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.