19 Smart Moves
For the Baseball Umpire
Article 1 - Pay attention to your appearance
Article 2 - Let them play the game
Article 3 - Know how you're going to call the game
Article 4 - Reward good play
Article 5 - Have a good pregame
Article 6 - Discuss how ejections will be handled
Article 7 - Know how to handle darkness, rain and lightning
Article 8 - Handle forfeits correctly
Article 9 - Writing incident reports
Article 10 - Have a realistic strike zone
Article 11 - Attend an umpire school or camp
Article 12 - Be positive with coaches and players
Article 13 - Avoid amateurish behavior
Article 14 - Expect that participants will try to gain an edge
Article 15 - Take care of arguments
Article 16 - Should you ever admit you missed a call?
Article 17 - The proper way to go for help
Article 18 - Watch what you say
Article 19 - Realize you are in the people business
ARTICLE 1 - Pay attention to your appearance
Have you heard that
one before? You'd be surprised how coaches and players form an opinion of an umpire
based on appearance. The first part of appearance is how you dress. By having your shoes
shined, wearing a fitted cap and clean pants and shirt, you at least give the impression
you care. One item that is a big help is having a spray bottle of water handy.
It can be used to get sweat stains off your cap, dress up a dusty ballbag, etc.
The second part of your appearance is how you look physically. Being considerably overweight,
wearing a beard, earrings or having long hair has nothing to do with your ability to umpire.
But those items have a lot to do with the perception players, coaches, fans and even your
partner may have toward you as an umpire. Unfortunately, most of those thoughts are going go
be negative.
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ARTICLE 2 - Let them play the game
One of the best things an umpire can do is let the
players play the game. Umpires shouldn't be looking for technical violations and other minor circumstances
to show people how much they know the rules. It seems that every time a new rule is introduced, umpires
want to try it out, usually without much regard as to the spirit and intent of the rule. Use common sense
when applying the rules. One of the worst raps an umpire can get is that of being a "rule book umpire."
Unfortunately, it's a reputation that will stay with an umpire for a long time, if not for the rest of
the umpire's career. Certainly, you should know the rules, but just as importantly, you should know how to
apply them and under what circumstances. Ask yourself, "Why did the player commit a particular act?" Was
it because the player wanted to get an unfair advantage, or was it because the player didn't know what he
or she was doing? You must decide and rule accordingly. Let them play the game.
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ARTICLE 3 - Know how you're going to call the game
There are a number of times during a game when you must
decide whither or not to make a call. A good example is when a batter hits a stand-up triple, cuts inside
first base and misses the base by an inch or two. You must know in advance what you are going to do.
If your philosophy is strictly by the book, you are going to uphold an appeal (or in high school baseball,
call the runner out). If your philosophy on this type of play is more toward advantage/disadvantage,
you are likely not to call the runner out or uphold the appeal.
Another good example: What are you going to do in a blowout? Are you going nose to toes on the
strike zone, or remain consistent? Hopefully, for too many reasons to mention here, you will stay
consistent. You must have a philosophy of how you are going to handle those types of plays and
situations. Other examples: a batter/runner advancing directly toward first but maybe just a bit
outside the three-foot lane, or a trap in the outfield. You need to know, based on what you see,
how you intend to make those calls.
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ARTICLE 4 - Reward good play
Most good umpires make a point of rewarding good play.
If a batter hits a ball to deep short, the shortstop makes a backhanded stop and guns the ball to first
on a whacker, a good umpire is probably going to call the runner out. However, if the shortstop does a
juggling act on a routine grounder, chances are the runner will be called safe on the same close play.
The same thing applies when calling balls and strikes. It’s far better to reward the pitcher by calling
a borderline low pitch a strike than calling a borderline high pitch a strike.
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ARTICLE 5 - Have a good pregame
There are two good reasons to have a pregame,
including one you may not have considered. The obvious reason is to be sure you and your partners
know how you are going to work the game. Don’t think that because you have umpired many games with
the same partner that it’s not necessary to have a pregame. Both of you have worked with others and
you still need a reminder of how you are going to officiate the game. The other reason is to get
your mind on baseball. There’s no telling what goes though an umpire’s mind on the way to a game.
The one sure way to get focused on baseball is to have a good pregame meeting.
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ARTICLE 6 - Discuss how ejections will be handled
Cover ejections in your pregame.
Fortunately, ejections occur very rarely. However when they do occur, they can get ugly fast unless
the umpires have an idea of how they will be handled. First, whenever a coach comes out to discuss
a play and the conversation starts to drag or gets heated, the other umpire should walk to within hearing
range. Listen to what’s being said and don’t participate unless asked by the umpire involved in the
discussion or if the conversation obviously is dragging on.
Secondly, it must be understood by
all umpires on the crew that the discussion is over once the umpire walks away or the coach is ejected.
When that happens, the other umpires should try to get the coach away, either to the bench or out of the
ballpark in the event of an ejection. Be careful not to put your hands on a coach or player. Sometimes by
walking toward the dugout, you can get the coach to follow you while pleading a case.
It’s very important that the ejecting umpire stay out of that process; participating at that point will only
intensify the problem. Finally, it must be understood by all crew members that when a coach is ejected,
the coach must leave the playing field before the game is resumed. Be sure to follow whatever procedures
are in place for whatever level of ball you are working.
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ARTICLE 7 - Know how to handle darkness, rain and lightning
This part of the game probably gets umpires into
more trouble than any other area. Why? It’s because umpires are in a "can't win" situation. However,
there are some things umpires can do to lessen the pain. First, when dealing with darkness, know what
time sunset is. You can get that information from your daily paper. That, obviously, is no problem
when the sky is clear. But on cloudy days, you have a lot more credibility with a coach when you say
you are calling the game because sunset occurred 10 minutes ago. Don’t fib, because the first thing a
coach will do after getting home is to check it.
Secondly, get your partners together with both coaches
before you start a new inning and tall them play will continue as long as you think it’s safe. A good
guideline is to watch for any player hesitating in seeing the ball. Don’t make the mistake of telling
everyone you’ll play one more inning. There have been times when the light conditions are brighter at
the end of an inning than at the beginning.
Lastly, remember that few games have ever been decided
by playing an extra inning. The reason should be fairly obvious. Neither team will allow it to happen.
Each team will gladly take a tie rather than a loss. So what happens? Say on the first pitch of the extra
inning, the batter hits a home run. The visitors know that if the home team can’t finish the inning, the
score will revert. So the visitors start to swing wildly at pitches to speed up the game. This puts you
right in the middle of possible acts that may cause a forfeit. In the same scenario, the home team now
comes to bat. Guess what will happen? Down by a run, they are going to make sure they can’t complete the
inning so the score will revert. So, the home team slows down the game as much as possible and you are
stuck with another possible forfeit situation.
In another scenario, the visitors are out on about five
pitches. Do you think for one moment the visiting team is going to deliver a hittable pitch to the home
team? Not at all. The visitors will throw about four wide ones, the catcher will go out to talk to the
pitcher, then the pitching coach will come out, then make a pitching change, etc. A change in the outcome
of the game is so remote it’s just not worth the aggravation for the umpire. You might also seriously
consider the legal consequences of trying to be a nice guy. Who do you think a player’s parents and
attorneys are going to go after if someone is hit in the face with a line drive or an errant pitch?
Rain can be a little trickier. If the rain is only a
drizzle, ask your partners to watch the footing of the pitcher and the infielders. In threatening
conditions, you should ask the home coach if drying materials and tarps for the mound and home plate are
available. If tarps are available, stop play earlier. If you wait too long, the tarps will create a
greenhouse effect and cause the playing surface to hold more water.
Lightning is the worst weather condition for umpires to
handle. That is probably due to the frightening fact that more often than not, the first bolt you see is
the one that can cause life-threatening injuries to people in the immediate area. Err on the side of
safety and stop a game whenever you feel there’s even the slightest possibility of danger to the
participants or spectators.
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ARTICLE 8 - Handle forfeits correctly
The most important aspect to remember about forfeits is
that they are very serious. Obviously, if a coach or player strikes an umpire, you can forfeit the game
immediately. However, in most other situations, you need to do a couple of things. First, whenever
possible, be sure your partners are aware of what is happening. Secondly, be absolutely sure a coach knows
that his continued conduct or the continuing conduct of his team is grounds for a forfeit. Make sure your
partners are in on that conversation. If possible, you and your partners should explain the circumstances
to the other coach. Then, if you do have to forfeit the game, try to do more than the rules provide.
For example, if the rule says a player must be removed within one minute, make sure you give him a little
more than a minute and certainly not less than one minute. The reason for that is simple. If you do
forfeit the game, that coach is going to have to defend his action to someone. And when he does explain
his actions, you are going to be the scapegoat. The most popular excuse a coach may use is, "I didn't
realize the game may be forfeited," or, "Nobody told me." Also, be sure to record all pertinent
information that should be included in your report.
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ARTICLE 9 - Writing incident reports
Remember that your league may consider your incident
report a legal document. Therefore, you must be extremely careful in getting the information correct.
Whatever the situation, whether it's an ejection, a forfeit or other matter, stick to the facts and
keep it brief. A long rambling report doesn't do anyone any good, especially the person reading it.
If profanity was used, state the exact words used. Saying a coach swore at you doesn't carry a lot of
weight. If you use the exact words, he might have a tough time explaining to someone why he used that
type of language, especially in a youth league game. You should also contact your assignor or whoever
else you are required to notify as soon as possible. If it is a serious incident, your partners should
also send in a report. The only time you should use rule references is if the report involves a
protested or forfeited game, then you'll want to cite the rules used to make your decision. Otherwise,
league presidents don't really need to know the rule reference. However, if your league requires rule
reference for all incidents, by all means supply the information.
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ARTICLE 10 - Have a realistic strike zone
We all know coaches and players just want umpires to be
consistent when calling balls and strikes, but umpires must be realistic in applying that principle. The
lower the level of baseball, the bigger the strike zone. In high school or college baseball, umpires
should be more generous on the knee pitch and on the corners than on pitches which are considered up in
the zone. Regardless of the level, don't go to extremes. That applies to all levels of baseball. Don't be
a voice in the wilderness. your strike zone should be fairly consistent with the other umpires calling the
same level of baseball.
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ARTICLE 11 - Attend an umpire school or camp
There are many excellent college and professional umpire
schools and week-long and weekend camps available in all parts of the country. Attend one of them every
now and then. You'll be surprised at what you'll learn; chances are you'll be learning the latest
techniques being taught at both the amateur or professional level.
A word of caution, though. Remember that some schools
teach umpire mechanics, interpretations and philosophies that generally apply to professional baseball.
That is OK. Just be sure you have a good idea of what you can and cannot apply to whatever level you are
working. Also, professional schools are five weeks for a reason. Candidates there are given hundreds of
repetitions on how to take a pivot at first base, etc. They are also allowed countless hours of time
calling pitches in the batting cage. When you attend a weeklong or weekend camp, you aren't going to get
that kind of training. What you will get is the correct way to do various things. It's up to you to get
the extra repetitions on your own.
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ARTICLE 12 - Be positive with coaches and players
Be alert for any opportunity to thank a player of coach
for helping you administer the game. Whether someone is getting a bat out of the way or bringing out
baseballs to you, say "please" and "thank you." As simple as that is, you'd be surprised how much game
participants appreciate that little kindness. The same goes for a coach who is taking care of a problem
for you. Remember, you're not trying to be their buddy, you're just showing some simple courtesy. This
technique is also useful to keep a player calm. Say, for example, a batter is hit by a pitch and trots
right to first base without glaring at the pitcher or practicing other theatrical items batters sometimes
do. Gently praise him for keeping his poise. The same applies after a collision at a base on which a
fielder takes a pretty good shot. a well-placed comment can do wonders to keep a situation from getting
out of control.
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ARTICLE 13 - Avoid amateurish behavior
Some umpires do things on the field that immediately peg
them as inexperienced. Let's run through some of them. There is no reason to vocalize obvious plays. There
is no reason to loudly proclaim "Foul ball!" when a ball is fouled directly to the backstop. The time to do
something is when there is doubt as to whether the ball is fair or foul. There also isn't much reason to
give an "out"" signal on a routine fly or pop up.
Don't let catchers or on-deck batters toss the ball to you.
Ask the catcher to always hand you the ball. Tell the catcher that if an on-deck batter has the ball, he
will toss it to the catcher who will then hand it to you.
Don't hold your indicator up to your face and look at it
like you've never seen one before. Get a file and notch the wheels (preferably at "0") and you'll never
have to look at your indicator again to start an inning. How many times have you lost the count on a
hitter? Rather than having to mentally beg for a batted ball, try advancing your indicator while the ball
is in the air back to the pitcher. This is whether you throw it, the catcher throws it or a fielder throws
it. If it's in the air, that's your cue to advance your indicator. Do that and you will cut down on lost
counts immeasurably.
Use proper mechanics to signal the plays. Good, sharp
mechanics give the impression you are right on top of things. Lazy or sloppy mechanics hive the impression
you really don't care too much about what you are doing, or worse, give the impression you aren't too sure
of your call.
Put the ball in play after a dead ball, especially with
runners on base. Don't leave your wondering if he should make an out call on a pick-off because he doesn't
know if the ball is in play or not.
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ARTICLE 14 - Expect that participants will try to gain an edge
Coaches and players have a stake in the outcome. They do
care who wins. A player may fudge a bit on a trap to make you think he caught the ball. If a coach can get
you to start calling low strikes because that's where his pitcher throws the ball, he may do it. The point
here is, when a coach starts to get on you about something, or tries to rattle the opposing pitcher, or a
player starts whining about your strike zone, consider the motive. When a participant is trying to get
the edge the reason to get upset is not because he's doing it; the reason to get upset is if you're not
buying it and he continues.
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ARTICLE 15 - Take care of arguments
When a coach comes out to argue, you should have a pretty
good idea of why he's out there. It will probably be for only three or four reasons: He may think you missed
the play, he may think you misapplied a rule, he may be out there to prevent a player from being ejected
and he may come out to show support of a player who is arguing a call. In any event, there are some things
you should remember. Should a coach get in your face, your first response should be, in as a normal tone
and level of voice possible,"Coach, back off right now." If he doesn't respond immediately, eject him
because he's more interested in intimidating you than seeking an explanation of your call. If he is yelling
at you, remind him you aren't going anywhere and you can hear him in a normal tone of voice. That's about
as far as you should go in trying to control his behavior. If he wants to yell, let him have his say as
long as he's not in your face. It is very important to let him finish without interruption. This may be
difficult to do, especially if he's totally wrong about what he's saying. Your cue to cut him off is when
he starts repeating himself. Regardless, give him a little time to get it off his chest.
When he's finished, it's your turn. That is why it's
important for you not to interrupt him, because he is now obligated to hear you out. If he interrupts you,
remind him that you listened to him and if he isn't going to listen to you, tell him the discussion is over.
There are some very effective responses you can use that
will help calm the waters. First, if he is incorrectly quoting a rule, you my say,"Coach, by rule, what you
just said is wrong." Notice you are not directly challenging him. Another effective technique is to tell
him ,"Coach, from where I had to make the call, I didn't see the tag," or whatever. This is much less
confrontational than telling him, "Coach, there is no way he tagged him."
Another good response is, "Coach,
tell me what you saw."
You might say, "Coach, tell me your understanding of the obstruction rule as
it applies to this play."
(You'd better have a firm grasp of the rule before you try that one.) Get the
coach thinking. Once he starts the thought process, it will normally make him
calm down.
Sometimes you can tell a coach, "That was close enough
to come out on, but I had a good look at it." Here, you are subtly complimenting him for coming out
without inflaming the situation. It's a useful technique.
One other item to remember is that a coach will often
give you a parting shot as he leaves. If it is under his breath, it's best to ignore it. If it is loud,
deal with it accordingly. Remember that if a coach is walking away, it's best to let him go. If you eject
a coach at this point, you will usually appear to be the aggressor.
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ARTICLE 16 - Should you ever admit you missed a call?
Confession may be good for the soul, but not in baseball.
For some reason, many coaches think it's a complete cop-out for an umpire to admit that he missed a call.
Why? Because there isn't much more a coach can do with that argument. But there is plenty more he can do
with the rest of the game, like yell at you on every close call, "Hey, blue, did you miss that one, too?"
So what can you say if you know you've missed one?
First let him have his say in a reasonable manner. Then you can do a number of things. One good response
is, "Coach, right of wrong, that's the call and it's not going to change." Or you can say, "Coach, if I
saw it from where you did, I may have called it differently." You don't want to say, "Coach, I didn't get
a good look at it." Perhaps you didn't get a good look at it, but this response will surely get a comeback
such as, "You're getting paid to get a good look at it." Don't set yourself up to get buried on a coach's
comeback.
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ARTICLE 17 - The proper way to go for help
There is probably no bigger area for discussion among
amateur umpires than the topic of going for help. One philosophy is that if you are not sure, such as on
a sweep tag or pulled foot at first, you should go to your partner before you make a call. That's fine,
but you'd be surprised how many umpires make a career of going for help on tough calls. You can just make
the call and take the heat with the idea of that if you don't change it, you'll only make one coach mad.
That being said, let's discuss a workable solution. First, you and your partner must understand that if
a call is obviously missed, and someone can help, they'll get to the involved umpire before the coach.
Therefore, if you make a call and your partner doesn't get to you before the coach, you can assume you
either got it right or your partner can't help you. An example would be a play where the catcher obviously
drops the ball on a tag and the plate umpire, not seeing it, calls the runner out and everyone on the
offensive team goes nuts. That's the tip-off to the plate umpire that he may have missed something.
The first thing a base umpire should do in that
situation is to prevent and coach from coming on the field. Then he should go to the plate umpire and
say something like, "Did you see the catcher drop the ball?" What you are doing is not changing the call,
but providing your partner with information he may not have. He may or may not change the call. Another
type play is where an umpire is blocked out or is straight-lined and badly missed a call. Your question
here should be, "Did you get a good look at that?" If he says "No," provide him with the information.
If he says "Yes," the discussion is over. Again, be careful how you handle these situations. Remember
these techniques should be discussed in your pregame meeting and should apply only to obviously
missed calls.
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ARTICLE 18 - Watch what you say
One area that gets umpires into trouble is their use of
profanity on the field. Regardless of how it's used, profanity can cause you problems about as fast as
anything you do. The biggest reason is that profanity, and context in which it is used, is often
misconstrued. You might say something that may be humorous to you, but if it's misunderstood you will
have a difficult time convincing coaches, players or fans. Watch your language.
Keep in mind that whatever you say on the field will
probably get back to the dugout. If it's a negative comment you can count on it. If you engage a player
in a conversation on the field, it will be picked up from the dugout and someone will ask the player
involved about it. That is why plate umpires should be very careful about how they handle situations
involving a batter. Why? Who is a couple of feet away, well within hearing range? The other team's
catcher, who is more than happy to report and interesting tidbits to his coach or teammates.
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ARTICLE 19 - Realize you are in the people business
Think of how many times over the years you have had to
come up with a rule interpretation on a particular play. Now think of how many times you've had to settle
down an unhappy pitcher, catcher or coach. That by no means implies you should forget the rules. What it
does mean is that, hopefully, when those times occurred where you've dealt with a problem, you've been
able to calm the situation rather than inflame it. Whatever you do during a game, try to be approachable
and be reasonable. Some very good umpires are not welcome by a lot of teams because they are perceived
as being arrogant.
If you think for a moment about the most successful
people in your organization, chances are they are very good at handling people and situations. That
is a goal for which all umpires should strive.