What to do ?

Maybe This Will Help

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Here is a short video and some pics. As you can see, it's hardly ever called at any level. What I see called the most is when girls either step off the front of back of the rubber as they start their delivery...the "gym step" thing. The picture of Mowatt is amazing. No wonder she was so dominating from 35 feet!

I doubt most umpires at the HS or local TB really understand the difference in the crow hop/leap or when it should be called. At the larger showcases and the college level, most umpires have a better understanding, but seem still not to call it often.

At a recent UNC game, the pitcher for Michigan State was stepping off the back of the rubber and was called on it twice early in the game. Of course the MSU coach complained and the pitcher stopped. But an inning later, she was stepping off again and it wasn't called the rest of the game. I dunno?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMSa3CEkhqw&eurl=

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That seems to be the pattern....

most of the time you will see the illegal pitch called in the first inning and then ignored for the rest of the game. Seen it done to Monica Abbott and Kat Osterman in the first inning and they get away with it for the rest of the game.

When you have an umpire that seems to be calling one thing for one team and another thing for the other team it is a hard pill to swallow, especially when things aren't going your way. Sometimes you have to find out what he is going to call your way and go with that location. I have never had success with talking to an umpire about balls and strikes, I always try to find the spot that they like from my pitcher and live there until they change what they like.

I hope that the blues aren't there with the mind set that they will determine who wins the game...I personally have only had one in my career who made it obvious that she would make sure that the teams from her home town won every game if she could help determine the outcome. The pitcher from the other team could not throw a ball and my pitchers couldn't throw a strike!!

 

2009 Points of Emphasis for High School

Guru ​

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Guru, the new NCAA Field layout for this year has a lane drawn in the circle. One thing that I learned in the Army is that it is easier to beg forgivness than to ask permission. If you know that you are going to be playing a home game against a pitcher that lives outside the 24" lane, then draw the lane in the circle and then claim you had the wrong diagram.​

http://www.cactusumpires.com/pdf/2009-ncaa-rule-changes.pdf​

 

Stingray !!

We need to move you to the south so we can pile around together !!--LOL---- Guru likes your style !!!--- Guru

 

....ok, you asked how to handle it. 1st the catcher is not the one responsible for how a ball or strike is called. If a catcher is deciding on what each picth is, ie calling the pitches, then she's got to recognize when an ump is not giving a K on a pitch, say inside belt high, but he is ringing up Ks for someother pitch, in this case off the plate.
As a coach, I'd talk to my pitcher and catcher between innings and point out whats most important, that this ump in this game is not giving us the off the plate for a K, so lets go back inside and live there for a bit and then when we do go outside, bring it in a hair, and let the ump bite on the chance to ring up the batter "strike 3!".
Also, never forget that everyone in the stands can see a ball and a strike when its thrown!
Inside, outside, fast, or offspeed, as long as a pitch is in the "vertical strike zone column" if its close, it will be called a strike.

****One of the most fair umpires I've ever met, and he's a good one, told me this....Quote: As an umpire my job is to provide a fair opportunity to both teams first, and then find 21 outs. Game over.
Fish