Plate meeting no-no's

[Richard_Siegel]

There have been many threads over the years that list what should be covered at a plate meeting. Lately I have been doing a lot of games with partners I have never worked with before. I have seen several of them say things at the plate meeting that have made me swallow my gum.

Here is a list of a few things that should not be said at plate meeting.

1) "If you guys want argue a call, make sure you ask for time before you come out here. Please act civilly or we'll eject!" Don't anticipate arguments or trouble. It sets the game off on a sour tone.

2) In a Legion game, "Head first sliding is legal, infield fly and dropped third strike are in effect. Mercy rule: 10 runs after 5 innings, no balk warnings." Don't waste time reviewing rules that everybody knows. Coaches have a very short attention span at the PM and they want to get the game going. They will miss something important if you drone on with things they already know. If they is a major rule modification, however, that should be mentioned. example: "In this tournament your pitchers cannot throw more than 55 pitches."

3) "If the ball goes through this gate the runner gets two bases." Ground rules should be nothing more that describing the location of dead ball lines. Do not bring up playing rules like base awards. Base awards depend on why the ball went OOP. You will get trouble from the OC when a pitched ball goes through that gate!

4) "I'm going to warn everybody right now that any use of profanity will get the kid ejected." This was a 14u game. What a way to paint yourself in a corner! Take these things as they come and deal with it then as you feel it is appropriate. If you make blanket warnings like this you leave yourself no room to apply your own good judgment or common sense.

5) "There are no balk warnings, but we’re not going to go crazy and call every little twitch a balk either.” If you’re not going to go crazy and call every little twitch a balk, fine, but keep that to yourself! First of all since balk warnings are not normal rules there is no need to mention that there are not balk warnings (see #2 above). Do not frame the criteria you will use to determine a violation. You paint yourself in a corner here too. It gives the coaches another thing to argue about when they feel you called a balk that was not flagrant enough or ignored one that the coach felt was too flagrant.

6) “The rules say no courtesy runners, but if you guys want to use them it OK with us.” Don’t offer to violate published rules. It opens the door for them you ask you to overlook other rules. It might cause a liability issue. Enforce the rules you are paid to follow.

There are many other things that might be unadvisedly said, but these are just a few I have heard lately.

[Lawrence_Dorsey]

Richard,

Those are classic but unfortunately I have heard the same thing. One of the best ones I've heard in a while came in a JV FED pre-game from my partner who is a NC State Trooper. He said "If you want to come out and discuss a call, ask for time and approach us professionally. We'll listen to what you have to say but we probably aren't going to change the call."

Lawrence

[Dragon29]

I worked w/a guy (in a LL 12 yr. old All-Star game) recently who, while he didn't specifically mention ejection, gave the 'no profanity' warning.

During our post-game, I asked him about it. He said that the UIC of their league has instructed them to say that at every plate meeting, regardless of the level or circumstances. Apparently, it's a real problem in their neck of the woods. I didn't want to encourage him to ignore his UIC, but did find it a little odd, especially considering he's in a league in an 'upscale' area.

[TarheelUmp]

Also, for the base guy:

Shut up and listen! The only time you should say anything is in introducing youself to the coaches.

[Dano]

I usually say:

"I had bean burritos with extra beans for lunch. I suggest a 3 foot minimum to discuss any calls"

[folsomblue]

A senior guy I worked with had a good one at the end of the plate meeting: (assume the mgrs names are Bob and John)
'Bob, John, I'll discuss anything, but argue nothing'

[Kato]

Also, for the base guy:

Shut up and listen! The only time you should say anything is in introducing youself to the coaches.

This is a pet peeve of mine. Yes I'm still new at this, but I hate it when my (base umpire) partner feels he can hijack the plate meeting because he's more experienced than me. I always follow up with "Bob, is there anything I left out?" which gives him a chance to add something if I forgot. But many times, my partner will just start talking, or worse - will answer a question from the coach that was directed to me.

I fee that this undermines me and leaves the impression in the coach's minds that I don't know what I'm doing.

[Dano]

Also, for the base guy:

Shut up and listen! The only time you should say anything is in introducing youself to the coaches.

This is a pet peeve of mine. Yes I'm still new at this, but I hate it when my (base umpire) partner feels he can hijack the plate meeting because he's more experienced than me. I always follow up with "Bob, is there anything I left out?" which gives him a chance to add something if I forgot. But many times, my partner will just start talking, or worse - will answer a question from the coach that was directed to me.

I fee that this undermines me and leaves the impression in the coach's minds that I don't know what I'm doing.


Talk quick. Be concise. Don't ask if your partner has something to add. End it with a "Good luck".

[Dragon29]

I have, as Base Umpire, only spoken up once when asked by the PU if I had anything to add.

It was a LL All-Star game in which the PU (a veteran guy) had neglected to ask the managers if his players were properly equipped (thus getting us umpires out of the liability loop!).

He asked, "Anything to add?"

I said, "Are your players properly equipped?" to which the managers responded that they were.

In our post-game, he thanked me for speaking up.

That is the only time I've said anything.

[BrianC14]

This is a small thing, but important nonetheless:

As an umpire, if you're wearing sunglasses for the game, take them off for the plate meeting.

[Ozzy]

Talk quick. Be concise. Don't ask if your partner has something to add. End it with a "Good luck".
Don't say "good luck", end it with "Have a good game". That was one of the first thing my mentor hit me with many eons ago.

[Ozzy]

This is a small thing, but important nonetheless:

As an umpire, if you're wearing sunglasses for the game, take them off for the plate meeting.
We were instructed to do this also and I have a problem with this.... I wear those glasses with the lenses that change automatically. Heck, on a cloudy day, my glasses go dark!

[ExCop]

In Canada, we just give them a beer at the end of the meeting.

[BellevueUmp]

Richard, I have a question about your first 'plate meeting no-no,' quoted below:
1) "If you guys want argue a call, make sure you ask for time before you come out here. Please act civilly or we'll eject!"

My method has been to say,"If you have a question about a call, make sure one of us has granted/called 'time' at the end of playing action. We'll be glad to tell you what we saw." It's similar to Folsom's post about discussing vice arguing and seems to be a subtle way of drawing the line & putting the coaches/managers on notice that any/all discussions will be civil in nature.

If you or any others here see that as being incorrect, improper, or 'Smitty-ish,' I'd appreciate any comments, corrections, and suggestions. Thanks.

[iuaconley]

L E G S

Introduction
(L)ine-ups
Properly (E)quipped
(G)round rules
(S)portsmanship
Let's go

2 minutes tops. What's the point to discuss anything else? Just call strikes and don't suck. IMHO.

Ryan

[BrianC14]

L E G S

Introduction
(L)ine-ups
Properly (E)quipped
(G)round rules
(S)portsmanship
Let's go

2 minutes tops. What's the point to discuss anything else? Just call strikes and don't suck. IMHO.

Ryan

Love it. Well said, Ryan.
One minor adjustment, just for clarity:

Introduction
(L)ine-ups
(E)quipped Properly ? (should always be posed as a question to the HC's, so as to elicit an answer in the affirmative).
(G)round rules
(S)portsmanship

Let's go.

[Forest_Ump]

My PM's go something like this.

1. Line Ups
2. Proper Equipment
3. Ground rules

I use to end it right there but this year I added this:

4. Gentlemen, Good sportsmanship must prevail throughout the game. If you wish to discuss a call, take it to the umpire who made the call. Do so in a civil manner and you will get a positive response.

5. Have a good game.

Lately I have been thinking this may be too much and I should just end it with the sportsmanship part. Any suggestions?

[LouDore]

4. Gentlemen, Good sportsmanship must prevail throughout the game. If you wish to discuss a call, take it to the umpire who made the call. Do so in a civil manner and you will get a positive response.


so if they're civil, you'll change your call to make it positive for them?

[bobjenkins]

If you or any others here see that as being incorrect, improper, or 'Smitty-ish,' I'd appreciate any comments, corrections, and suggestions. Thanks.

It might be an appropriate comment to make in some class where you are "training" new coaches.

It's at best a waste of time during a plate meeting. At worst, it puts in the coaches heads that you are expecting to "miss" calls.

If they come out to discuss something inappropriately, address the behavior at that point.

At any level above coach pitch, I would view this as smitty-ish.

[Richard_Siegel]

Richard, I have a question about your first 'plate meeting no-no,' quoted below:
1) "If you guys want argue a call, make sure you ask for time before you come out here. Please act civilly or we'll eject!"

My method has been to say,"If you have a question about a call, make sure one of us has granted/called 'time' at the end of playing action. We'll be glad to tell you what we saw." It's similar to Folsom's post about discussing vice arguing and seems to be a subtle way of drawing the line & putting the coaches/managers on notice that any/all discussions will be civil in nature.

If you or any others here see that as being incorrect, improper, or 'Smitty-ish,' I'd appreciate any comments, corrections, and suggestions. Thanks.

It's OK for coahces of a 9u or 10u game. But at any other age we should EXPECT the coach to know he has to get time granted to come out and we should EXPECT that he will speak in a civil tone. To warn or advise them to do this implies that you EXPECT them not to. Most of the time (at least as far as I am concerned) there is no trouble and nobody comes out to discuss anything during the game. So you're bring up something that probably will not happen anyway.

If a coach comes out and is not civil, they already know the consequences of that, so there is no need to bring it up.

[Forest_Ump]

4. Gentlemen, Good sportsmanship must prevail throughout the game. If you wish to discuss a call, take it to the umpire who made the call. Do so in a civil manner and you will get a positive response.


so if they're civil, you'll change your call to make it positive for them?

I never said I would change a call in that statement. It will be a positive response as in clear, concise, and upbeat . It may not be the positive response they are looking for.

Props to who ever said this first on this board.

[BellevueUmp]

It's at best a waste of time during a plate meeting. At worst, it puts in the coaches heads that you are expecting to "miss" calls.

If they come out to discuss something inappropriately, address the behavior at that point.

At any level above coach pitch, I would view this as smitty-ish.


It's OK for coahces of a 9u or 10u game. But at any other age we should EXPECT the coach to know he has to get time granted to come out and we should EXPECT that he will speak in a civil tone. To warn or advise them to do this implies that you EXPECT them not to.

Bob & Richard-

Although I use the phrase "have a question" and not "if you think I/we missed a call," I can understand how the former can translate to the latter while subjected to typical rodent mental processes.

Points well-taken, I'll keep this in mind for future ballgames. Thanks!