Pre-Game Conference: SET THE TONE! (Part 2)

The second part of pre game conferences I want to talk about is the coaches pre game conference.

Keep it short and sweet. Head Coaches want to be at the pre game conference just as much as we do (which is not very much). They want to get it over with and back to their teams. No need for small talk and things like that. If it is a rivalry game or a high intensity game (such as a tournament game) it might not hurt to try to lighten the mood a little bit but keep it professional.

Hit the major stuff:
Introductions
Line Up Cards
Ground Rules
Sportsmanship

Anything else is basically extra. Get the major stuff done first.

When you get the line up cards, look them over, find the DH (if used) and then declare them official. The home team head coach is responsible in most case for giving the ground rules for the day. LISTEN CAREFULLY and enforce them properly. Also make sure that the ground rules don't conflict with any rules in the book. Express to the coaches that not only is sportsmanship encouraged, it is EXPECTED. Tell both of them good luck and send them back to their dugouts.

Again, its important to get the conference finished quickly and efficiently. Don't be there any longer than you have to.

Pre - Game: SET THE TONE! (Part 1)

At our last association meeting, we talked about pre game conferences (with your partner and then the coaches). It got me thinking about the importance of having a good pre game conference to make sure everything goes smoothly during the game. For this post, I will focus on the pre-game with your partner. My next post will deal with pre-game conference with coaches.

Your pre-game conference begins with your partner the moment you both get to the game site (if you travel to the game together, start while you are in the car). Before you do anything, decide who will take the plate so you both can begin to dress appropriately. The plate umpire is the umpire in chief and should be the one taking control of the pre-game. As it concerns the plate umpire, he is the one in charge of everything on the field. It is the job of the base umpire to support and help the plate umpire when he is conducting pre game conference matters.

Before you go out on the field, be sure to cover the following:
verbal and nonverbal communications
who's going to watch tagging runners
foul line coverage (standard rule of thumb: either bag and beyond is the base umpires or the plate umpire has it the whole way)
check swings
The "V" with runners on base

Try to not leave any stone unturned during the pregame conference. I even go over what happens if there is a threat of bad weather (the umpire in chief makes the call on how bad is too bad, but the base umpire needs to help the umpire in chief especially if the umpire in chief cannot see the bad weather coming). You can never be too prepared going into a game.

What other things do you do to prepare for a game during the pregame conference. I know there are many ways of doing everything.

Preparing for the upcoming season

It is March and baseball season (at least in Indiana) is less than 1 month away! My season starts on March 25th and I have been thinking to myself (and now out loud) what do I need to do to get ready for the season? After doing a little bit of research and drawing from my past couple years of umpiring, I have come up with a few ideas that will help you get ready for the upcoming season:

1. Attending local association meetings: I feel that this is one of the most important things an amatuer umpire can do before the season starts. Attending local association meeting will do a couple of things for you as an umpire: 1) It will connect (or reconnect) you with other local umpires. 2) You will learn about the new rule changes, points of emphasis, and rules interpretations for the season. 3) You will be able to brush up on the rules and refresh your memory. 4) You will be brought up to speed on all of the things you will need to know for the upcoming season.

2. Watching games: Believe it or not, they are playing baseball in some parts of the country and most colleges have started their seasons already. One thing I have done the last couple of years is go to a college game (especially convienient when I was in college) and just watch the action unfold. I liked to watch the umpires, how they acted, their mechanics, just to get the feel of a baseball game back in my mind. It helped me but you will need to find what helps you.

3. Attend Clinics: There are (were) a lot of great clinics for amatuer umpires that were offered during the winter and some that will be offered that are really high quality camps. There are camps out there that range from sponsored by the State Association to camps and clinics hosted by MLB umpires.

4. Work a scrimmage: If you can't get a scrimmage, contact a coach and ask if you can come over and get a few good looks at some pitcher pitching the ball. This always made me feel more comfortable behind the plate when the action was for real.

Those are some of the tips I could come up with. Are their any tips that anyone may have about getting ready for the season? I would really like to read what you all do to get ready for the season!