Thoughts & Philosophies About Umpiring
| How is an Umpire like a Boxer? |
by Emily Alexander
The number one rule of umpiring is “Watch the Ball.” Others rules or axioms that an umpire can hang their mask on are, in no particular order:
• Keep the ball, the base, the runner and the fielder in front of you.
• Try to get a 90º angle from the tag on a tag play and from the flight of the ball on a force play.
• Move parallel with the runners.
• Stop. Set. See it.
• There is always a job to do.
• Adjust.
• Work in priorities–first this, then that.
Working in priorities is what I want to key on in this article. There is no arguing that an umpire must make one call before making another. It is understood that an umpire is expected to give their full attention to each play. If he/she hedges on one call in order to be better prepared for the next call then both calls only get half the concentration and neither call can be made with certitude. The dilemma that arises is that many violations or things in need of the umpire’s judgment can and do occur simultaneously or nearly simultaneously.
(The following situations are numbered only for ease in referencing as we later talk about how an umpire should prioritize on each.)
1. A simple fly ball to the outfield close to the line requires an umpire to prioritize. The umpire must first determine fair or foul and then catch or no catch. If the umpire is so intent on the catch, which is subsequently dropped, that he/she has not seen where it was first touched then there is a problem.
2. An umpire is responsible for judging whether a pitched ball enters the strike zone but some times before the pitch arrives at the plate the batter makes some attempt to swing. Then the umpire is supposed to make a judgment on the batter’s action but if no swing is judged then he/she must try to get back on the pitch to pass judgment on it.
3. The umpire never knows if the batter will connect with the pitch but if they do the umpire must determine where the batter’s feet were when contact was made.
4. If, in their haste to get to third base for a possible play on the lead runner, an umpire abandons the trail position too soon then they are of little help on a pulled foot, may completely miss a lane interference and will have no credibility on a ball possibly thrown out of play.
5. The umpire must watch the pitcher’s hands, windup, delivery and see the release of the ball. Then as the ball is hurling towards the plate the umpire is supposed to see what the pitcher does with the foot with which she steps forward.
6. With bases loaded which runner should the umpire watch for leaving the base before the ball is released?
7. On an extra base hit with multiple runners on base can an umpire really make sure each runner touches each base? What about two outs, runner on first and what should be an out a first…but is not?
These are just some situations that happen many times every game. They illustrate the crucial need for umpires to prioritize how they work. First, an umpire must be aware that these situations not only do exist but are actually quite common. Second, an umpire must rank the importance of each of the responsibilities. Third an umpire must determine the impact of misruling on any part of a play situation.
1. On a fly ball to the outfield an umpire must get quickly to the line and as far down the line as possible yet be set when the ball is first contacted. This puts the umpire in the best position to make a fair/foul judgment but only if he/she remembers that is the first priority. Quite often the first contact is also the catch at which point the fair/foul status of the ball becomes moot. It is on the routine fly balls close to the line that an umpire should practice awareness of priorities. Always record in your mind the fair/foul status of the ball before making an out signal on the catch. This discipline then becomes habit and serves the umpire well when the unusual happens. If the ball is dropped after being juggled or mishandled the umpire must immediately indicate whether it is a fair or foul ball. This signal must be instantaneous and decisive but can only be so if the umpire was working in priorities.
2. We say that an umpire should always go for help on a checked swing. But how is this different from any other judgment call where we generally do not want umpires seeking help? The difference is the priority of the job. On an ordinary judgment call (i.e. a play at a base) the umpire has one judgment to make. He/she moves to the best possible position, gets set and gathers all the information necessary to render a judgment on a singular action. Each pitch of the game is like a play on the bases in that it demands the umpire’s complete and undivided concentration. So, on a pitched ball the umpire gets the best possible position behind the catcher, gets set and is prepared to gather the necessary information in order to make a judgment on the pitch (i.e. does it enter the batter’s strike zone while over the plate). The checked swing attempt now creates a whole different play (concurrent with the present play) on which to make a judgment. The umpire has no time to alter his/her position for a better look. If the umpire does try to move to see the checked swing attempt then he/she is moving as the action occurs and will not get the most desirable look. The pitch provides no needed information for making the judgment on the swing. Yet if the action by the batter is not judged to be a swing then the umpire is still required to make a ruling on the pitch. If he/she has shifted his/her attention from the ball there are less than nanoseconds remaining to get back on the ball and make an accurate judgment of its exact location as it passes through a 12 inch space traveling at upwards of 50 mile an hour. If the ball moves–even slightly– in any direction other than forward (curves, drops, rises) while near this 12 inch space it is impossible for the umpire to make as accurate a decision as he/she would have been able to make had he/she known the priorities of this call and maintained focused concentration on the pitched ball.
The checked swing is not the umpire’s primary call and therefore it is not only acceptable but recommended that the umpire seek help on making the judgment if he/she is not absolutely certain.
As an aside here, we must remember that the base umpire also has a series of priorities in which he/she should be working on every pitched ball. With no runners on the base umpire should be focused on the pitcher’s feet and as the pitcher steps toward the plate the umpire also steps forward. If no violation is determined with the pitcher’s feet then the base umpire tracks the pitched ball to the plate and should focus on what the batter does as the pitch is arriving. Once the pitch passes the batter, the umpire’s attention then shifts to the catcher (clean catch, dropped catch, foul tip, foul ball). With runners on base the base umpire must include in this series of priorities the job of watching when a runner(s) leaves her base. If the runner is stealing then another facet is added to the base umpire’s job. Even if the base umpire is prioritizing well, he/she may not always be in the best position to see a checked swing precisely.
3. Now let’s have this checked swing turn into a full fledged swing and the ball actually hit. Remember, the umpire is prioritizing on the pitch, he/she then gives secondary priority to the possible swing. If the swing is successful and the ball is contacted the umpire now is required to see two separate actions at the same instant i.e. the bat/ball contact (does it hit the batter as she is swinging? before she swings? does the catcher obstruct the batter?) and the feet of the batter. The priority is anything that happens on the swing. The feet are a secondary priority. The lines of the batter’s box may be scuffed or gone completely. Should the umpire be focusing primarily on the batter’s feet and miss an obstruction or hit batter or dead ball strike, the impact on the game of not ruling correctly on any of these is far greater than the batter getting away with being a few inches out of the batter’s box.
4. On a batted ball, with no one on base or a runner on first base only, where there will be a play at first base the plate umpire should move out from behind the plate (to the left of the catcher) and to and down the first base line approximately 15 to 20 feet. This movement forces an umpire into position to prioritize the sequence of his/her jobs on such a play. This priority position forces an umpire to see a pulled foot, a swipe tag or a three foot lane interference and puts the umpire in a ready position to go with an overthrown ball that may become blocked or go out of play. It is difficult to maintain this position if the play began with a runner on first base and the umpire knows he/she is responsible for a subsequent play at third base. However, if any of the aforementioned things happen at first base then it is highly unlikely that any play will occur at third base and there is no need for the umpire to even be there.
It is far better for the umpire to stay put, really know what happens at first and then hustle to the angle for the call at third, than to be set and ready at third base for a play that never happens because the ball was overthrown at first base and may (who knows?) have gone into the dugout. The rationale for the priority here is that if something happens at first and the call is made…or is not made…there usually is no subsequent play at third. It also drives home the fact that hustle is the trademark of a good umpire.
Any time there is a runner beyond first base and the play will go to first base the umpire still must work in the same priorities except that he/she will not trail down the first base line but rather move slightly backward to what would be the first base line extended beyond home plate. This position affords the umpire the same angle and view of the action at first as well as the bigger picture of the actions of the advanced runners whether scoring or moving to third. The priorities of working the situation remain identical.
5. This situation is similar in many ways to both #2 and #3. The priorities for the umpire here are watching the pitcher engage the pitcher’s plate, the hands while taking the signal, the motion after the hands separate, the release of the pitch and finally tracking the ball to the plate. In order to determine exactly where the non pivot lands the umpire would have to shift his/her focus at the time of release since the release and step are very nearly simultaneous. Should the umpire do this and the pitcher’s step is legal, he/she would have to try to quickly switch back to pitch and then be hindered with the variances of perception that occur when one bursts in on the action as opposed to watching it develop from beginning to end. The umpire’s preferred choice of priorities here is to stay with the pitch and maintain the consistency of his/her strike zone. A gross violation such as the pitcher stepping completely across her body would be notice peripherally and can be called with ease. A negligible violation of inches may or may not even be able to be determined with accuracy from behind the plate (there are no lines on the field marking the 24 inches) and any advantage gained by a pitcher from such action impacts the game far less than a roving, inconsistent strike zone.
6. The answer to this one is of course: all of them. But is this really possible or even preferable? It is possible from the position behind the shortstop to look straight forward (to where the first base dugout normally is) and peripherally see all three runners and the pitcher (you are actually looking through the pitcher). But seeing and making a hairline judgment on four separate actions at the same instant are quite different things. Therefore an umpire must figure what are the priorities and the ramifications of missing an infraction. The runners at first and second cannot go anywhere even if they get a questionable jump off the base as long as the runner at third is still at third. But, if the ball is hit and the runners got a questionable jump off the base they might score or advance farther than they would have without the questionable jump. The umpire has already had a chance to look at the base-leaving styles of the runners on second and third base and knows if either are close to being illegal. After factoring in all this situational specific knowledge, the generally accepted priority is to focus more on the runner at third who can actually advance and could gain the greatest advantage from leaving early on a ball not hit. A second priority would be to familiarize yourself with the leaving style of the runner on first.
Likewise, with runners at first and third, the runner at first is more likely to leave early since she has a base to advance to and would want to get in a better scoring position.
The priorities will differ from situation to situation but always, the work must be done in priorities.
7. Obviously the umpire should watch all runners touch the bases that he/she is responsible for watching. The more umpires on the field the easier this becomes. When shackled with only two umpires the more difficult it becomes. Once again it is necessary for an umpire to determine the priorities. It is not a good choice to make sure the runner is seen touching second base and miss the entire play on the batter runner at first base. Even if the runner did miss second and the defense did see it, they are going to forget all about making an appeal after they get through chewing you up and spitting you out over not seeing the call at first.
So naturally if the umpire is needed to rule on a play involving the ball then it is possible to miss some infraction off the ball. This is a good sense of priorities. However, when the ball is away, if the umpire has acknowledged the need for priority work there is no reason to not see what is the umpire’s job to see.
The runner on first is going to get the quicker jump to second than the batter in the box is to first. After watching the batted ball and determining that it is a hit, it is quite easy to see the runner touching second and then glance over and see the batter runner touch first. As a plate umpire we know that runners must pass third before coming home so we watch in that order. But what if the umpire must move out to get a good look on a fly ball that the fielder dives for and the umpire rules that the ball is trapped and meanwhile a runner has scored? No, the umpire did not see her touch the plate…but what would it matter if, in exchange for seeing her touch the plate, the umpire did not know whether the ball was caught or trapped?
I have only brought up these few situations out of the many that exist to illustrate the necessity for umpires to think and work in priorities. These specific ways for working a ball game are not written out in any umpire manual. They are the things umpires learn from experience…often painful. If an umpire does not learn these things it is unlikely he/she will survive in umpiring at all and it is absolutely certain that he/she will not advance.
Be a thinking umpire. Know your priorities. Respect the very difficult job that you do.
By Emily Alexander
Umpire mechanics are the ‘meat & potatoes’ of umpiring. You may go ten games and never have to mess with the DP/DEFO. You may go 20 games and never have to call an obstruction. You may go 30 games and never have to make a ruling on 3’ lane interference. But every single game you will ever work you will have to use mechanics. There is no hiding what you do not know about mechanics. It may not become evident for many, many games that you really do not know the batting out of order rule. But the first time you call a pitch or have runners on base, if you do not know what to do, how to do it or where to go, your lack of knowledge is broadcast to the whole world.
Umpire mechanics encompass more than the X’s and O’s in the manual; more than the precise numbered steps for correctly signaling an out. The scope of umpire mechanics goes far beyond a strong ‘hammer’ or a perfect 90º. Mechanics are the total physical operation of umpiring. The language of mechanics is body language which is kind of like sign language in BOLD. It commands attention yet does not lack in subtleties and nuances.
Every move you make as an umpire, from the time you walk on the field until the game is over and you are out of sight, says something about you and sends a message to the onlookers. You can control what is said and the message that is sent but it requires constant vigilance. Many umpires spend countless hours reading and studying the rulebook. This serves them naught if equal time is not spent, not only reading and studying, but also physically practicing and mentally visualizing the umpire manual. Like rules that must be interpreted through tradition, intent, level of play or practical application; mechanics too must be deciphered, contemplated, analyzed and understood.
There are elementary mechanics; there are complex mechanics and finally there are allusive mechanics. Elementary mechanics deal with standard umpire signals and general positioning for the most common situations. Signals are our words. Mechanics put us in a position to know what to say, how to say it and have what we say believed.
The remainder of this article will focus on signals and the tremendous role they play in umpire mechanics. Another time we can dissect some of the multitudinous intricacies of other mechanics.
Umpires are communicators and how we communicate is with signals. We use signals so we do not have to talk. Yes, there are words that go with our signals but the body language will forever be louder and more convincing than the verbal language. I once had my partner come to me on a check swing down the first base line. I stood as tall as I could and gave a huge, wide safe signal while hollering, “Yes, she did!” Guess what happened? Nothing. No one (not even the first base coach) batted an eye. A ball was recorded on the count and play continued.
Umpire signals are a universal language. They are a language that should have no dialect, no vernacular. Signal language is a very simple one. It is designed to be understood by anyone at any ball park. In order to be understood a signal must first be seen. This is why most signals are given from a full upright position and extended up or away from the body. Once a signal is seen, its meaning must be immediately apparent. We cannot have some people thinking we called a ‘safe’ and some thinking we called ‘timeout’ and others wishing for instant replay because they have no idea what we called. Once seen and understood a signal must convince everyone, through its strength and deliberation, that the correct call has been made.
Signals vary only in emphasis, not in implementation. From the routine play to the unusual, every signal must be visible, distinct, strong and convincing from its beginning to its end. Too many umpires ruin a great signal by not finishing it…letting the arms just fall after a safe, starting for the next position while the hammer is still up or not staying with the play that extra instant after a sell call. Like a speaker whose voice trails off at the end of what he is saying, a signal that does not finish willfully weakens the whole message. A signal for a routine call demands the all the same precision as any other call just with less emphasis. Routine does not mean weak, lazy or vague.
Every signal should be made from a stopped, set position. A set position can a standing set or a bent set with the hands grasping the thigh just above the knees. In either position, the feet must be slightly more than shoulder width apart and parallel with each other. Think of yourself as a photo mechanism. Your head is the camera. Your eyes are the lens. Your body is the tripod. If the camera is moving the picture will be blurry. If the camera is set on a tripod, the picture will be clear. Having the feet parallel gives you a solid base from which you can adjust in any direction as the play dictates.
Starting from a set position enhances proper timing. Since you must come to a full, upright position before beginning your signal, you have this additional time to review and resee the picture you just took from the tripod. If the play changes during this time, such as a dropped ball, there is still time to make the correct call and avoid the old umpire nemesis, the “out/safe” call.
Because of the universal scope of signals, we are limited in the number of signals at our disposal. Think how valuable words would be and how carefully we would choose them if we had only twenty or so words in which to say all we needed to say. The signals we have are just as precious. We can milk them for all they are worth through tone, inflection and emphasis but the fact remains we only have so many to work with. The less a signal is used the more valuable and meaningful it is.
Do not waste signals. A ball hit between third and shortstop does not need to be signaled fair. A ball fouled straight back to the backstop with no runners on does not need to be signaled foul. A pitcher standing off the pitcher’s plate while the batter digs in does not need to be signaled to hold up. Unnecessary signals are a label of the rookie umpire. Never draw needless attention to yourself.
Do not weaken a signal with overuse. Pointing at a routine play where nothing out of the ordinary occurs emasculates ‘the point’–one of our most powerful signals. Save ‘the point’ for when you need to draw attention to a special circumstance such as a misplay, pulled foot, or swipe tag. Echoing the plate umpire’s call on every foul ball will get everyone so accustomed to seeing you out there with your hands up that when you legitimately need to stop play no one will pay any attention to you.
The first step in great mechanics is great–not unique–signals. Don’t waste them. Don’t weaken them. Don’t compromise them. Always be set before signaling. Use your whole body for the signal. Make it seen. Make it distinct. Make it strong. Finish it. With this first step accomplished the journey to great mechanics is off to a smooth start.
Here are two signals you will not find in the manual but may want to add to your ‘bag of tricks’. They have been in use by good umpires for years to better communicate on the field and facilitate the natural flow of the game.
1. As an umpire, either plate or bases, whenever a batter has two strikes you should be prepping yourself for the possibility of a dropped third strike and know in advance whether the batter will be out immediately or must be put out at first base. When the third strike reaches the catcher both umpires must know and be in agreement whether it is caught or uncaught. As a base umpire you can communicate this information to the plate umpire with a simple clenched fist at the belt or at the side of your body if the ball is caught and a point at the ground from either the belt area or side of the body if the ball is not caught by the catcher. A plate umpire who is not sure whether the ball skipped the ground before being secured by the catcher has only to look out to the base umpire to find out. These are not sneaky signals and no more tip off a player than any other umpire-to-umpire signal. They simply enhance the communication among the crew and alert all umpires to whether or not a play is imminent.
2. Whenever a situation happens that has the appearance of a violation but is not, such as possible interference, appeared to be hit by a batted ball but was not or looked like obstruction; give a quick safe signal. This serves the purpose of letting everyone know that you saw the same weird thing that they saw, you made a judgment on it and you have ruled it as ‘nothing’ or no violation. This simple mechanic incorporated into your game could save you from several visits from the coach each season.
By Emily Alexander
Rule books are written to cover the rules of the game and usually devote scant attention to who may be playing the game. Most rule books dictate the rules for virtually any division, skill level, age or gender while others are more specific. For instance the High School Federation rule book covers boys and girls in the high school age range and a college rule book covers a college player playing the game whether it be at the junior college level or division 1. Even though some books are more specific than others, the range of caliber of play governed by any given rule book is usually quite broad. Because of this, league rules, which always supersede the book rule, are often incorporated to try to account for the special needs of a particular level or division of play. Lacking a league rule the game itself will dictate the special desires of each type of play. For instance, in pee wee ball there is rarely any written exception to the obstruction rule and minor obstructions occur continually because the players simply do not know where to go or how to move. These are generally overlooked by the umpire and not penalized unless they have a distinct impact on the game. In some games the uniform rule might need to be ignored. In other games the substitution rule will have to be stretched.
How an umpire recognizes these types of nuances in the various levels of play is vital to the flow and enjoyment of the game. Umpiring can make or destroy the interest in a game. Therefore an umpire must be able to practically apply the written rule to the particular game he/she is umpiring. Umpires are taught to enforce the spirit and intent of a rule rather than rely on literal translation. The intent of nearly all rules is to create fair play by balancing advantage, rewarding adherence to the rule and punishing violation of the rule. The spirit of a rule is more elusive and usually becomes apparent by discerning the expectations and tolerances of any given game.
Anyone who has ever watched a youth game, a men’s game, a division 3 game, a high school game, a sandlot game or a division 1 game has probably noticed that there seems to be different strike zones being used in each of these games. Yet in the three main rule books governing fast pitch softball the definition of the strike zone in each book is all but identical. Anyone who has ever watched the aforementioned games has also probably noticed that each of these games flows along with little, if any, attention paid to any deviance from the literal definition of the strike zone. This is because, over the years, at any given caliber or level of play, the desired and thus accepted strike zone, has evolved that allows players to participate and function in the manner they prefer to. Thus, a practical application of a written rule is an application that allows the game to flow and to be played in a way that the players playing the game have decided through years of tradition.
By Emily Alexander
There is a saying in boxing that:
“If you cheat on your roadwork when you are alone in the cold dark of the morning, it will show up in front of everyone under the bright lights of the ring.”
Pick-up games, league games, kid games; this is your roadwork. This is where you build a solid foundation that will support you and let you shine under the bright lights in the stadium. If you think you can let down, be lazy, just get by, goof off in your every day games and then change and do everything right in the ‘big game’; you are dead wrong!
By Emily Alexander
Always let your partner know when you have ejected someone. It is hard to support each other if we don't know what's going on. And we can't help each other if we are acting independently. Always be aware when your partner is having an altercation. Pay attention. Move in a little. Hover. Don't spend the time talking to a ball player. Be alert and ready to help. If you come in to help, it is not to talk about the issue - your partner can fight his/her own battles. If you come in it is to break it up or get rid of the ejected person.
Once an umpire ejects a coach or player, that umpire should not have to deal with the ejected person again. Absolutely no good can come of it. The ejected person is already gone so he/she has nothing to lose. He/she can get personal, be mean, loud and foul mouthed. He/she is definitely not going to listen, be reasonable or be happy with anything said.
Therefore when one umpire ejects someone the other umpire should step in and clean it up. This entails getting physically between the ejecting umpire and the ejected person The ejecting umpire needs to do his part and get away and not attempt to respond any more. Anything you would say only adds fuel to the fire. You want to send the message that there is no further discussion. So the ejecting umpire must walk away when his partner comes in to clean up.
The partner should be talking calmly and almost continually (so as not to give the pretense of listening to the ejected person's gripe). Say things like: Come on. Let's go. I know. I know but you gotta get outta here. Come on. We can talk later. You gotta go now. Come on. Let's go.
While doing this the partner should be herding (don't use your hands) the ejected person with his/her body towards their dugout. A good tactic is to enlist to aid of the assistant coach or some manager-type in the dugout. "Hey, Joe, you want to handle this? You know he's gotta go or it could hurt the game. We need him gone - in the parking lot (outfield fence) right away. Come on Joe, give me hand here. We can't play til he's gone."
The final thing is do not resume the game until the ejected person is where they are supposed to be. Just wait. It will be apparent who is holding things up. Don't mention forfeit unless you absolutely have to. Everyone knows a game can be forfeited if an ejected person refuses to leave so don't threaten. Keep insisting they must leave and leave now. Don't mention a time limit. Most ejections go well over the one minute. Mentioning time forces your hand (when you really don't want to forfeit) or appears a meaningless threat if you don't forfeit within the time mentioned.
If you have ejected someone and your partner doesn't know it and then the ejected person starts giving you trouble, call your partner in. Tell him you ejected the guy and for him to get rid of him. That sends the message "I'm done with you. It's over." Don't give the ejected person the courtesy of more time. If you want to talk/deal/explain/discuss more with him then you should not have ejected him so soon.