UPMIRE INTERACTION
Ever think of cheering for the umpire? It can’t hurt.
Triple In the Gap by Jeff Jackson
Many sports fans think they’re experts. They think they could easily be coach, manager or general manager. They think they know how an athlete thinks based on their 10th grade Team Sports class they got an A in.
There is a small percentage who realize they’re not experts and could never play at the level the millionaires do. Take the original majority and add the small realistic percentage I just mentioned and you can hardly see the tiny amount of fans who side with the umpire or referee. Almost every fan thinks they could regulate a game better than an official.
I will not say major league umpires are perfect, but they are the best. Read As They Seem Them by Bruce Weber and you’ll see how much education umpires go through to get to the big leagues. You’ll also see how much pride they put into their occupations.
moving too quickly, because I want to help you out.'" It's important for catchers to feel as if every pitch is on display, even in the bullpen or during practice. "They should get the feeling all the time that they're trying to sell that pitch," [Ed] Cheff says. "I want my catchers to have the mentality that, 'There's always an umpire behind me and this guy is going to make a call on this pitch and I'm trying to make it easy for him.' A lot of catchers are sloppy with this in drills and in the bullpen. Then they try to clean it up when they get in the game, and they can't."
These men will get calls wrong, but far less than every other person in the world. The problem is when they do mess up a call, the common sports fan can’t do one simple thing: get over it. Calls will go against your team and calls with favor them. It’s a 162-game schedule. It will all even out.
Fans in the stands, do you think riding the umpire is helping your cause? Heckling the ump would be like teasing your boss in front of everyone for not giving you a full raise. Do you think he’s going to give it to you next period?
13
Wrong calls are part of the fun. How many times have you laughed and cheered while watching replays on TV of your player getting tagged out stealing a base and the umpire calls him safe? I giggle at the perplexity of the opposing player and gasp in delight when I see the manager storm from the dugout. An opposing manager being thrown out is the equivalent of a called third strike with two outs and the bases loaded.
Today, baseball seems to be under the most scrutiny. Instant replay is slowly gaining ground in a technologically fast-paced world where Jonathan Papelbon’s time on the mound far exceeds a replay or two reviewed by the umpires.
Umpires hear catcalls every day. They’re used to it. In fact, many of them likely enjoy them. It’s part of the job. If I were an ump, I’d revel those on-the-black called strikes just to hear the crowd react.
"You really think you have a better vantage point from the third-base line? "