First and foremost, don't ever put an umpire on display by letting everybody in attendance at the ball park know that you think he may have missed a strike call. Don't glare at them for several seconds or stomp around the mound between pitches. Umpires are regular people like we are and none of us like to be shown up. You will not get any close calls during the rest of the game if you show them up and put them on display. Even worse yet, you may not get the calls that you should be getting!

As a baseball pitcher, showing up an umpire is not in your best interest. There are going to be several pitches that can be called "either way" and you increase your chances of getting those close calls if you don't get the umpire annoyed at you. Remember that good baseball pitching requires good use of the mind and not just the body.

I'm a certified high school baseball umpire and I have a pretty "long fuse." I almost always have a very good time with the players and the coaches. I go out of my way to encourage this. If you have a legitimate gripe and want to discuss a close call, I have no problem with that whatsoever. But I'll tell you two things that I never tolerate. You are not going to holler at me. Talk to me yes, holler never. The other thing is that you are never going to get away with putting me on display in front of fifty people or in front of five hundred people. I have simply told coaches and players, "You're putting me on display and in about one minute I'm going to put you on display." The tone of the conversation then usually changes. Hey, I'm extremely approachable but just approach me properly.

If you truly feel you are being "squeezed" by an umpire on several pitches, a quick glance that lasts only about a half second may be in order and then quickly look the other way. And by a half second, I mean exactly a half second and not one second, one and a half seconds or two seconds. By glancing for a half second, you have politely made your point to the umpire that you think he may have "missed one" and you're getting that message across to him. You are letting him know and not letting everyone in attendance know that you think he missed the strike call.

Remember, baseball umpires have a very tough job to do and every close call they make is going to make one team happy and the other team upset. Don't ever hesitate to compliment an umpire about his knowledge on a certain baseball ruling or for his hustle on a certain play.

Baseball pitching tips require clever use of the mind and not just the body. It is clearly in your best interest to stay on their "good side" at all times!