quote:the fans can watch the scoreboard
Sure, but speaking from experience, quite a few umpires don't display the count in way that the scoreboard operator or scorekeeper can see. Nor can they be heard from behind. IMO, at high school games, the biggest cause of erroneous or late scoreboard postings is too much socializing by the operator. But a close second is poor communication by the person who is responsible for the count--the umpire. From my point of view, appropriate communication to the scoreboard, and by proxy to the crowd, is one aspect of good game management.
I certainly don't expect to hear "thirty-two" from a qualified umpire, but I will comment that it is much easier to hear than "three 'n two", especially from umpires who's strike three call sounds like "high hee". Most people will ennunciate the "ty" sound in "thirty", but don't ennunciate the "d" in "and".