And if she doesn't know, she doesn't know. As long as she's not making some snide remark about me, what's the big deal?

I think the inappropriate was when F2 shrugged the shoulders to indicate they didn't know where the pitch was. Apparently this PU took offense to F2's lack of knowledge. Talk about picking nits though.

why?

Also, welcome to the forum. Where in MD?

to Irishmafia....boy you are breath of fresh air.....no need to be concerned about the well being of a 15 year old girl. She's tough!!! You must be a lot of fun to work with

You're talking about very good D1 players. She knew where the pitch was and let the coach know with that shrug. Not too sure that it's picking nits, but I don't use that particular approach.

WTF are you talking about? Think you need to go back to the top and try reading the actual posts in the thread.

Irish, you have yourself an admirer! :D

easssssyyyyyyyyy........

It's picking nits if you're going to get offended by it and stop the game to brush the plate to warn the catcher. Basically you're telling her to lie? If she "let the coach know" that she thought it was a strike by that shrug - what did you expect her to say instead? She thought it was a strike - telling the coach a direction is giving him bad information.

Huh ?? Can you explain this non-sequitur? :confused:

When the coach asks where the pitch missed, and the catcher shrugs her shoulders, that is telling everybody that is watching that she (F2) thought it was a strike and the umpire missed it. It's going toward the direction of showing up the umpire.

I don't know that I would be so obvious as to brush a clean plate, but I would say to the catcher, "If you don't know where it missed, ask..I'll tell you."

If I did miss the pitch (it happened once :rolleyes:), I will say, "Sorry catch, I missed it." I will say this loud enough for the catcher and the batter to hear.

What some coaches and players don't seem to realize is that I want to call strikes...gets the ball in play, keeps the game moving and everybody interested

While I think that's an insane over-reaction... let's say you're right. What exactly should catcher say to her coach when you fail to call a strike on a pitch she thought was in the zone so as to not show you up?

The full story...guess I should have added this from the start...
This was a point in the game where Maryland had a comfortable lead and brought in their 3rd pitcher to complete the game. She walked the first two batters on close pitches. The crowd was getting on the blue.

I also should add, this was a pretty demonstrative shrug by the catcher.

I don't know if the umpire cleaned off the plate for this reason, but it sure seemed like it from where I was sitting. I will say she didn't shrug anymore. :D

How about repeating what the coach asked, politely. "Blue, where did that pitch miss?"

I'm not saying I disagree with you mb...I am the umpire, not the play by play announcer. I am not there to say "inside", "low", etc. And I don't think it's showing up the umpire when she shrugs her shoulders if we're talking about 12U, 14U, etc. But 18U and college, and even some 16U and varsity catchers, shrugging their shoulders is a way of saying they didn't agree. If she shrugs, you bet that the coach will then ask you. And that is when you can tell the coach and the catcher where the pitch missed. The first and ONLY time I will do it. If it happens again, I would put an end to it fast. Showing up or not, I'm not going to describe the pitches. If I call a ball, it's NOT a strike. That simple.

It seemed like the only logical explanation to me. Like I said, the plate was clean. That could be seen from where I was sitting. The catcher was nodding her head while he was bent over, so he was definitely saying something to her. That is what I gathered from the situation. I could be wrong.

Thanks. I have been lurking for over 2 years and this thread finally dragged me in. I'm in AA County. I have taken a hiatus from umpiring due to my daughter playing, but I still attend meetings and training sessions in January to get my books and keep up to date. She is a junior in high school this year, so I'll be back on the field in 2013.