What should a catcher say?

First this coach is an idiot. You don't put your catcher out on an island like that. Work out some sort of nonverbal sign that the catcher can give if he thinks the pitch should have been a strike or if it truly was a ball. That way nobody has to know but the coach and catcher if anything is being communicated.

In this case the catcher should have kept his mouth shut until after the inning was over. Overall though this is 100% the coaches fault.

quote:

Originally posted by OA5II:

So my question is, what should and can a catcher say when there is the unknown strikezone?

Give the ump a good view. Stick the pitch. Throw the ball back to the pitcher whether or not you get the call. If the ump stinks, deal with it. There is nothing you can say that will be of any help.

Dumb coach, dumber catcher.

Whenever a coach asked me this, I'd kinds turn my head and say to the ump "Can you believe he was stupid enough to ask me that? I got that last pitch about 1 ball out/in/high/low...that what you have?"Usually the ump would say yes or tell me what he saw. Then I'd tell the coach it was in/out/up/low...exactly what the ump said.

Seemed to sometimes help me expand the zone a bit when the ball was maybe 2-3 balls out of the zone and I agreed it was out of the zone but by maybe one ball. Not always but often got a little bigger zone to work with.

Never disagreed with or showed up the ump; about the most I'd ever do on a close "ball call" was tell him I had to have that pitch or it was going to be a long day,etc. More often than not I'd get some feedback as to what the ump wanted. Didn't always get what I wanted but I rolled the dice anyway.

In the dugout, I'd tell the coach where we might be getting squeezed and where we were getting some wiggle room.

Again, I have to ask who are these guys doing this?....of the times I have gotten any grief it happens because my zone has expanded NOT decreased....

Its hard for me to think any trained umpire would aspire to have a "Floating Shoebox" zone....and

I have to admit, I have never heard of the "floating shoebox" term.........(I get it, just never heard it...)

But to the OP........the coach threw his catcher under the bus....and got him ejected.....if a coach is going to question the Umpire on balls and strikes, knowing full well that it could lead to an ejection, he should do it himself.......

A catcher should realize that in doing his job he can be the umpire's best friend or worst enemy and the choice is his.

If he chooses to speak to an umpire, it should be in statements, not questions. My favorite college catcher will comment, "I'll get him to bring that a little in, Jimmy" or "****, I asked for that one to be a bit more up."

In this case, a coach, who at best is ignorant or at worst, a coward, sacrficed his catcher for no possible gain.

When I caught and get asked that question, we were able to communicate without me saying a word to the coach. Little flip of the glove or whatever. Whether the umpire knew what I was telling our coach or not, I wasn't broadcasting it to the world. The umpire already knew I disagreed with him if I really did because he and I had already made mention of it. "You missed that one." "Tell him to bring it ____" or sometimes "I missed that one."