Dear Umpy

A Partner Advice Column

Late June brings a change to the schedule. The rec games have largely wrapped up, and high school is out for the summer. That means the travel and tournament season is in full swing – the older kids are playing, and the stakes are a little bit higher. It also, for me, means the balance of games tilts to baseball. While there are a few local softball tournaments still on the calendar, most travel softball teams scatter to tournaments all over the region (and sometimes country). Baseball tends to stay more local, and with the older boys now released from their high school teams, there’s plenty of games to go around.

This shift in the game mix means most, if not all, of my games now will be done with a partner. While youth rec games will tolerate (and usually can only afford) a solo ump, the baseball tournaments and games on the full 90 foot base fields demand two umpires.

My game load this week was reduced a bit due to weather, but I did get to work four Cal Ripken baseball district tournament games (two plates and two bases) with three different partners. All three were guys I really enjoy working with, and each of the games were smooth and enjoyable. A good partner makes all the difference – so it got me thinking, what makes a good partner?

And as I thought through the main factors, the things I really look for in a good umpire partner, it started to sound like I was about to write a marriage advice column. Trust, Communication, Honesty.

Dear Umpy,

My partner last week, after showing up five minutes before the game, said he was just going to call balls and strikes and that I should “take care of everything else”. He didn’t move from behind the plate, and kept failing to take the lead runner to third base. He told the coaches he wasn’t going to call any balks. When I signaled to him that the infield fly was on with bases loaded and one out, he didn’t respond. I feel like I keep getting assigned the wrong kind of partner. What should I be looking for?

Yours,

Blue in CT

Dearest Blue,

It sounds like your partner is a first-class idiot. I feel like I write this to you guys every week, but what you need from an umpiring partner is Trust, Communication and Honesty!

So let’s break it down. What was it about my partners this week that made the games so easy?

Trust: Your partner is where they are supposed to be, when they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to be doing. While sometimes this comes down to experience, that isn’t always what makes a trusted umpire competent. Some of the more seasoned partners get stuck in their ways, and some of the newer folks can be excellent. It comes down to studying and applying basic umpire mechanics. It takes so much pressure off you to know that you don’t have to worry about whether your partner will be holding up their end of the play. You can cover your responsibilities and know they will cover theirs, and nothing gets missed.

In my Saturday double header, on multiple plays after the dust settled I would look to see Charlie exactly where he was supposed to be, and with a knowing head nod, we’d head back to our starting positions.

Communication: Your partner signals the situation before it happens and verbalizes as it happens. Before the game, you’ve talked about who’s going to be responsible for what and when (and not “you take care of everything else”). During the game, you use hand signals to get on the same page before the pitch is thrown about things like rotation, tag up responsibilities, outs, counts, and special situations. While the play is developing you clearly verbalize things like the ball is coming in, or you’re going out, or they’ve got the play at third.

On Friday night, Jason was clear as day with every signal, every time. During the game, in between innings if we needed to clear anything up, we did.

Honesty: Your partner lets you know where you can improve, what you missed, and how the two of you can work better together. Whether it’s in between innings, or after the game, keeping each other honest about things like strike zone, stance, movement, or any situations that the two of you could improve is the key to a good partner relationship.

This afternoon, Greg gave me some great feedback on our walk back to the parking lot about my tendency to lean slightly on outside pitches.

With Jason, Charlie and Greg, I had all three elements this weekend. It was a pleasure to work these tournament games with them. In district tournament games with the potential to be pressure packed, there were zero issues.

In addition to the big three, there are some intangibles I could add. The way your partner carries themselves – are they confident (without being arrogant)? Their level of responsibility – did they contact you before the game, show up on time, bring the right shirt and dress the part? And their decency as human beings – are they just a good person to be around? Would you want to watch a game or grab a drink with them afterwards?

So, yes, a good umpire partner is a little like a good marriage partner (though maybe not as good looking, that’s for sure). But when you have one, enjoy it. Learn from it and try and make your next partner a little better by putting the big three elements into practice. And if your partner tells you before the game to “take care of everything else”…take a deep breath, be honest, communicate, and…trust yourself.