Plate Conf WTH?

[BretMan]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

New partner I've never met with hokey mechanics but made decent calls...

This seems to describe most of the partners I've been getting lately..execpt, for some of them, the "decent calls" part.

Funny looking strike signals with fists extended straight out in front of the body, sweeping hand motions to indicate the location of pitches, safe signals that look like an airplane about to take of or a bird flapping it's wings, never leaving the plate to cover third or trail a batter-runner, lining up on the third base foul line as their version of the "C" position...

And there are some with apparently no concept whatsoever of how a plate conference works. A couple of recent ones:

- I'm on the bases. So we head out to do the plate conference. I walk out and stand on the "flat side" of the plate, facing the backstop. Plate guy comes out and stands...right next to me. Only there are the usual groups of coaches, captains and hanger-ons crowded around each side of the plate and there isn't much room where I'm standing. The plate guy has to kind of squeeze in, shoulder-to-shoulder with me. I guess he wants to be the center of attention, so as he starts his "conference"- which was more like some kind of good ol' boy comedy routine- he gradually nudges me aside until he's standing in front of me and I'm behind him!

- Partner and I are standing together, right next to the opening to the field, waiting for warm-ups to finish (about five minutes before game time). I'm the plate guy this time. Warm-ups end and I say to partner, "Are you ready? Let's get the coaches together". He says, "Okay".

I walk onto the field and take my spot at the point of the plate. I look over my shoulder and my partner is running over to his car (parked close to the field) to fumble around with something in the trunk!

So I'm standing there alone, surrounded by coaches and captains. I figure he's coming right back, so I stall with a little small talk. I see my partner start to walk away from his car...and he heads right down to the first base fence/dugout area and starts chatting up fans along the fence!

I yell his name to get his attention and wave him over. He finally comes over to the plate and stands...directly behind me!

Next game, we are switching base and plate. I go to my car to change. I hurry back, only to see him behind the plate with a pitcher about ready to pitch! He just went ahead and had them flip a coin to see who was the home team and had them take the field. He didn't bother with taking line-ups or going over the ground rules.