First of all, Ed Hickox was one of my instructors at umpire school, to see him so young is trippy. Secondly, I spent 5 weeks at umpire school and a lot of money to learn exactly everything that is in this video. lol.
I thought that was him. What’s crazy is he became a major league umpire. I don’t know if he was yet in this video. I don’t think he was yet. Just goes to show how much dedication he had to get there.
How come there's never anything mentioned about the importance of having a thorough pregame with your partner to discuss responsibilities, signals and the ground rules/dead ball areas of a field? IDK if this would be considered "basic", but there should also be something said in reference to the plate guy and his communicating with the respective catcher of each team?
I'm at a point in my umpiring career, almost 30 years, where camps don't do me much good because most umpire camps are cookie-cutter camps that all teach such basic things. I don't need to learn how to position myself to call balls & strikes. I don't need to learn the importance of pause-read-react. It's not like I cannot learn anything useful, but I don't get much bang for the buck in most camps because a lot of time is wasted on things I already know and have mastered. Mostly, I learn by watching professionals and talking and working with guys who are even more experienced than me. I guess there are advanced camps out there but most camps are geared to umpires with less than 5 years of experience.
On a close force play, I was taught to watch the base to see if the runners foot or hand touched it before the ball goes in the glove. You can't watch both but you can hear the ball go into the glove. On a soft thrown ball, it's the same, relying on peripheral vision and basic judgment. This wasn't covered in this video.
Was that the ump that yelled ‘i got third Eddie’ and do they really do that? I played baseball quite a bit and never heard them call the base like we call a fly.
Had a game last night where I followed the runner to third, never heard my partner (the call was his responsibility) nor did I see him. I made the call, safe, and so did he. Later, he said it was his call, but I told him he needed to make it known that he was in position. Not the 1st time I had to make the call, as the PU didn't. Get loud! It could have been a nightmare had we not agreed with the play.
@@mariosaccoccio1688 Verbal communication is key, but I was taught to always double check over my shoulder to see if my partner is making his way towards third. It's the base umpire's call untill the plate umpire takes it by moving that direction. When the plate umpire gets to about half way, the base umpire releases back towards second base.
Not sure if anyone's gonna see this, in the case of a left handed batter, would the home plate umpires positioning for balls and strikes be the opposite?
I have a question, where should the field ump be when you have no runners and a double hit, how do you cross over from the outside of first base to the inside of the infield without getting in the runners or ball players way. This is particularly true of little league games.
You start off in the A slot which is straddling the first base line, about 15 feet away from 1st base, and on the foul ball side, or left side of the line as you are facing home plate. If the ball is hit onto the outfield regardless if the runner will attempt to get to second, you dash across onto your pivot point which is past the infield dirt and say about 3 to 4 feet in the infield grass. The video shows that. But point is you dash from your A Slot, and more or less onto the left side of your stationary B slot.
Lets say you have like a ground ball to short stop and its younger players and you are a tall umpire, I'm not trying to get hit in the head running from p2 to p3, when is the best time to get into position, you run as soon as the ball is hit?
I have trained for college and high school ball which is basically a 2 man mechanic, and also at times a 1 man mechanic. With respect to terminology of positioning, we use plate, A slot, B, and C slot. P2 and P3 I don't know what you mean but I can assume. In regards to your 2nd scenario and based on how you just wrote it, that tells me no man on base and the ball is hit to short. Naturally the shortstop is going to throw it to 1st. So from the A slot (15 feet behind 1st base, straddling the foul line and you being on the foul side, you run in but set up at a 90 degree angle from 1st base, and square up to 1st. Follow the ball with your eyes. Then as the ball is about to pass you, you quickly set your eyes on 1st base and see the entire play unfold. Make your call.
I'm not sure I agree about clearing the bat. I saw an umpire move a bat into an ondeck batter coming to signal his runner whether to slide on a close play at the plate and the ondeck batter tripped over over on a simultaneous play. needless to say, The coach didn't like it neither did the parents. I tend to not touch players or detached equipment. Lesson learned.
Sounds like this was a little league game. If that’s the case, it’s the player’s fault. The only people allowed on the field during a play are the defense, runners, umpires, and base coaches. If another player is out there, even in foul territory, it’s illegal. If it wasn’t a little league game, then it’s the batter’s fault for not dropping the bat in an appropriate place. Players past little league age should be taught the best place to drop the bat so as to not interfere with a potential play, that being in foul territory along the first base line. Although I will admit, clearing the bat is not a hard-and-fast rule, but rather a common courtesy. So do what you will. But an incident like that is never the umpire’s fault.
Every Little League game I've watched has had the Umpire always be the one to clear the bat. Unless it's Teeball, in which case it flip flops between the ump and the coach.
Umpires in yesterday's Pirate game blew two obvious calls on base runners that were overturned on review. The catcher extended his leg across the baseline blocking the plate, umpire called the runner out. And the other was at first base where the runner beat the throw significantly. Ai shows balls and strikes in real time. Because of this every wrong call begs the question, why should umpires call balls and strikes anymore? They skew the game making bad calls while you're seeing the real call. We need umpires to see plays correctly and not call balls and strikes.
16:19 - If I were the plate umpire when this happens (the "infield fly rule"), knowing that the batter will be out before the ball is caught and the ball is a pop fly within the infield where any infielder could make a catch, I would do the "out" signal before the fielder catches the ball - the "out" signal would be on the batter who did the pop fly in the first place.
For a foul ball call, why do you need to point to the foul side? As soon as you put your hands up (foul ball sign) and are yelling "foul ball" , everyone knows it's in foul territory and knows what side of the foul line foul territory is. So there is no need to give 3 indications of 1) foul sign, 2) Foul verbal and 3) point to foul side. It seems appropriate to get ride of the 3rd one . The first two indications should be enough.
Putting both hands up for a batted ball is correct ONLY if the ball hits the ground, because putting up both hands signals the ball is dead, and a batted ball in the air that is caught IS NOT a dead ball. I promise you that coaches AND players will raise hell if you kill the play when it isn’t supposed to be. YES, you will point whether the ball has been touched in fair or foul territory and THEN make your call for a catch/no catch.
That's half the battle... If you get it right but look like a doofus, nobody is going to believe you or give you the benefit of the doubt on a close play.
When his partner the base umpire says he's going out for a catch/no catch on a trouble ball or fair/foul call the plate guy rotates up to take the batter runner as the base umpire would normally do. Although the plate umpire correctly rotates up to take the batter runner here I do think he could've gotten into a better position to give himself the best look possible.
Useful information because I'm about to start umpiring teeball as a teen lol
hows it going
First of all, Ed Hickox was one of my instructors at umpire school, to see him so young is trippy. Secondly, I spent 5 weeks at umpire school and a lot of money to learn exactly everything that is in this video. lol.
Did you resign from umpiring career?
Hope Ed did that off the bag mechanic for y’all. Always wish mine looks like that
I thought that was him. What’s crazy is he became a major league umpire. I don’t know if he was yet in this video. I don’t think he was yet. Just goes to show how much dedication he had to get there.
Been doing this 20 years and i learned a lot . its a great video. Great job guys.
Angel Hernandez needs to watch this.
😂 so true
"Take your mask off early to avoid the catchers mask as he throws it" *immediately trips over mask*
This is literally exactly the video I was looking for
great video!
Great video, very informative and helpful! You deserve a sub!
Thanks for posting this informative video, I really appreciate it.
If your looking for the section on “Working the plate” it’s at 19:40min
Thanks I learned so much with this video
How come there's never anything mentioned about the importance of having a thorough pregame with your partner to discuss responsibilities, signals and the ground rules/dead ball areas of a field?
IDK if this would be considered "basic", but there should also be something said in reference to the plate guy and his communicating with the respective catcher of each team?
Tons of great information!
Craig Gribson the Home Plate Vampire!
@24:56 : Avoiding the catcher's mask as it's thrown to the ground.
Proceeds to run directly into the mask.
I'm at a point in my umpiring career, almost 30 years, where camps don't do me much good because most umpire camps are cookie-cutter camps that all teach such basic things. I don't need to learn how to position myself to call balls & strikes. I don't need to learn the importance of pause-read-react. It's not like I cannot learn anything useful, but I don't get much bang for the buck in most camps because a lot of time is wasted on things I already know and have mastered.
Mostly, I learn by watching professionals and talking and working with guys who are even more experienced than me. I guess there are advanced camps out there but most camps are geared to umpires with less than 5 years of experience.
Al Kaplan is the official in the movie "Dodgeball" and the the other umpire is Ed Hickox Major League Umpire.
He better drink for free everywhere he goes
Well done
On a close force play, I was taught to watch the base to see if the runners foot or hand touched it before the ball goes in the glove. You can't watch both but you can hear the ball go into the glove. On a soft thrown ball, it's the same, relying on peripheral vision and basic judgment. This wasn't covered in this video.
Was that the ump that yelled ‘i got third Eddie’ and do they really do that? I played baseball quite a bit and never heard them call the base like we call a fly.
Yes definately! All levels, more so in the lower levels thou! And there is a sign given back to the covering umpire signifying got it!
Had a game last night where I followed the runner to third, never heard my partner (the call was his responsibility) nor did I see him. I made the call, safe, and so did he. Later, he said it was his call, but I told him he needed to make it known that he was in position. Not the 1st time I had to make the call, as the PU didn't. Get loud! It could have been a nightmare had we not agreed with the play.
@@mariosaccoccio1688 Verbal communication is key, but I was taught to always double check over my shoulder to see if my partner is making his way towards third. It's the base umpire's call untill the plate umpire takes it by moving that direction. When the plate umpire gets to about half way, the base umpire releases back towards second base.
25.10, exactly job of avoiding the catcher's mask
Thank you showing your skill~~~
The correct appeal on a check swing would be with your left hand not your right
Good point
I said same thing. Point with right hand is a strike. Awful.
Not sure if anyone's gonna see this, in the case of a left handed batter, would the home plate umpires positioning for balls and strikes be the opposite?
Yes.
Yes. Your left foot cuts the plate and your right foot goes into the slot.
Good question, but I think the answer is yes
23:28: What was that ?! An overdubbed voice-in.
what happens when the batter chucks the bat
thumb-up!
Are there any other videos to this series?
I have a question, where should the field ump be when you have no runners and a double hit, how do you cross over from the outside of first base to the inside of the infield without getting in the runners or ball players way. This is particularly true of little league games.
You start off in the A slot which is straddling the first base line, about 15 feet away from 1st base, and on the foul ball side, or left side of the line as you are facing home plate. If the ball is hit onto the outfield regardless if the runner will attempt to get to second, you dash across onto your pivot point which is past the infield dirt and say about 3 to 4 feet in the infield grass. The video shows that. But point is you dash from your A Slot, and more or less onto the left side of your stationary B slot.
Lets say you have like a ground ball to short stop and its younger players and you are a tall umpire, I'm not trying to get hit in the head running from p2 to p3, when is the best time to get into position, you run as soon as the ball is hit?
I have trained for college and high school ball which is basically a 2 man mechanic, and also at times a 1 man mechanic. With respect to terminology of positioning, we use plate, A slot, B, and C slot. P2 and P3 I don't know what you mean but I can assume. In regards to your 2nd scenario and based on how you just wrote it, that tells me no man on base and the ball is hit to short. Naturally the shortstop is going to throw it to 1st. So from the A slot (15 feet behind 1st base, straddling the foul line and you being on the foul side, you run in but set up at a 90 degree angle from 1st base, and square up to 1st. Follow the ball with your eyes. Then as the ball is about to pass you, you quickly set your eyes on 1st base and see the entire play unfold. Make your call.
El vídeo tiene años y las mecánicas no han cambiado casi en nada... Ojalá algún momento lo suban en español
25:04 That ball was edited in lol.
lolz hard
Still funny in 2020 😂 💀
wow, great catch, so funny
@@Bendecidochik 2021 now
seta bueno este video
I'm not sure I agree about clearing the bat. I saw an umpire move a bat into an ondeck batter coming to signal his runner whether to slide on a close play at the plate and the ondeck batter tripped over over on a simultaneous play. needless to say, The coach didn't like it neither did the parents. I tend to not touch players or detached equipment. Lesson learned.
Sounds like this was a little league game. If that’s the case, it’s the player’s fault. The only people allowed on the field during a play are the defense, runners, umpires, and base coaches. If another player is out there, even in foul territory, it’s illegal. If it wasn’t a little league game, then it’s the batter’s fault for not dropping the bat in an appropriate place. Players past little league age should be taught the best place to drop the bat so as to not interfere with a potential play, that being in foul territory along the first base line.
Although I will admit, clearing the bat is not a hard-and-fast rule, but rather a common courtesy. So do what you will. But an incident like that is never the umpire’s fault.
Every Little League game I've watched has had the Umpire always be the one to clear the bat. Unless it's Teeball, in which case it flip flops between the ump and the coach.
Clearing the bat was taught back in the early 90’s when I went to umpire school, and it holds true today.
Should your home plate positioning shift for a left handed batter?
Yes Jimmy! Are you a Umpire, if not you should think about joining your local Umpire Association.
@@thedude4973 Who's Jimmy 😂
@@jasonchristen5650 lol
Yall im a year and a half older then my best friend so there letting me ump some of her games!
Quiero aprender más sobre mecánica
Umpires in yesterday's Pirate game blew two obvious calls on base runners that were overturned on review. The catcher extended his leg across the baseline blocking the plate, umpire called the runner out. And the other was at first base where the runner beat the throw significantly. Ai shows balls and strikes in real time. Because of this every wrong call begs the question, why should umpires call balls and strikes anymore? They skew the game making bad calls while you're seeing the real call. We need umpires to see plays correctly and not call balls and strikes.
I would watch this but I don’t like how old it is. Good god what is this the 90s quality
16:19 - If I were the plate umpire when this happens (the "infield fly rule"), knowing that the batter will be out before the ball is caught and the ball is a pop fly within the infield where any infielder could make a catch, I would do the "out" signal before the fielder catches the ball - the "out" signal would be on the batter who did the pop fly in the first place.
15:31 he was safe not out
AllAroundBaseball totally missed the tag.
Gavin Bertrand they are just demonstrating 1 particular call. It’s the actor baseball players fault
Out to me
For a foul ball call, why do you need to point to the foul side? As soon as you put your hands up (foul ball sign) and are yelling "foul ball" , everyone knows it's in foul territory and knows what side of the foul line foul territory is. So there is no need to give 3 indications of 1) foul sign, 2) Foul verbal and 3) point to foul side. It seems appropriate to get ride of the 3rd one . The first two indications should be enough.
Putting both hands up for a batted ball is correct ONLY if the ball hits the ground, because putting up both hands signals the ball is dead, and a batted ball in the air that is caught IS NOT a dead ball. I promise you that coaches AND players will raise hell if you kill the play when it isn’t supposed to be.
YES, you will point whether the ball has been touched in fair or foul territory and THEN make your call for a catch/no catch.
where is the eye doctor
Video quality was low doesn't look 2 years old more like 7-8
Bro this video is like 20 years old at least what are you talking about.
The fake ball at 25:05 and the sound of the galvanized fence posts they used to hit with suggests 30 years old.
Yeah this is at least 25 years old in my opinion
The video was uploaded to youtube in 2015 - that isn't the year it was produced.
dcpadula obviously right? Not even in hi def. lol.
terrible audio. needs to be louder. But good video.
these guys are more worried about what you're gonna look like calling an out than the actual rules.
That's half the battle... If you get it right but look like a doofus, nobody is going to believe you or give you the benefit of the doubt on a close play.
I'm not a fan of the verbal "No Catch". Too easy for someone to only hear the "catch" part. I use "That's a catch!" and "NOOOOO!"
Sponsored by GameCube 😂
At 7:50 why is the plate ump running around? Way out of position
When his partner the base umpire says he's going out for a catch/no catch on a trouble ball or fair/foul call the plate guy rotates up to take the batter runner as the base umpire would normally do.
Although the plate umpire correctly rotates up to take the batter runner here I do think he could've gotten into a better position to give himself the best look possible.
How quaint. My association was using these mechanics 20 years before this video.
Good for you Gary, I try not to pre-judge, but with attitude like that, you would never work my games/tournament.
9000th view
Awful. U don’t ask for help with your right arm. That’s a strike call. Ask for help (appeal) with left arm.
Umpire basics? #1 - Don't be a jerkDo
Wayyyy tooo overexplained