And I agree with every single clinician you've ever discussed it with.

But...does that mean you can ignore it, if it is a directive from the ASA "higher-ups"? When is a published directive the letter of the law and when is it just friendly advice?

I report to my bosses. I will call it as my bosses tell me to call it.

They report to their bosses.

Quote:

Umpires should not use the term game control as a tool for an umpire to be involved every situation occurring on the ball field. Game control should seldom, if never, be noticed: Example, if we have a batter-runner who starts to run to 1B thinking ball four has been awarded; the umpire should call “time” and bring the batter back to the plate. The same holds true with runners on 1B and 2B and the batter takes off for 1B thinking it is ball four causing runners to advance. To eliminate confusion for both the offense and the defense, the umpire should call “time.” An umpire with good game control who gives a loud “time” can prevent the chaos before it gets a chance to start.

Couple problems with this. To start, because multiple scenarios were offered as "examples", where to you draw what will became a very blurry line to many. Do you kill the ball every time you find a team doing something "dumb" that confuses the opponent? Did you think it just may be a planned play? It happens. More in my past than in the present, but those coaches were a bit smarter then :)

I'm in the camp of immediately emphasizing the call and count (if not an out or walk) LOUDLY. And follow that up with an immediate direction to the batter to return to the batter's box LOUDLY and start your 10 second count. I would expect the umpire to not be quick in adding a strike to the count, but if the batter does not immediately return as directed, that strike is an option.

Yes, some would consider that OOO, but it is a tool that is provided to the officiating of the game and it WILL stop the antics. Again, not suggesting an umpire use this to punish teams, but be lenient to a point in application. However, when you run up against a team/coach that is going to test your authority and resolve, you just may need to enforce the rule (ASA 7.4.K; NFHS 7.3.1).

Again, it is only a tool available to you, not a sledge hammer meant to crush a team/coach because you can.

Maybe it's just a softball difference, but in baseball I will repeat it a few times forcefully at all levels up through NCAA. I'm preventing a problem for myself, mainly. I'll leave the ball live, of course, but I'm trying to stop F2 from throwing the ball to try to retire a BR that doesn't exist.

So you are coaching ;)<!-- / message -->

No, I'm using preventive officiating. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :D

I don't call it over and over. But I do say it twice for emphasis.

There are a few occasions that, with game management in mind, I repeat a call. On a dropped transfer at second base, I will emphasize the runner out twice to let everyone know I saw a voluntary release. On a foul ball where runners continue to run, I will repeat a foul call. I don't fly off the handle with extraneous antics or extra words like I've seen other umpires do. But it tends to get the point across.