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Many of you stuck in the old school will disagree, but we like to teach our catchers to get on a first name basis with the umpire. "Blue" just feels too impersonal. Here's how we teach kids to build a positive working relationship with the umpire. #baseball #littleleague #homerun #travelball #summercamp #fun #baseballseason #littleleaguebaseball #softball #mlb #speedball #legendsbaseball #sports
Great advice David! We train our umpires (varsity and youth league umpires) to introduce themselves to the catcher and establish a professional and respectful relationship for the game. That relationship ebbs and flows with every close pitch and every block behind the plate. Relaying information, between the catcher and home plate umpire, to the pitcher or manager can have positive outcomes for both teams. Being able to address the catcher by their first name is our privilege for working their game.
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12moI totally agree , David. I am old school…. But I feel it is imperative for the catcher to establish a relationship of sorts with the home plate umpire. Don’t refer to any umpire as “ BLUE”…. Catcher should have first name exchange with home plate umpire. I felt addressing the base umpires as “ Mr. Official “ or “ Mr. Umpire “ was acceptable ( not by first name). A smart catcher does the following: . Introduce to home umpire . Don’t show up by turning head on ball/ strike calls . Don’t “ over hold” pitches that you don’t get . Don’t dispute ball/ strike calls when batting . Block every ball in dirt to protect umpire That catcher/ home plate umpire relationship is very special. The umpires are human beings…. Not machines. They have feelings… and memories!