Welcome to issue #5 a of The Umpire's Call, a monthly (January - May) newsletter for amateur baseball umpires and those interested in becoming baseball umpires. This is the last issue for the 2004 season and it has been loads of fun to write, but even greater fun hearing from long lost umpire colleages and receiving your outstanding feedback!

Watch a college baseball game and you will see players sprinting out to their positions following their offensive half inning. Watch a high school game and you may not even see a slight jog.

As the spring season wears on I am seeing little done by high school coaches to assist umpires in moving the game along. There is a specific way to respect and play the game and many are not showing that respect. Fed rules that allow 1 minute for the defense to get on the field and be ready for the next half inning. This minute begins with the final out of their previous offensive half inning, and yes, it is up to the umpires to enforce this rule.

Players are needing that entire minute just to find their gloves, first base coaches are standing at the mound talking to the pitcher and delaying warm-up pitches, warm-up catchers needing to be prodded to come out and catch while the regular catcher leisurely dresses, and my favorite: players huddling in front of the dugout for that last minute defensive motivation - do they need to be motivated to get outs!

Umpires - please mention in the pre-game meeting that assistance in adhering to this rule is needed and appreciated, and when the minute is up, the half inning will start. I am not advocating a stopwatch, yet the game needs to keep a continuous rhythm and umpires are the conductors.

Coaches - Please insist that your team hustles, insist that players know where their gear is located, insist that the pticher and catcher are the first out of the dugout and onto the field.

Players - Sprint out, sprint in!

	Heaps of Feedback!
My editorial on lack of dressing facilities brought loads of replies. Here is a sampling: Rick Fronheiser, fronheiser@charter.net, writes: Love the newsletter. The ironic thing is that football is an outdoor sport, yet when my crew shows up for a varsity game on Friday night we are ALWAYS given access to a locker room and shower facilities at EVERY HIGH SCHOOL no matterhow small. Yet we have less need for those facilities than a plateumpire does. Why can't we arrange the same facilities for baseball games? Allen Minick, alminick@hotmail.com, submits: Thanks for the article about the baseball officials "dressing room." Many moons ago, my partner and I had to change in the parking lot directlyadjacent to the playing field in a hotly contested game between Greendale (WI) and Greenfield (WI). I had the bases and really did not change. However, my plate partner "stripped" to his speedos and changed. About two weeks after the game, we both received letters of "reprimand" from the WIAA about using "discretion" when changing after a game, even though we are not provided facilities to do so. Until the WIAA mandates that schools provide such facilities for baseball officials, I am sure we are bound to "offend" someone, some time, no matter how "discreet" we are. An anonymous contribution: An equally big problem (if not bigger) is the lack of restroom facilities at most fields. I usually hydrate on the way to the field and after getting dressed need a restroom. I'm more concerned with getting arrested for watering grass than for dressing out in the open (not that this happens often, but sometimes there is simply little other choice). Another anonymous contribution: I guess they'll just have to deal with my parts dangling in the parking lot. I used to come to the fields with tights on under my pants so I wouldn't have to get completely naked, but that is just notconvenient especially when you want to go out after the game or have to drive long distances. I'll just have to keep backing in and use my car door as a shield best I can, like I do now. Thanks to all that responded and agreed to be published!

	A Pivotal Situation
Fly ball coverage with no one on base is quite simple. One umpire has the ball; the other umpire has the batter-runner. Coverage is decided by the base umpire's reaction. From position A - if the BU goes out to the outfield and takes the ball, the HP umpire has the batter-runner. If the BU chooses not go out to the outfield, he then must hustle into the infield and take a pivot watching the BR touch 1st base, continue on with the BR should he go to 2nd, or take the BR back into 1st should their be a throw back. The HP umpire has the ball and the catch/no catch. The HP umpire should verbalize the catch/no catch. Taking a pivot means hustling hard into the infield, beyond the cut out near 1st base and turning with your chest to the BR and 1st base and watching the BR touch. What foils the coverage is when the BU glides along the outfield grass line and watches the BR touch 1st from behind, or watches the ball, or worse yet, tries to do both. In this case the HP umpire is not able to determine his responsibility. The same is true for with no one on base, BU in position A, and a base hit. BU must hustle hard, get into the infield and take that pivot before the BR gets to 1st base. Taking a pivot is a fundamental skill that is stressed early in all levels of training. Take a few moments to mentally and physically practice this skill. This will assure that ball and batter-runner responsibilities are clear and all potential situations are covered.

	How do I improve my schedule?
Improving and expanding one's schedule is always on an umpire's mind. The younger umpire wants to work more and higher-level games, the high school varsity umpire may want to add college games, and the college level umpire may want to work in an advanced division. Expanding your umpiring schedule is selling yourself and your service. Marketing your product effectively includes contacting the correct people, communicating accurate information, and creating a positive impression. Here are some suggestions: Create a database of conferences, schools, athletic directors, and commissioners for whom you would like to work. Gather all information, address, email, phone numbers etc. Be realistic in distances you wish to travel and desired level of play. Compose a BRIEF letter of introduction that contains the following: 1. Your experience and at what level. 2. Your willingness to work and advance. 3. State your flexibility - can you be called on short notice, can you get away during a weekday for an early afternoon start, can you assist with postponed games. 4. Indicate schools/clinics/training that you have attended. 5. Include dates that you have filled or are unavailable. 6. Be sure your contact information is correct. Email is the most effective method of initial contact as it is inexpensive, easily personalized, and the receiver does not have to shuffle any paper or create a file. Again, be brief, do not stretch the truth, and follow up. Game assignors appreciate having as many qualified names as possible and keeping your name in the forefront will produce results.

	The Answer Is?
Answers to Part 2 of the National Federation of State High School Associations Baseball Rules Examination. The answer to the following numbered questions are TRUE, the answers to the numbered questions not listed are FALSE 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 12, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 37, 40, 41, 42, 45, 46, 51, 52,, 53, 55, 57, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 71, 72, 73, 74, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 88, 91, 92, 96, 97, 99, 100.

	Situations From the Audience
Jim Kernan submits this for feedback. Please contact him at jimkernan@charter.net I recently worked a game with a "seasoned umpire" who happened to working the plate and me the bases. In the pre-game conference he approved a pick-off move performed by a right-handed pitcher that was clearly a balk. I called it, explained it, justified it and was clearly correct. I was then told that since he approved that move in pre-game, we had to let it go for that game. I then explained to him that pre-game conferences do not allow us to set ground rules that set aside rules published by the NFHS. Please publish this and let all the "seasoned umpires" know that when a right hander is pitching he must break contact with the rubber before throwing to first. This guy let a righty raise his left leg and pivot and throw to first. This was just crazy.

	Will You Help?
Thanks for reading the issue#5 of The Umpire's Call. Here are a few things you can do to assist: 1. I am looking for any umpires that keep track of time of game. I would like to put together a story on average game times for college games, high school games, amateur games, 7 inning games, and 9 inning games. Please forward any data you have compiled and please be specific. Look for this information in an early 2005 issue. 2. This is the last issue for 2004 and again I ask that you share this newsletter with others by clicking "Forward Email" at the bottom of the page. 3. If you have email addresses of associations or colleagues, please forward them to me and I will add to the subscription list. Thanks for your help, your feedback, and my best regards, Scott

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