In baseballs games, why does the umpire sometimes put his hand on the home plate's catchers back while they are both waiting for a pitcher to throw?

Rooster Cogburn , Rooster Cogburn, answered

Have you seen all the pads and equipment that Umpires wear ? I think they do that to steady themselves in their crouch. After all, most Umpires are a little older and not as fit as the players. I played Catcher for a few years and it's hard on the knees. They're just using the catcher for balance to lean in close and make the right calls.

dragonfly forty-six answered

I think it's so he can have a close up view of his line of sight. Umpire must make calls over the home plate, have a straight line of sight, and the catcher is in the way. He needs him to keep from falling over home plate.

Woof Woofy answered

a *wink wink* baseball bat fetish.

Tom Jackson answered

I cannot find a precise answer to this question.

From what I have looked at on the internet, it seems that catchers don't like umpires who do that, and that umpires seem to hold other umpires who do it in less that high regard.

If you want an overview of the issue, this is a good start:

http://www.umpire.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-7070

In baseballs games, why does the umpire sometimes put his hand on the home plate's catchers back while they are both waiting for a pitcher to throw?

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