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Use 1st names


millerforrest67
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Little mentions high school, although I'm not sure if he's talking about coaches, catchers, or players generally. OK, I can understand HS coaches, but players? I am uncomfortable with players my grandson's age calling me by my first name. Maybe I'm too old school, too old world--or simply too old.

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2 hours ago, LRZ said:

Little mentions high school, although I'm not sure if he's talking about coaches, catchers, or players generally. OK, I can understand HS coaches, but players? I am uncomfortable with players my grandson's age calling me by my first name. Maybe I'm too old school, too old world--or simply too old.

We may be the tiny minority, but I'm with you. I am generally not on a first name basis with minors. I don't have a problem with those who do so, and I'm cordial with catchers who introduce themselves, but I'm generally not offering up my first name.

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2 hours ago, blue23ll said:

They aren't your grandson. I like players and coaches to call me by name, as I do the same. 

 

I should have made clear that I was just speaking about my own comfort level, not offering a general "rule" everyone should follow. 

Oddly enough, my grandsons do call me by my first name--but that's family.

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Different strokes I guess. I introduce myself to the starting F2s every game if they don't do so first. I try to make it a point to call them by their name and it's refreshing if a high school kid remembers mine and uses it.

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12 hours ago, LRZ said:

I am uncomfortable with players my grandson's age calling me by my first name. Maybe I'm too old school, too old world--or simply too old.

What do you tell people to call you? "Blue?" "Ump?" "Mister LRZ?" It's interesting to me that you're more comfortable with someone calling you generic titles instead of your own name that you've had your whole life. In my chapter they emphasize being approachable to high school players and coaches since the endeavor is primarily an educational one and we're there to officiate and help when we can. I introduce myself to everyone with my first name, though they rarely remember it. I'm with @Richvee and feel it's refreshing when they do. But as a matter of positive social interaction, like anywhere else in my life, I introduce myself by name.  Whether anyone uses it or not is a different story.

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10 hours ago, ElkOil said:

What do you tell people to call you? "Blue?" "Ump?" "Mister LRZ?" It's interesting to me that you're more comfortable with someone calling you generic titles instead of your own name that you've had your whole life. In my chapter they emphasize being approachable to high school players and coaches since the endeavor is primarily an educational one and we're there to officiate and help when we can. I introduce myself to everyone with my first name, though they rarely remember it. I'm with @Richvee and feel it's refreshing when they do. But as a matter of positive social interaction, like anywhere else in my life, I introduce myself by name.  Whether anyone uses it or not is a different story.

Again, this is my approach, not a "one size fits everyone." I no longer work HS age baseball. At 69, I now just work summer ball for 8 y/os through mid-teens. I have no problem with a kid calling me "blue" or "ump." If a catcher introduces himself, I'll shake his hand and say something like, "How are you, young man? Beautiful day for baseball, isn't it? Let's have fun today."

With coaches, I use my name, but with a 10 y/o? I'm not there to be a friend, but I can be (and am) helpful and friendly--and approachable--regardless.

One more time: this is my approach, my personality. 

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22 hours ago, Richvee said:

Different strokes I guess. I introduce myself to the starting F2s every game if they don't do so first. I try to make it a point to call them by their name and it's refreshing if a high school kid remembers mine and uses it.

At my age it's refreshing if I remember my name.

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Like @udbrky said I didn't introduce myself to players on younger teams or try to get their name because the teams usually changed them a lot and I'm not that smart. I only do HS now and I do introduce myself to catchers and get their name and give mine and ask then to use it, some do some don't. With head coaches I kind of expect it but don't get upset if they don't. Couple of reasons why I prefer names: 1) It's more professional, I don't call them coach (they're not my coach). B) Blue sounds like "Luke", "Stew" etc. When they say hey Greg I know who they're talking to. 3) To me it makes it more human. There is an anonymity  in saying "hey Blue you stink", it takes a lot to look at someone and saying "Greg, you stink" (even if I do). 

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17 hours ago, ElkOil said:

What do you tell people to call you? "Blue?" "Ump?" "Mister LRZ?" It's interesting to me that you're more comfortable with someone calling you generic titles instead of your own name that you've had your whole life. In my chapter they emphasize being approachable to high school players and coaches since the endeavor is primarily an educational one and we're there to officiate and help when we can. I introduce myself to everyone with my first name, though they rarely remember it. I'm with @Richvee and feel it's refreshing when they do. But as a matter of positive social interaction, like anywhere else in my life, I introduce myself by name.  Whether anyone uses it or not is a different story.

Just to play devil's advocate - and not to leave my man LRZ on that island alone :) - let's go with the educational analogy. Do you suppose those high school kids are on a first name basis with their teachers? I doubt it. Though who knows these days - in this enlightened era, they may have all kinds of pet names for each other!

All kidding aside, I totally get that first names is the common convention. And I won't refuse to give it when asked, but generally I'm not offering it up either. Back in the day in another life, I was called 'sir' on the job all the time, so I have no objection to being called that now. :D 

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I’m going to come at this from another angle, and stress on how important it is that when we give names, we give nothing except or besides our first name! 

Heck, I’d even advocate for, in certain environments, using or giving a nickname, such as AJ, Bud or Mack. Why? Because social media is a pervasive, invasive, terrible monster that will ruin your reputation, your career, and even possibly your life. The majority of this harassment is undeserved, conducted by persons who have no grasp of context, and who have no framework of morals, ethics, or respect for authority, much less for fellow humans.

With that said, on several occasions, I’ve found myself wincing – visibly – when my starstruck, naive (or compensating) partner introduces himself way too eagerly as “Jack Jeffries” to these former MLB players-turned-coaches. The problem is, some of them are ex-Big Leaguers, but the majority of them are not, but act as if they were. These sort of introductions are no doubt repeated as we get into DaddyBall travel / academy / club tournament settings, where the adjacency of obsessed, idiotic parents is way too close for comfort; by that I mean that a parent, disgruntled about you calling out his boy in a close weekend game, badgers the coach – who he’s paying – to get the name of you, the umpire. That coach has no loyalty to you, and doesn’t know the code of ethics... and doesn’t see you as a professional umpire anyway. He gives up your name faster than you offering it at the plate meeting, and by that night, your Facebook wall has likely been vandalized.

Now, on the other hand, I give my first name (and first name only always) to game participants (F2’s and F3’s especially). Why? Because by and large, these kids relate to you better, and are less likely to have an outburst against you. I’m not their friend; but, I am more friendly and conversational if you aren’t a snot-nosed a$$ about it. Additionally, a number of high school kids go on to become umpires-in-training, and eventually my/our colleagues. I was shocked this winter at seeing five 18U kids at our “new umpires” meeting who all knew me – by my first name – from games I had called of theirs the previous season.

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10 minutes ago, ElkOil said:

You: Good afternoon, Catch. I'm Mad.

Catcher: Was it something I said?

You could really give a guy a complex.

Ha ha, but no. This isn't like me saying "I am Hugh." MadMax is one word, possibly with a hyphen.

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I call all head coaches by their first name. And silently judge the ones that refuse to learn mine.

What throws me for a loop (and probably subconsciously gains them some closes pitches) are catchers that make the time to remember and use my name.

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On 3/25/2018 at 10:27 AM, BT_Blue said:

And silently judge the ones that refuse to learn mine.

I worked a game last year where, at the plate meeting, my partner and I introduced ourselves by first name to the head coaches.  I also, as always, made sure to use both head coaches' names before the meeting ended.

One of the coaches was far more talkative than the other, and also used my name when speaking to me during the game.  The other coach spoke to me rarely, and called me "Blue."  Late in the game, I heard the other team complaining bitterly about their players getting called out on close strikes, and how the first coach and I must be "old friends" because we called each other by name.

All I could think was "If your coach chooses not to use my first name, that's not on me."  I may have maxed out on silently judging people that day.

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  • 1 month later...

Put the names on their lineup card. If you work games without lineup cards, carry an index card  and a pen in your shirt pocket. You should have something to write on just in case there is an ejection or other incident that you will need the details for and may not be able to recall from memory.

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18 hours ago, Biscuit said:

I pretty much always am working multiple games in a row, and I get head coaches names mixed really easily.

Ah, one of the perils of tournament baseball. God bless you.

18 hours ago, Biscuit said:

Any tips for remembering them throughout an entire game? 

Exactly what @Kevin_K advised – “Put the names on their lineup card. If you work games without lineup cards, carry an index card and a pen in your shirt pocket.” Otherwise, use the coaches’ names often. Ask them questions, converse with them... such things as, “Mike, can you hang on to that foul ball?” or, “I got two runs across for you, Jerry.” We don’t have to foster such animosity and standoffish-ness between umpires and coaches. Yeah, they may not have read the rulebook, and some may say some bizarre things, but not all of them are out to get us (umpires). 

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That all being said... the most annoying thing is when you call a coach Mike for 6 innings. Then in the 7th (or worse... after the game), he tells you his name is John. 

You have been sitting there calling this dude Mike for over 2 hours every time you talk to him. AND HE HAS BEEN ANSWERING TO THE NAME MIKE FOR OVER 2 DAMN HOURS!!! AND THE. HE TELLS YOU HIS NAME IS JOHN!!! LOL

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On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 9:32 AM, LRZ said:

Little mentions high school, although I'm not sure if he's talking about coaches, catchers, or players generally. OK, I can understand HS coaches, but players? I am uncomfortable with players my grandson's age calling me by my first name. Maybe I'm too old school, too old world--or simply too old.

 

On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 12:18 PM, scrounge said:

We may be the tiny minority, but I'm with you. I am generally not on a first name basis with minors. I don't have a problem with those who do so, and I'm cordial with catchers who introduce themselves, but I'm generally not offering up my first name.

This is how I look at it. If you were a co-worker with someone would you want them to call you by your first name? The catcher/umpire relationship is like that of co-workers. You don't necessarily have to get along the entire time but you're both after the same goal and that kid is putting his body in the way of a speeding projectile to help keep you safe. 

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15 hours ago, MadMax said:

Ah, one of the perils of tournament baseball. God bless you.

Exactly what @Kevin_K advised – “Put the names on their lineup card. If you work games without lineup cards, carry an index card and a pen in your shirt pocket.” Otherwise, use the coaches’ names often. Ask them questions, converse with them... such things as, “Mike, can you hang on to that foul ball?” or, “I got two runs across for you, Jerry.” We don’t have to foster such animosity and standoffish-ness between umpires and coaches. Yeah, they may not have read the rulebook, and some may say some bizarre things, but not all of them are out to get us (umpires). 

Thanks for the advice Kevin and Max! Then there’s the problem that 50% of coaches are balding middle aged white dudes wearing the same shirt, and I have a hard time telling them apart after the plate meeting...

8 hours ago, BT_Blue said:

That all being said... the most annoying thing is when you call a coach Mike for 6 innings. Then in the 7th (or worse... after the game), he tells you his name is John. 

You have been sitting there calling this dude Mike for over 2 hours every time you talk to him. AND HE HAS BEEN ANSWERING TO THE NAME MIKE FOR OVER 2 DAMN HOURS!!! AND THE. HE TELLS YOU HIS NAME IS JOHN!!! LOL

You know what’s worse? There’s a girl at my church that I’ve grown up with literally my eintire life. Last year she sprung on me that I’d been mispronouncing her name for 16 years... 

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48 minutes ago, Biscuit said:

Thanks for the advice Kevin and Max! Then there’s the problem that 50% of coaches are balding middle aged white dudes wearing the same shirt, and I have a hard time telling them apart after the plate meeting...

I think I take offense at this comment...... :D 

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