WARNING - This post will be of no interest to any coach or parent. It's got nothing to do with rules, but just about an umpire signal.
As I've said, I know the game from many years of coaching and umpiring, but what I lack somewhat is formal training. Because I coached HS varsity for so many years, I didn't have to attend the required HS umpires meetings every year. In retrospect, I wish I would have. When I came back to umpiring from coaching several years ago, I tried to learn umpire mechanics and signals from the more experienced partners I worked with. But there were always signals that varied from umpire to umpire, and I just ended up mimicking what my partner would do in any particular game. As long as we were on the same page with each other, then we were communicating effectively, although not always correctly.
The signal in question here is when there are two outs. The signal used most often by my partners was the index and middle finger of the right hand tapped on the forearm of the left hand, just above the wrist. Other guys would just put those same two fingers out to the side of their bodies, on about a 45 degree angle up from the ground.
Several weeks ago, I'm working with the assigner for our organization. I've got the plate, runner on 3rd, 2 out. He gives me the sign that's opposite what I expected. In between innings, I ask him about it. He says it's a timing play. You only use that with a runner on 3rd or bases empty. That made no sense to me, so I questioned him at the next half inning break. He explains what a timing play is, I tell him I know what a timing play is, and tell him respectfully that it makes no sense to me. How can there be a timing play with no one on, and ask him how often he sees a play on a batter runner who has reached 1B safely, is then tagged out while advancing to 2nd, and had the runner from 3B not already score. I wasn't challenging him...just looking for an explanation that made sense to me.
The following weekend, I asked 3 other guys who I respect, and they all said the same two things: 1) It's a timing play, and 2) it's only with no one on or just a runner at 3rd. I must have asked 6 or 7 umpires, the last one being the highest ranking. They all repeated the same thing. The best application I can think of for a timing play would be with a runner on 2nd, two out, and the batter gets thrown out trying to stretch their hit into a double. You need to know if the runner scored before the tag was made at 2nd.
Would one of our umpires here please explain what the standard signal for 2 outs is, and if there's an exception for a different signal, what are the circumstances for that secondary "2 out" signal, and what that signal is?
As I've said, I know the game from many years of coaching and umpiring, but what I lack somewhat is formal training. Because I coached HS varsity for so many years, I didn't have to attend the required HS umpires meetings every year. In retrospect, I wish I would have. When I came back to umpiring from coaching several years ago, I tried to learn umpire mechanics and signals from the more experienced partners I worked with. But there were always signals that varied from umpire to umpire, and I just ended up mimicking what my partner would do in any particular game. As long as we were on the same page with each other, then we were communicating effectively, although not always correctly.
The signal in question here is when there are two outs. The signal used most often by my partners was the index and middle finger of the right hand tapped on the forearm of the left hand, just above the wrist. Other guys would just put those same two fingers out to the side of their bodies, on about a 45 degree angle up from the ground.
Several weeks ago, I'm working with the assigner for our organization. I've got the plate, runner on 3rd, 2 out. He gives me the sign that's opposite what I expected. In between innings, I ask him about it. He says it's a timing play. You only use that with a runner on 3rd or bases empty. That made no sense to me, so I questioned him at the next half inning break. He explains what a timing play is, I tell him I know what a timing play is, and tell him respectfully that it makes no sense to me. How can there be a timing play with no one on, and ask him how often he sees a play on a batter runner who has reached 1B safely, is then tagged out while advancing to 2nd, and had the runner from 3B not already score. I wasn't challenging him...just looking for an explanation that made sense to me.
The following weekend, I asked 3 other guys who I respect, and they all said the same two things: 1) It's a timing play, and 2) it's only with no one on or just a runner at 3rd. I must have asked 6 or 7 umpires, the last one being the highest ranking. They all repeated the same thing. The best application I can think of for a timing play would be with a runner on 2nd, two out, and the batter gets thrown out trying to stretch their hit into a double. You need to know if the runner scored before the tag was made at 2nd.
Would one of our umpires here please explain what the standard signal for 2 outs is, and if there's an exception for a different signal, what are the circumstances for that secondary "2 out" signal, and what that signal is?
