CHAPTER 5 WORKING WITH AN INEXPERIENCED PARTNERS

CHAPTER 5
WORKING WITH AN INEXPERXENCED PARTNER

The pre game conference, between the veteran umpire and the rookie, should include a discussion of what type of game you like: by the book, common sense, quiet and efficient, etc. Relax him with some anecdotes from your career. Make him understand that you and he are a team and that you have confidence in his ability to do the job.

A few maneuvers that may help you see your way through a game. First, before every pitch, catch your partner's eye. If he's in the wrong position, subtly move him. (Ideally, you discussed that on the way to the game.) Second, communicate out loud, obviously, firmly: "I've got third", "Take it", "That one's mine." All good umpires do that anyway. Third, don't talk with him between half innings. Such meetings fuel everyone's inherent paranoia, especially if you and he confer after he's made an unpopular call.

Finally, protect him during rhubarbs. An umpire may be entirely right on a call, however because of the situation, he may take a lot of heat. One undeniable law of umpiring is that the amount of heat you take is in inverse proportion to how good you were on the call. In other words, if you were very good, you won't take much abuse. If you were very bad, you may grow gray listening.

After the game, the new umpire yearns to know what happened and why on certain plays and how he did. Tell him, start with all the calls he got right. Then, with honesty, and understanding, tell him what he did wrong in a positive manner. If a real umpire lurks somewhere beneath the uniform, he won't resent your constructive criticism.