Baseball is a great game! It's even better when it's moving along at a great pace.
Have you noticed during certain games that time can drag on and you can feel the energy being sucked away? We've all been there!
So, what can you do to keep games moving as smoothly and as quickly as possible? Here's a few pointers:
Arrive at the field early and ready to go so that the slated 1st pitch happens on time.
As you enter the field, display confidence and control - no need to be arrogant, just demonstrate that this is your "show".
Organize your line up cards to make any/all changes quickly as they occur.
Encourage teams to have a warm-up catcher ready in the event the starting catcher makes the last out or is stuck on base as the inning ends. Don't let the pitcher drag his feet to buy time while waiting on his catcher to gear up.
Stay ahead of the number of baseballs you have. When you get to only (2) in the bag, request more. If foul balls are not returning, remind teams to chase them down.
Base umpires, when a pitching change occurs, help your Plate umpire with the warm up pitch count while your partner administers the roster changes.
Do not let mound visits drag on. When the coach arrives at the mound, write down the visit information, dust the plate off, count to 10 then, confidently, walk to the mound and start wrapping up the visit. DO NOT LEAVE without the catcher and the coach leaving the mound. hustle back to home plate area.
Hustle! Your display of hustle can be contagious and shows that you are truly working.
