Why would you do that???

[Mike Prince]

I don't clean off anything but the plate. I don't clean bases or the rubber. I don't fix divots in the mound, and I don't rake the infield. I don't replace bases that fly off, nor do I dig out the peg with a screwdriver. I drink beer and smoke cigars, is it 5 o'clock yet??

 

What about your shoes, do you clean those?

 

Funny thing about this thread is that there appears to be a majority here (myself included) that believe in taking the field in clean, pressed pants and cleaned/polished shoes.  Why do I want to mess up all that work kicking around piles of dirt?  Just saying...

[blue23ll]

OMG, I clean my plate shoes before every game. So I had a 18U game last saturday, 9am, not a cloud in the sky. My partner and I walk on the field and people are scrambling around with cat litter and buckets of dirt. Home plate was a swamp, the sprinklers had been left on most of the night. I turned to my partner and said, " I polished my shoes for THIS?"

[zm1283]

 

The pitcher might need to see the plate and that might be tough if theres dirt on it because its supposed to be flush with the ground.  And you don't want the catcher doing it with his glove because then you get the dirt and dust in your eyes.  So that leaves the umpire.  and even then 90% of the time I do it its to give the catcher or batter a break after being hit or just a force of habit that starts the next half inning.  I certainly don't clean it most of the time because I need to see it.

 

For the bases they are raised and even on the dustiest fields I can always tell where the base is and so can the players.  If they cant then they take care of it because we don't have the same issue with the catchers glove.

 

I get all the reasoning about why it's not as necessary.  I don't get the reason that it is frowned upon and considered "smitty".  I worked with a guy just the other day that brushed the pitching plate every couple of innings.  Didn't think anything about it.  If I'm on the bases I like it better if the bases are clear and highly visible.  I want the coaches, fans and players to easily see the bases.  It makes for better baseball.  I do think that part of my responsibilty is to make the entire baseball experience as good as it can be for all involved.  There is a reason that the bases. chalk lines, and pitching plate are white.  If I can kick the bases between inninngs to get them as close to their original color I'm going to do that.  To think that act would make me a worse umpire rather than a better umpire is one of the most absurd things I've ever heard.

 

In most jobs it's considered a positive thing to go "above and beyond".

 

 

Wrong.  Better players and teams make for better baseball.  I have seen some pretty good baseball this season and some pretty bad baseball.  None of it had anything to do with how clean the bases were at any point. 

 

And yes, I have kicked a base off before (rarely), but I have never taken a brush or indicator on the bases. 

[JaxRolo]

I don't clean off anything but the plate. I don't clean bases or the rubber. I don't fix divots in the mound, and I don't rake the infield. I don't replace bases that fly off, nor do I dig out the peg with a screwdriver. I drink beer and smoke cigars, is it 5 o'clock yet??

Amen!

[bam]

 

I don't clean off anything but the plate. I don't clean bases or the rubber. I don't fix divots in the mound, and I don't rake the infield. I don't replace bases that fly off, nor do I dig out the peg with a screwdriver. I drink beer and smoke cigars, is it 5 o'clock yet??

Amen!

 

Hey, you're there, you're not doing anything else!  Don't just stand there, do something.

 

Sincerely

 

Rich Ives

Rat

[umpire_scott]

So why do we take the field in pressed pants and polished shoes?  The answer is obviously to look professional and part of the reason for this is that if you look professional you get more respect.  Why do we run/jog to a spot where walking would be sufficient?  Because if we are perceived to be hustling, then we are given more respect.  I know when I was a coach and fan and I saw an umpire that rarely cleaned the plate or did so by kicking it with his shoe, my initial thought was "he's lazy".  If I saw one umpire that made sure the bases were reasonably clean by giving them a kick between innings versus one that let dirt pile up on it, I would think that the one that didn't clean them was lazy.  So at least with me as a fan/coach cleaning the bases would go right up there with dressing professionally on the "gaining respect" meter.

[Dragon29]

Scott,

 

Many of us would argue that our responsibilities are simply to umpire the game.  How we look and act affects our ability to do that effectively, to one degree or another.

 

I have never seen a section on preparing or maintaining a field in any umpire manual I've ever read or even heard of, nor does the cleanliness of a base affect how we do our jobs.

 

If you think not cleaning a base makes me lazy, then I'm lazy.  You got me.

 

So - go 'over and above' if you like.  Most of us won't, and for the reasons stated above.

[blue23ll]

I over heard the following discussion between coaches:

 

Coach A: That damn Rupert, is he the best we could get?

Coach B: Hey, at least he keeps the bases and rubber clean...

[umpire_scott]

Scott,

 

Many of us would argue that our responsibilities are simply to umpire the game.  How we look and act affects our ability to do that effectively, to one degree or another.

 

I have never seen a section on preparing or maintaining a field in any umpire manual I've ever read or even heard of, nor does the cleanliness of a base affect how we do our jobs.

 

If you think not cleaning a base makes me lazy, then I'm lazy.  You got me.

 

So - go 'over and above' if you like.  Most of us won't, and for the reasons stated above.

 

I don't think not cleaning a base makes you lazy because I know why you aren't doing it. I think that not cleaning the bases can make you appear lazy to those that don't know why you aren't doing it.  And if you then explained why you don't do it you would not sound lazy, but I think you would instead sound arrogant.

[umpire_scott]

I over heard the following discussion between coaches:

 

Coach A: That damn Rupert, is he the best we could get?

Coach B: Hey, at least he keeps the bases and rubber clean...

 

I over heard the following discussion between coaches:

 

Coach A: That damn Rupert, is he the best we could get?

Coach B: Hey, at least he keeps the bases and rubber clean...

 

This is a stupid comment.  You can be a great umpire AND clean the bases.  I've had coaches ask me to clean bases.  I've had tournament directors suggest we take a brush with us because of the condition of the field and the bases. 

[Mike Prince]

umpire_scott, you are clearly in the minority here, please get over it and move on.

[umpire_scott]

umpire_scott, you are clearly in the minority here, please get over it and move on.

 

Martin Luther King Jr was in the minority when you started too.  I have a dream that one day we will all play on diamonds where the bases are white at the beginning of every inning.

[RichMSN]

 

I over heard the following discussion between coaches:

 

Coach A: That damn Rupert, is he the best we could get?

Coach B: Hey, at least he keeps the bases and rubber clean...

 

I over heard the following discussion between coaches:

 

Coach A: That damn Rupert, is he the best we could get?

Coach B: Hey, at least he keeps the bases and rubber clean...

 

This is a stupid comment.  You can be a great umpire AND clean the bases.  I've had coaches ask me to clean bases.  I've had tournament directors suggest we take a brush with us because of the condition of the field and the bases. 

 

 

I've had coaches ask me, too.  

 

I'll turn to the nearest fielder or runner and ask them to do it.  If it's the pitcher, I'll ask him to do it.  I see a lot of 1B coaches do it and I always smile because I couldn't possibly care -- if it makes him feel better, go for it.

 

I'm not a groundskeeper.  I don't chase baseballs and I don't clean bases or pitchers' mounds.  If the bases need to be cleaned, someone else will get them, trust me.

[blue23ll]

Scott, do you get on your hands and knees in your perfectly pressed and clean pants to dig out a base peg? Do you put bases back in that fly off?  

 

I have had coaches ask me to clean bases too, but I don't. This is mostly in youth ball, HS coaches know that we won't do that, so they have their players do it.

[umpire_scott]

Scott, do you get on your hands and knees in your perfectly pressed and clean pants to dig out a base peg? Do you put bases back in that fly off?  

 

I have had coaches ask me to clean bases too, but I don't. This is mostly in youth ball, HS coaches know that we won't do that, so they have their players do it.

 

I have crouched down to assist with a base peg.  I've helped the tournament director move a pitching mound to the appropriate distance for a new age group.  I've taken the measuring tape in between games and helped to make the sure the distances were accurate.  I've never lived any aspect of my life with the motto of "it's not my job".  Within reason, if it needs to be done, and I'm there I'll do it.  Will I sell concessions?  No.  That would take away from my ability to umpire.  Will I kick a base clean before walking out to short RF?  Absolutely.  A clean base has far more to do with my ability to make an accurate call than how pressed my pants are.

 

The bottom line is that most on here don't do it.  I get that.  But it's a misnomer to say most umpires don't do it.  I have worked with and talked to many umpires in both Arizona and Missouri. While most don't bring plate brushes with them, I've never had a single one, outside of this forum, ever tell me it's wrong to kick a base clean.

 

The most surprising thing to me about this whole thread is how stubborn you guys are regarding this.  Just admit that it's not done out of tradition and move on.  You sound really silly when you try to argue that it's a good idea or that it somehow has merit.  There has not been one single person that has given me an explanation as to why it's a bad idea to kick or brush the base clean between innings if it's covered in dirt. 

 

I'm not trying to change people's minds on whether they should start doing or not.  It's quite clear to me that none of you on here that oppose this are ever going to clean a base.  So I'm not arguing the merits of doing it as much as I'm arguing the merits of not giving other umpires SH*# that do it.

[BigUmp56]

I cannot believe that the real answer to this question has elluded my bretheren. It's very simple why it's done in softball and not done in baseball.

 

Softball umpires are thin and baseball umpires are fat. When a softball umpire bends at the waist to clean a bag, no one notices he's doing it.

 

When a baseball umpire bends at the waist to clean a bag, he gives one set of fans a huge shot of plummers a$$.

 

We cannot have plummers a$$ so openly displayed on the field.

 

Tim.

[RichMSN]

 

Scott, do you get on your hands and knees in your perfectly pressed and clean pants to dig out a base peg? Do you put bases back in that fly off?  

 

I have had coaches ask me to clean bases too, but I don't. This is mostly in youth ball, HS coaches know that we won't do that, so they have their players do it.

 

I have crouched down to assist with a base peg.  I've helped the tournament director move a pitching mound to the appropriate distance for a new age group.  I've taken the measuring tape in between games and helped to make the sure the distances were accurate.  I've never lived any aspect of my life with the motto of "it's not my job".  Within reason, if it needs to be done, and I'm there I'll do it.  Will I sell concessions?  No.  That would take away from my ability to umpire.  Will I kick a base clean before walking out to short RF?  Absolutely.  A clean base has far more to do with my ability to make an accurate call than how pressed my pants are.

 

The bottom line is that most on here don't do it.  I get that.  But it's a misnomer to say most umpires don't do it.  I have worked with and talked to many umpires in both Arizona and Missouri. While most don't bring plate brushes with them, I've never had a single one, outside of this forum, ever tell me it's wrong to kick a base clean.

 

The most surprising thing to me about this whole thread is how stubborn you guys are regarding this.  Just admit that it's not done out of tradition and move on.  You sound really silly when you try to argue that it's a good idea or that it somehow has merit.  There has not been one single person that has given me an explanation as to why it's a bad idea to kick or brush the base clean between innings if it's covered in dirt. 

 

I'm not trying to change people's minds on whether they should start doing or not.  It's quite clear to me that none of you on here that oppose this are ever going to clean a base.  So I'm not arguing the merits of doing it as much as I'm arguing the merits of not giving other umpires ###### that do it.

 

 

If I see an umpire using a brush on a base or going out of his way to clean a base -- and I'm evaluating said umpire -- it's likely going to be mentioned and be included in the evaluation.

 

I've never seen anything written (in the NFHS umpire manual, for example) that says the shin guards have to be under the pants.  So I guess I will just buy base pants and wear them on the outside from now on.

[SoCal Lurker]

 

umpire_scott, you are clearly in the minority here, please get over it and move on.

 

Martin Luther King Jr was in the minority when you started too.  I have a dream that one day we will all play on diamonds where the bases are white at the beginning of every inning.

 

 

You must love the way they replace the bases with new clean ones every three innings in MLB! 

[umpire_scott]

 

 

Scott, do you get on your hands and knees in your perfectly pressed and clean pants to dig out a base peg? Do you put bases back in that fly off?  

 

I have had coaches ask me to clean bases too, but I don't. This is mostly in youth ball, HS coaches know that we won't do that, so they have their players do it.

 

I have crouched down to assist with a base peg.  I've helped the tournament director move a pitching mound to the appropriate distance for a new age group.  I've taken the measuring tape in between games and helped to make the sure the distances were accurate.  I've never lived any aspect of my life with the motto of "it's not my job".  Within reason, if it needs to be done, and I'm there I'll do it.  Will I sell concessions?  No.  That would take away from my ability to umpire.  Will I kick a base clean before walking out to short RF?  Absolutely.  A clean base has far more to do with my ability to make an accurate call than how pressed my pants are.

 

The bottom line is that most on here don't do it.  I get that.  But it's a misnomer to say most umpires don't do it.  I have worked with and talked to many umpires in both Arizona and Missouri. While most don't bring plate brushes with them, I've never had a single one, outside of this forum, ever tell me it's wrong to kick a base clean.

 

The most surprising thing to me about this whole thread is how stubborn you guys are regarding this.  Just admit that it's not done out of tradition and move on.  You sound really silly when you try to argue that it's a good idea or that it somehow has merit.  There has not been one single person that has given me an explanation as to why it's a bad idea to kick or brush the base clean between innings if it's covered in dirt. 

 

I'm not trying to change people's minds on whether they should start doing or not.  It's quite clear to me that none of you on here that oppose this are ever going to clean a base.  So I'm not arguing the merits of doing it as much as I'm arguing the merits of not giving other umpires ###### that do it.

 

 

If I see an umpire using a brush on a base or going out of his way to clean a base -- and I'm evaluating said umpire -- it's likely going to be mentioned and be included in the evaluation.

 

I've never seen anything written (in the NFHS umpire manual, for example) that says the shin guards have to be under the pants.  So I guess I will just buy base pants and wear them on the outside from now on.

 

 

And what would be your reasoning on the evaluation?  What would he be "downgraded" for?  Is there a box for "looking like a sissy"?  or "doing things that just aren't done"? 

 

You know I've been pretty open about my umpiring experience.  I've never taken it totally seriously because it's never been something I've considered as a vocation.  I've openly stated that my rules knowledge is not what it should be, and my mechanics have been developed from years of hands-on experience with minimal mentoring.  My UIC in Arizona did some clinics, but not enough.  Some things I picked up from other umpires that I watched and considered to be good umpires.  The feedback I get from umpires that I work with has always been positive.

 

Lately I've started to take this much more seriously as I've not yet landed a full-time teaching position since I moved and need to umpire more frequently to make money.  As such I've dug into the manuals more, and spend a lot of time on this site reading and conversing. 

 

But quite frankly the attitude that an evaluator would downgrade an umpire for cleaning a base makes me question whether this is something that I would even want to do.

[umpire_scott]

 

 

Scott, do you get on your hands and knees in your perfectly pressed and clean pants to dig out a base peg? Do you put bases back in that fly off?  

 

I have had coaches ask me to clean bases too, but I don't. This is mostly in youth ball, HS coaches know that we won't do that, so they have their players do it.

 

I have crouched down to assist with a base peg.  I've helped the tournament director move a pitching mound to the appropriate distance for a new age group.  I've taken the measuring tape in between games and helped to make the sure the distances were accurate.  I've never lived any aspect of my life with the motto of "it's not my job".  Within reason, if it needs to be done, and I'm there I'll do it.  Will I sell concessions?  No.  That would take away from my ability to umpire.  Will I kick a base clean before walking out to short RF?  Absolutely.  A clean base has far more to do with my ability to make an accurate call than how pressed my pants are.

 

The bottom line is that most on here don't do it.  I get that.  But it's a misnomer to say most umpires don't do it.  I have worked with and talked to many umpires in both Arizona and Missouri. While most don't bring plate brushes with them, I've never had a single one, outside of this forum, ever tell me it's wrong to kick a base clean.

 

The most surprising thing to me about this whole thread is how stubborn you guys are regarding this.  Just admit that it's not done out of tradition and move on.  You sound really silly when you try to argue that it's a good idea or that it somehow has merit.  There has not been one single person that has given me an explanation as to why it's a bad idea to kick or brush the base clean between innings if it's covered in dirt. 

 

I'm not trying to change people's minds on whether they should start doing or not.  It's quite clear to me that none of you on here that oppose this are ever going to clean a base.  So I'm not arguing the merits of doing it as much as I'm arguing the merits of not giving other umpires ###### that do it.

 

 

If I see an umpire using a brush on a base or going out of his way to clean a base -- and I'm evaluating said umpire -- it's likely going to be mentioned and be included in the evaluation.

 

I've never seen anything written (in the NFHS umpire manual, for example) that says the shin guards have to be under the pants.  So I guess I will just buy base pants and wear them on the outside from now on.

 

 

Why do you keep bringing up irrelevant examples?  Shin guards on the outside look trashy to EVERYONE.  We look professional for the purpose of gaining respect of the coaches and fans.  Wearing shin guards on the outside hinders that.  There is no way that if I kick a base clean and coach or fan is going to lose respect for me.  Completely apples to oranges. 

[umpire_scott]

 

 

umpire_scott, you are clearly in the minority here, please get over it and move on.

 

Martin Luther King Jr was in the minority when you started too.  I have a dream that one day we will all play on diamonds where the bases are white at the beginning of every inning.

 

 

You must love the way they replace the bases with new clean ones every three innings in MLB! 

 

 

Should be every inning! 

[Dragon29]

Scott - I used to think you were tending towards being OOO, but now I see you're just OCD!

[umpire_scott]

Scott - I used to think you were tending towards being OOO, but now I see you're just OCD

 

Now if I could just be a little more OCD at the house.  I bet my wife would like it.

[Pete Peterson Sr]

 

Scott - I used to think you were tending towards being OOO, but now I see you're just OCD

 

Now if I could just be a little more OCD at the house.  I bet my wife would like it.

 

 

 

 I wouldn't take that bet. Mine hates it.

[umpire_scott]

I found it funny.  I worked 3 Senior Legion games yesterday with 2 very experienced umpires.  The guy I worked the first two with as really good.  From what I could tell his mechanics were flawless and he was very consistent in everything he did.  He inidicated that he works quite a few college games in Illinois.  I found it funny that during the second game when he was on the bases he kicked the pitching plate clean in the middle of the game.  He only did this once.  The second game was with an older more experienced guy, but one that wasn't as good.  He was on the bases as I had 2 plates in a row.  He actually pulled out his brush and cleaned the pitching plate once.  And he kicked dirt from the side of the bases after almost every steal.