyone who spends too much time chatting it up with players, coaches, and spectators.

If I were picking one of my own, I'd say it would be umpires who want to use baseball mechanics during softball games. Or maybe the slow pitch umpires who keep calling pitches "deep", "flat", or "plate", using the infamous double fist pump immortalized by piano playing umpires all over the world. Or slow pitch umpires working solo who don't move out from behind the plate except to grab their umbrella from the backstop when it starts to rain. Yes, I saw that this year.

Originally Posted by KJUmp

BU's who signal&announce the number of outs to the defense.

I've been wanting to ask a related question for a while now, and this kinda jarred my memory. I've worked with a bunch of people who want to signal outs all the time, using what I refer to as the "baseball signal" for outs, with both arms out to your sides flashing the corresponding fingers for outs. You can see a lot of that during the LLWS. I'm not saying it's a formal baseball signal, but that's what I tell rookies when they start flashing that at me during games. Me personally, I prefer a discreet signal between my partner and me if there is a question as to the number of outs. If I get a 1-2-3 inning, I'm not flashing outs any time. What do you guys do?

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by BlitzkriegBob

What do you guys do?

Of all things, this is one of the things that change for me most by area. In NW Dallas, PU would briefly hold a number up before the batter steps in, every time the outs change. Here, MOST umpires hold a fist or 1 or 2 fingers to the right side about hip high after every time we have an out, or if they are verifying with their partner - OR - if IFF in effect, about half hold right arm over chest and signal 0 or 1 with the left hand, and the other half (self included) hold the right arm over the chest with 0 or 1 on THAT hand.