How to Be a Baseball Umpire : Calling Foul Balls as an Umpire

[Frostylyxxx]

DON'T stand on home plate like this man suggested. You need to move down the line instead of being lazy. Perception is the key. A coach sees you moving down the third/first base line and getting a closer look at a fair/foul ball on the line then there will be no doubt in anyone's mind you made the right call. You sit on top of home plate and make a call from there.... well you didn't make any effort so you could possibly get a disagreement. Leave no doubt, and make the extra effort.

[nlimskater]

HUGE BACKSTOP!

[Everimmortallaura]

Yeah because it's so hard to tell if a ball is on one side of a line or the other. Overreaction much?

[DevilsMetsGiants]

i'm pretty sure it's not smoke that puffs up...

[ohorok2]

psycho man

[Baseball5030]

wait...there's only suppose to be 2 foul poles?

[curveballmick]

ummm u forgot to mention what happens when u go to a retarded field that has a foul pole inside a fence.. if that's the case then it is just a fair ball UNLESS in the umpires judgement it would have went over the fence if the stupid foul pole was where it was supposed to be..

[Mr2manydecisions]

lol this guy is funny.

[someoneinca]

In addition to the points everyone else has already made, the indicator belongs in the left hand - not the right hand.

[natwill10]

lol its a fair pole. That's the technology.

[UMP1R3]

Come on guys. dont criticize other umps. say what you do differently but without chastising this guy. i dont agree with much of what he says but hes still a fellow blue.

[kungdrew]

the fascinating world of foul pole technology...

[kungdrew]

too many "little puffs of smoke" for this dude. reign it in a little... skipper.

[redverter]

Lol...good call.

[freebiepetey]

theres two foul poles...

really?

[drbill28]

I would never use this technique. There's no reason I should ever stand at home plate. Potential to get in the way of a runner coming from 3rd or the BR. I stand a few feet behind the plate lining myself up so I have a 3rd point of reference.

If you do LL, there is a decent change the lines are incorrect, especially before the outfield grass. I can call a fair/foul ball based on my sightline, I can overrule the actual line that was put down. I have seen lines drawn with curves, and angles.

[tmua23]

I can honestly say that I have never been on a field where the line was chalked all the way to the foul pole. They are always painted once the line hits the outfield grass. That's actually an NFHS rule. I realize he isn't doing a high school game here (thank the Lord), I am just making the observation.

[telleson]

Ya know, this is probably a really nice guy, and well liked umpire in his neighborhood. And he probably teaches the local kids to umpire too. That's nice.

However, whoever told him he should give instructions on Al Gore's Internet was playing a cruel joke on him.

[umpire1991v2]

u dont just point into foul territory. Your supposed to put two arms up almost like a touchdown you say foul then point into foul territory after that. Also not every field has chalk on the grass so you never go by anything that goes into the air. You go by where you see the ball land. This guy sounds more like a parent then an umpire. Here is a question for you is a foul tip live or is it a dead ball?

[denealianvp1]

foul tip is always live. granted that it is caught by the catcher. or if it touches the catchers glove or bare hand and then is caught by any fielder.

[umpire1991v2]

you were right till u said another field can catch it. Unless it fouls straight back into the catchers glove it is a foul tip. If it hits his chest protector then falls into his glove or anything like that it is a foul ball. No other field can catch a foul tip.

[denealianvp1]

Your wrong! if the ball is tipped and it hits the catchers glove hand or bare hand before it touches the chest protector it is ruled a foul tip if caught. Any fielder can make the catch. Look up the rule. any fielder including the pitcher can make the catch and it is still just a strike.

[umpire1991v2]

2.00 Foul Tip a ball that is sharp and goes directly to catchers glove or hand. Laws of physics say the odds of another field catching a foul tip it is impossible but to be technical yes another fielder can make a foul tip catch but it must be deflected off catchers glove or hand. But you changed this argument from what is a foul tip into is it a catch or a foul tip.

[denealianvp1]

well, to answer your initial question. A foul tip is always live. I had a situation in which the ball deflected off the catchers mitt and bounced off his shoulder, popped up and out toward the pitchers mound and the pitcher caught the ball. The call was by NFHS rules a foul tip and just a strike. It is infact not impossible or they would not have placed it in the rule book.

[critter2]

I am instertied and see what he thinks is a foultip.

[vanparty]

If it's a fly ball to left, you want to get further up the line to make a call. Don't grow roots at the plate.

[Stonecutter589]

That's the technology. I think you mean terminology. Ohh geez.

[wumpire1807]

hey buddy  your hat doesnt go on backwards, you need to watch a little bit of pro baseball

[CAScreaminDude]

Meh, little league. That might be the only level of ball that a backwards hat at the plate can get by, seeing as most LL umpires don't worry about bill length.

Then again, I use the hockey style mask, with no hat. More comfortable and more protection, IMO.

MLB's Kerwin Danley now uses more of a hockey-style mask, after he was drilled in the jaw at Dodger Stadium earlier this season, while wearing the traditional face mask.

But if you go hockeymask CB-style, no need to worry about a plate hat!

[tmua23]

I thought about going with the hockey style mask this year but our association requires we keep a hat stuffed in our back pocket to wear between innings so I opted for the traditional mask again this year. I was wondering if your association has a stupid rule like that, too.

[CAScreaminDude]

That's actually the first I've heard about requiring a back-up hat for b/w innings. Dull rule.

[syxrzacm]

Actually i wear the "hockey mask" and with a hat on and i can take off my mask while my hat stays on my head. I love my mask.