Fundamentals mean a lot

or more than thirty years I’ve been teaching — and telling — umpires how they should call. In my clinics, whether in Wyoming, Iowa, North Carolina, Texas, Canada,  or Mexico, I always stressed (and still do) the fundamentals.

I call them the Big Four:

1. Track the ball with your eyes;
2. Don't rush your call (timing);
3. Don’t get too close on force plays; and
4. Get set before you make a call.

Any umpire who assiduously follows those precepts will be above average — in his rookie season.

Note: For a couple of years I’ve been talking about P2R (pause, read, react). Of course, I taught the technique for years; I just didn’t call it by that name.

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