Umpiring Tips

An important principle of umpiring is “you only call what you see”.  Examples:

• On a very close play on a runner, if you did not see an out, then by definition the runner has to be called safe.

• On a pitch that could have been a strike or ball, if you didn’t see the strike, then by definition it has to be called a ball.

I had a game recently where I had a very close play on a runner at 2B.  I don’t think I was ready for such a quick throw from the shortstop and hesitated longer than usual before making my call.   I thought – did I see an out?  I could not say that I did, so I called him safe.  I got some groans from the coaches on defense (who wanted an out).  They felt pretty sure of themselves, that he was safe, as I would expect them to.  Emotion plays a big part in how people see things.  I might have been wrong to call him safe, but felt comfortable that I made the only call I could – I was looking for an out and didn’t see it.

Using the “only call what you see” principle is key to accepting your call and learning to move on.

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