Umpiring Home

[Tyrus4189Cobb]

Just a very quick question: when umpriring home, should the ump look at the plate or directly at the pitcher so he can see through the strike zone as if it were an invisible window?

[shake-n-bake]

I've umpired quite a bit (until I realized just how many of my own kids' games I was missing) and I've never conciously thought about this at the time.

I'd say looking at the pitcher to pick up the rotation / movement on the pitch. It'd be more difficult to call a breaking pitch if you didn't see it coming.

[Ursa Major]

You make it sound like it's a static (i.e., unchaning process). I'd be interested in the views of those who are more experience than I, but my process when I did so was to do this, starting when the pitcher was about to release:

First, with the corner of your eye, set the batter's upper/lower strike zone edges.
Second, as the pitch come in, try to pick up rotation so as to predict if you'll have an edge issue.
Third, slide a little inside or outside to see the appropriate edge a little bit -- but many experienced umps just stay centered, as they know where the edges are from that spot.
Fourth, I take a 'snapshot' in my head while the pitch passes through the strike zone and aligning it with the plate edges. I say snapshot, because I try to turn off the camera after the pitch exits the strike zone so as not to be infected by anyting that the catcher does. To determine height, on a high pitch, shutter is clicked as it leaves the strike zone (and don't forget that the plate is deeper in the center than it is on the sides) and for a low pitch as it enters the zone.

Oh, and don't forget to keep an eye on whether the batter swung or not. . . And pat your head and rub your stomach in a circle. :crazy

[jbooth]

Just a very quick question: when umpriring home, should the ump look at the plate or directly at the pitcher so he can see through the strike zone as if it were an invisible window?

Umpires are taught to hold their head perfectly still, and put it pretty much in the same spot prior to every pitch. You then track the ball from the pitcher's hand to the catcher's glove by moving your eyes, NEVER your head.

You learn the edges of the zone from experience. You visualize the zone before the pitch is thrown and call the pitch as to whether it passed through the zone or not.

[jbooth]

You make it sound like it's a static (i.e., unchaning process). I'd be interested in the views of those who are more experience than I, but my process when I did so was to do this, starting when the pitcher was about to release:

First, with the corner of your eye, set the batter's upper/lower strike zone edges.
Second, as the pitch come in, try to pick up rotation so as to predict if you'll have an edge issue.
Third, slide a little inside or outside to see the appropriate edge a little bit -- but many experienced umps just stay centered, as they know where the edges are from that spot.
Fourth, I take a 'snapshot' in my head while the pitch passes through the strike zone and aligning it with the plate edges. I say snapshot, because I try to turn off the camera after the pitch exits the strike zone so as not to be infected by anyting that the catcher does. To determine height, on a high pitch, shutter is clicked as it leaves the strike zone (and don't forget that the plate is deeper in the center than it is on the sides) and for a low pitch as it enters the zone.

Oh, and don't forget to keep an eye on whether the batter swung or not. . . And pat your head and rub your stomach in a circle. :crazy

Tracking the ball all the way to the catcher's glove, helps you on boarderline pitches. You don't want to turn off the camera before the ball goes in the glove. At pro umpire school an instructor watches your eyes while you're in a cage practicing tracking pitches, and if you're not following the ball to the glove, you won't graduate and get a job offer.

[Ursa Major]

Jim, thanks for the tip. That -- and my iffy eyes -- perhaps are why I never get beyond Little League. But I do see youth umpires often fooled by the glovework so I made a point to try to avoid it. And I see lazy youth umpires call pitches off the plate balls because they're unwilling to verify their opinions by checking the edge of the plate. If they haven't done so or gone through the training you're talking about, they're often just guessing as to the edges, I suspect.

Glad you weighed in.

[shake-n-bake]

I can remember many times that I was grateful that the hitter just swung the bat.

It really is a thankless job for the most part. If you're working a game solo, you're running all over the place to get a good view at plays on the bases. It can be hot. You get the occassional LL catcher that decides not to make an attempt on a ball because it's a little wild and no one's on base, so you take it in the shoulder. I'm a big guy. Trying to hide behind a kid that's under 5' and 80# is a lot of work in itself. Forget about mom and dad, grandma and grandpa behind the backstop are sometimes brutal. Coaches are in your ear. The occassional disrespectful kid ticks you off. You're not 100% certain you hit your clicker and what the count really is. You wish the pitcher would settle down and finally throw a couple strikes.

And here comes the borderline pitch.