Endicott Umpires Chapter








						ON THIS PAGE... Articles: Everything for the probationary and experienced umpire ie., 2 and 3 man mechanics, positioning, strike zone, interpretations, etc. Forms: Claim form, injury report form, etc printable in your favorite format. Features: Articles and information of special interest to chapter members.

ARTICLES

CHAPTER HANDOUTS

HIT BY PITCH		MECHANICS FOR 4 UMPIRES		COLLISIONS AT THE PLATE
Any and all instances when the pitch hits the batter, the ball is dead and runners cannot advance, unless forced to by the batter being awarded first base. Any pitch that is a strike is called a strike, ball is dead and runner stays at the plate. No runners can advance. On a strike three, the batter is out and no advances can be made. more...		One of the key concepts in understanding four-umpire mechanics concerns the position of the second base umpire and the coverage of fly balls/line drives to the outfield when runners are on base. An umpire goes out only when the play is going to be difficult . If in doubt, go out! more...		There can still be violent collisions at the plate, and other bases. As umpires we are asked to determine if the runner was trying to reach home place and score, or whether he has created illegal contact. more...

FEATURES: A "must read" for every chapter member!

NYSPHSAA - THUNDER & LIGHTNING POLICY

Applies to all regular season through NYSPHSAA Finals

Thunder and lightning necessitates that contests be suspended. The occurrence of thunder &/or lightning is not subject to interpretation or discussion – thunder is thunder, lightning is lightning.
1. With your site administrator, set up a plan for shelter prior to the start of any contest.
When thunder is heard and/or when lightning is seen, the following procedures should be adhered to:
1. Suspend play and direct participants to go to shelter, a building normally occupied by the public of if a building is unavailable, participants should go inside a vehicle with a solid metal top (e.g. bus, van, car)
2. Do not permit people to stand under or near a tree; and have all stay away from poles, antennas, towers and underground watering systems,
3. After thunder and/or lightning have left the area, wait approximately 30 minutes after the last boom is heard or strike is seen before resuming play or competition.

YOUR FIRST CONCERN IS THE SAFETY OF THE ATHLETES AND SPECTATORS!

You are putting yourself in a very bad liability spot if you do not adhere to this policy. Remember to always rule on the side of safety. Sections may opt to enact a more stringent policy, please check with your section for its policy.

(taken from 2006-2008 NYSPHSAA Handbook p.78)

NYSBUA- www.nysbua.com
Mechanics and Clinics presentations – click here !

NYSSO – www.nyssoump.org

Periodically this section will be updated with more selected reading....keep checking back!

GREAT UMPIRE READING	ON THE STRIKE ZONE...	FORMS
Recommendations for the "Rookie" Umpire by Lawrence Dorsey Many of the things that older umpires take for granted are unwritten. I’m hoping this article will touch on a few of these items. more... What is Expected of Umpires? by Joel Balberman If you were a player, parent, coach, sponsor or any other person involved with the game, what would you expect of the umpires? more... Call YOUR Game, and Never Vomit on the Catcher by Scott Watkins I was coming unhinged. I was running everywhere, never sure of being in the right place, never sure who had what base runner, nothing... By the time inning 7 was done, I wanted to crawl into my equipment bag and have my wife plop it in the underbelly of a Greyhound bus going anywhere. more... Changing Your Mind The catch, well at least the attempt at the catch and the wild swipe tag as the glove smacks the runner. "OOOOOOOut!" noticing the ball never made it to the glove but is neatly concealed in the catcher's throwing hand. Do you change your call? Should you change your call? Some arguments argue yes, some argue no, never. more...	The High School Strike Zone by Tom Anslett Every pitch that leaves the pitchers hand is a strike until it's proves to you that it's not. Keep the game moving, make the batters swing the bat. This makes for a better game and it all has to do with the strike zone. more... The Monocular Vision Theory by Robert F. Henning All of us have a dominant eye. That is to say one that is stronger because we use it more and one that is weaker because we use it less...people rely more on their dominant eye when they are under stress. If we were to depend solely on our dominant eye to track a pitch...we would lose depth perception as the ball gets closer to our eyes. more... Tracking Pitches: The Neglected Advantage by Phil Bradley It shocks me that so many baseball umpires choose not to track the pitches of a warming-up pitcher. more...	CLAIM FORM EXCEL format NEW MS WORD format PDF format INJURY REPORT (not yet available) PROGRESS REPORT MS WORD format PDF format EJECTION FORM (not yet available) Chapter Directory and Constitution & ByLaws (password protected) (not yet available)

ON MECHANICS...	MORE GOOD READING
Two Man Mechanics courtesy of "The Umpires Resource Center" These are just some of the highlights and should not be considered a complete 2 umpire system reference. This document was created to help you understand and reinforce the training you will receive this spring. more... Setting the Tone and Timing by Matthew Sullivan I showed up at the ballpark an hour before the game... I was the first to arrive. Ten minutes before the game, my partner arrived. He...walked onto the field wearing gray slacks that were stained brown from obviously years of abuse. Instead of wearing an actual umpiring shirt, he had on a black shirt with a University of Georgia Bulldog logo on the left breast. He had on a cheap mesh hat. As an umpire, I immediately knew I was in for a long night! more... Working The Plate: The Basics by Peter Osborne The first part of this article will be devoted to mechanics; the second half will be devoted to the head game. more... Working The Plate: Advanced Techniques by Peter Osborne In this section, we will discuss some advanced things that you can do to improve your performance. more... Click here for more articles on plate mechanics.	The Federation Slide Rule by Russ Lockhart Many athletes suffer injuries – minor and career ending – as the result of slides, some legal and some illegal. Interested in protecting fielders on that type of play, the National Federation of State High School Associations instituted its force-play slide rule in 1998 and made it a point of emphasis in 1999. more... Speed Up Your Game by Chris Kamler It is the most answered reason why people are turning off to Baseball. It is the single reason why people are tuning in to football and hockey. It is also the greatest challenge we as umpires face in the amateur leagues. Speed of games is killing baseball. more... That's (?) Obstruction courtesy of The Amateur Umpires Homepage This letter, written to a fictitious coach, is designed to provide background on an area where we all can improve our game knowledge and understanding....obstruction and inter- ference. Read it and take the quiz at the end! more... Many more articles of interest at: Umpires' Resource Center The Amateur Baseball Umpire Home Page Have an article you would like to contribute? Tell us about it.

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