Illegal pitch signal in SP
 

I recently started supervising a couple of nights a week for one of the local City Rec SP leagues. The director asked me to help evaluate and critique the league umpires.

This particular city uses a one umpire system for all of it's SP leagues. They are an ASA league and use the ASA arc of 6 - 10 feet.

The biggest issue that I have run across so far is the lack of use of the proper illegal pitch signal and verbal. Most of the umpires let the pitch hit and then declare it illegal, telling the pitcher it was either too high or low.

I know that they all know the proper signal, since I covered it in the last clinic that I did for the league.

I'm just curious for the rest of you that are involved with SP if you see this same thing in your leagues and/or tournaments?

I don't umpire adults... but I can tell you that in the leagues I've played in, it's definitely expected that the batter hear you say illegal soon enough that he can decide not to swing if necessary. And signalling seems relatively consistent.

If its illegal, its illegal. A knee jerk call might give a batter more time to decide if they wanna crack at it, but BFD.

Its adult T-ball.

The Arc limits in ASA are: 6' to 12" not 10...not checking the book right now but did some about five years ago. Pretty sure I got that right.

I worked a lot of slo-pitch years ago back in CNY. Even did games when they had unlimited arc. I found it hardest to call illegal pitches on "flat" ones as you don't have much time between when you believe it is too low and when the pitch arrives. A verbal call is all that is really needed when you work alone. I also often wondered if the batters even paid attention to me. Good luck with trying to get your umpires to do it the way you want.

The arc was changed a few years ago to 10' for championship play.


Most leagues in my area have league rules allowing for 12'

Around here we SAY illegal, and signal such as the pitch is coming(too high), or we say FLAT.

I have my guys verbalize the word "illegal" once it is determined as such and avoid the words "flat" or "high". When I see one of them get lazy and wait to call it after it hits the ground I let them know. I don't hold them to a delayed dead ball signal and accept the verbalization as sufficient.

It is, for the batter and catcher. What about everyone else in the game?

Isn't the call mainly for pitcher, catcher and batter benefit?

The only trouble I find is not having enough time to call it on pitches coming in low and fast. Often have to simply call Ball and leave the pitcher confused as to why it went thru the strike zone yet was a ball :D

No, it is a call of the game and it isn't a secret. How about your partner who doesn't hear the verbal? Or the coaches who keep the count to be aware of the game situation? Or the scorekeeper? Are "ball" and "strike" low enough just for the batter and catcher? On the bases, is it not called only loud enough for the closest defender to hear it?

That pitch often is difficult to get out in time. You call it right out of the pitcher's hand and the batter still tells you, "you have to call that earlier". Yeah, idiots, but that is beside the point. An IP needs to be called "illegal" as soon as the umpire can. The signal can happen whenever, but it need not be in unison with the verbal.

This is exactly my rationale.

It keeps the idiot in the outfield from yelling, "Hey, Blue, what was wrong with that...It hit right square in the middle of the mat!"

Some of my umpires make plenty of other signals like waving the hand over the head for a pitch that is too high or holding out their hand flat for a pitch that is too low, bu they can't be bothered to make the proper signal? :rolleyes:

Although I do not call "lob ball" anymore, maybe it's time to add those signals that everyone really understands to the list of accepted mechanics.

OOPS...Pretty sure I got that wrong:D

My take is to signal with the delayed dead ball signal and say loud enough for the batter and catcher to hear illegal. I don't worry about saying it loud enough for the pitcher, because that is what the delayed dead ball signal is for, as well as for every other player. With that said, my calls are generally loud enough to be heard by the pitchers and infielders as well.

I do both the verbal and DDB signal because that is the proper mechanic. Do I always get the call out as early as I should? No. On a flat pitch it is really hard to get that call out as soon as it is illegal because those pitchers tend to come in hotter than the illegal "to high" pitches. I call a to high pitch as soon as it passes the 12 foot limit (League rule is still 12). I don't say high or flat to the pitcher. If the pitcher asks, I will tell the catcher and have the catcher tell the pitcher.



One thing about flat pitches. Batter in the league I work tend to prefer these illegal pitches over the 12+ pitches. It is very common to see a flat pitch out against the fence where I work.