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High School Playoffs


ilyazhito
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9 hours ago, Richvee said:

South Carolina has just moved up my list of places to semi-retire.

We just had a guy move down here from the tri-state area (CT) in January.  He has a lot of ability (had worked small college in NE).  Just to prove that we don't care about association politics:  he is an excellent umpire so we threw him right in to a full varsity schedule (and not sh!tty games, either).  Anyways, he keeps posting on Facebook, "every school has an incredible field.  And the baseball talent is off the charts."  

I'm telling you, we're where it is at.  You can work (if you want) good baseball from the last week in January through the first week of December.  We have enough baseball that I have one guy who quit his job and umpires for a living.  He's not going to get rich, but as he says, he's happy 365 days a year.

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1 hour ago, lawump said:

We just had a guy move down here from the tri-state area (CT) in January.  He has a lot of ability (had worked small college in NE).  Just to prove that we don't care about association politics:  he is an excellent umpire so we threw him right in to a full varsity schedule (and not sh!tty games, either).  Anyways, he keeps posting on Facebook, "every school has an incredible field.  And the baseball talent is off the charts."  

I'm telling you, we're where it is at.  You can work (if you want) good baseball from the last week in January through the first week of December.  We have enough baseball that I have one guy who quit his job and umpires for a living.  He's not going to get rich, but as he says, he's happy 365 days a year.

That all definitely outweighs having to call a runner leaving early without an appeal:lol: or is it a missed base or both?

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26 minutes ago, Jimurray said:

That all definitely outweighs having to call a runner leaving early without an appeal:lol: or is it a missed base or both?

Both

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2 hours ago, lawump said:

We just had a guy move down here from the tri-state area (CT) in January.  He has a lot of ability (had worked small college in NE).  Just to prove that we don't care about association politics:  he is an excellent umpire so we threw him right in to a full varsity schedule (and not sh!tty games, either).  Anyways, he keeps posting on Facebook, "every school has an incredible field.  And the baseball talent is off the charts."  

I'm telling you, we're where it is at.  You can work (if you want) good baseball from the last week in January through the first week of December.  We have enough baseball that I have one guy who quit his job and umpires for a living.  He's not going to get rich, but as he says, he's happy 365 days a year.

That's awesome. If I ever do get a car, and find a job down there, I'd love to work baseball there. Are there any umpires who also do basketball, because basketball playoffs overlap with the beginning of baseball season? 

I'm asking because I currently work football and basketball as well as baseball, and I am reluctant to give up either sport. 

I'very read the rating criteria for SCBOA, and they look objective to me (test scores, camp attendance, clinic attendance, peer evaluations), so I guess the criteria that the SCHSL office in Columbia uses for baseball are also objective. In basketball, you need to work at least 10 varsity games to qualify for the SCHSL playoffs. Is there some similar requirement for baseball? MD has a games worked criterion for football (6 varsity games), but not for baseball. 

 

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On 5/17/2018 at 1:34 PM, grayhawk said:

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Is CA as anal as NJ when it comes to discussing the postseason? I thought it was a more open place, from what I saw on different association websites (North Coast Officials Association and some others posted the names and crews of umpires working in the section and CIF tournaments). This is how I think it works, so correct me if I'm wrong. First, teams in each section play a sectional tournament, with the winners going on to the CIF tournament. The local associations control umpires for the sectional tournament, but the CIF makes the call for the state tournament. Or is CA like some other states, where the governing body controls all playoff assignments (NJ or SC)? 

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Is CA as anal as NJ when it comes to discussing the postseason? I thought it was a more open place, from what I saw on different association websites (North Coast Officials Association and some others posted the names and crews of umpires working in the section and CIF tournaments). This is how I think it works, so correct me if I'm wrong. First, teams in each section play a sectional tournament, with the winners going on to the CIF tournament. The local associations control umpires for the sectional tournament, but the CIF makes the call for the state tournament. Or is CA like some other states, where the governing body controls all playoff assignments (NJ or SC)? 


Each Section is like its own state. In the Southern Section, each unit assigns games within their area up until the semifinals, which is when CIF takes over. Each unit also names their finals crew and then CIF chooses which officials to put on which games, with the caveat that you can’t work a game in the semifinals or finals if a team from your area is playing. As a result, umpires from the OC unit rarely get a D1 final because there’s at least one OC team in the D1 final every year.

I don’t think there’s a specific prohibition from posting about games you’re working, but it’s definitely frowned upon.
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OK. I asked because I saw some associations (the North Coast Officials Association, for one) post the names of postseason crews that they have had, particularly those officials who have worked a championship game, on their websites. Have you personally ever been selected to work in the Southern Section playoffs? 

AFAIK, the tournaments use 3 umpires throughout, until the final round, when they use 4. 

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I had the honor of working round 1 in 7AAAAAAA (3rd, then 1st - no dish as it was a sweep), and then also worked round 2 in 3AAA here in GA.  Worked 1st, dish, 3rd.  Saw a crazy bat flip on a HR that probably landed 3 hrs later.  It was a great experience!

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On 5/20/2018 at 6:10 PM, ilyazhito said:

OK. I asked because I saw some associations (the North Coast Officials Association, for one) post the names of postseason crews that they have had, particularly those officials who have worked a championship game, on their websites. Have you personally ever been selected to work in the Southern Section playoffs? 

AFAIK, the tournaments use 3 umpires throughout, until the final round, when they use 4. 

Yes, I will be working deep into CIF this year.  I worked up to and including the semifinals last year as well.  We work 3 man through the quarterfinals and then work 4 man in the semis and the finals.

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24 minutes ago, grayhawk said:

Yes, I will be working deep into CIF this year.  I worked up to and including the semifinals last year as well.  We work 3 man through the quarterfinals and then work 4 man in the semis and the finals.

Congratulations! Go on and make your unit proud!

 

5 hours ago, Umpirechick1 said:

I had the honor of working round 1 in 7AAAAAAA (3rd, then 1st - no dish as it was a sweep), and then also worked round 2 in 3AAA here in GA.  Worked 1st, dish, 3rd.  Saw a crazy bat flip on a HR that probably landed 3 hrs later.  It was a great experience!

How crazy is it that Georgia actually does 3-man series for the playoffs. Just like SC. I guess it is a thing to have playoffs played as series in the South, to eliminate the luck factor involved in winning 1 game. 

Congratulations, and it sure sounds like fun. If I ever end up moving down South, I'd definitely love to work a series like that. 

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6 hours ago, Umpirechick1 said:

I had the honor of working round 1 in 7AAAAAAA (3rd, then 1st - no dish as it was a sweep), and then also worked round 2 in 3AAA here in GA.  Worked 1st, dish, 3rd.  Saw a crazy bat flip on a HR that probably landed 3 hrs later.  It was a great experience!

When the assign or write out the level designations  (3A, 7A, etc) do they write it with all the As and such like you did? Is it wrong that I want them to? Lol

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13 hours ago, ilyazhito said:

Congratulations! Go on and make your unit proud!

 

 

Steve AKA @grayhawk was one of my classroom instructors this season. Good instructor, well balanced and a great umpire.

He definitely does our association proud. 

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7 minutes ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

NOTHING?!?!?   You had one of the BEST seats in the house!

I had a check swing appeal on the first batter of the game, and after that I just ran around and rotated.  I appreciated the workout.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/22/2018 at 10:54 AM, Mudisfun said:

Steve AKA @grayhawk was one of my classroom instructors this season. Good instructor, well balanced and a great umpire.

He definitely does our association proud. 

Thanks Kevin - it's a privilege to have the opportunity to instruct in our association. I believe there is no better high school umpiring association in the country and it's run by a group of guys that truly want everyone to improve and advance.

Looking forward to working a CIF Final tomorrow. 

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11 minutes ago, grayhawk said:

Thanks Kevin - it's a privilege to have the opportunity to instruct in our association. I believe there is no better high school umpiring association in the country and it's run by a group of guys that truly want everyone to improve and advance.

Looking forward to working a CIF Final tomorrow. 

Congrats on the assignment! 

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On 5/17/2018 at 11:25 AM, lawump said:

Worked a state championship game last night (5/17/18) in South Carolina.  We play a best-of-three championship series.  I had second, then first and I would have had game three on the dish...but it was a series sweep.  It was my 14th consecutive year being selected by the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) to work at least one state championship game.  I am proud of that fact because it is the SCHSL that picks the umpires...so umpire association politics are just not relevant.

As a fellow South Carolina HS umpire, I agree with a lot of what lawump says regarding the talent level in high school here, and the quality of fields, and also the High School League backing its officials in most cases.

I do disagree with how he portrays state championship crew decisions, to a degree.  I have been umpiring for 16 years in the Upstate region of SC, and have been fortunate to have worked 5 state championships, including my first this year as crew chief.  I worked a total of 8 playoff games this year, including an Upper State final that turned into a doubleheader (we play double-elimination) working the dish on the deciding game.  I'm not certain how lawump was assigned to the same three-game series (unless it was the 4A series between teams from his area - that I could understand but am surprised that is how they assigned that series).  The way it is handled in MOST parts of the state of SC is that your local association covers the playoff games in its jurisdiction, meaning that if you have teams that are hosting playoff games, then your association is responsible for assigning the officials.  So, if your association doesn't have a team playing in the state final series, you likely won't be working a state final.  Our district hasn't had a team in the state finals since 2013, until this year, when we had two make it, and we were able to assign 8 umpires to work the games, three working their first-ever state finals.

The series is played as a home-and-home, with the deciding third game (if necessary) played at a neutral site, usually in the Columbia area (unless one of the teams is from that area, which was the case in the largest-school division this year, so the neutral site went to a different region of the state).  Those umpires for the final game are then pulled from the Columbia area, and while lawump and I have never met, I have a reasonable idea who he is and know that he is definitely one of the top officials in his area, and likely the state, so his assignments are deserved.  However, it is rare that officials from other areas of the state are brought in to umpire those rubber-match games.

I'm certain if I have this wrong, he will tell me, but that's the view from my area of SC.

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The new(er) assistant commissioner in charge for baseball is far more active in selecting state championship umpires than his predecessors.  Which is a good thing...takes politics out of it.  Yes, my series had two teams from my area.  All four umpires WERE picked by the SCHSL and the SCHSL wanted the same four for the series...that's a fact.

As for series played by two teams not from Columbia...but with the third game played in the Columbia area because it's a neutral site (usually equi-distant between the schools)...we are often, but not always selected to work that game.  However, in my opinion a lot of that is because of the quality of our umpires, not just our location.  We do an incredible amount of training.  For example, a guy who first learned how to umpire in our association 20+ years ago is going to Omaha this year.  That's a big problem we have...we train guys and then the college associations call us looking for new umpires and we end up losing them.  Happens every year.  We've been a major pipeline to college associations.  Heck, we took a guy who joined us six years ago having worked nothing more than Little League.  This year he worked 40 NCAA Division I games, a plate job for an NCAA conference tournament semifinal, and was nominated for his first regional.  Of course, I'm not suggesting that we're solely responsible for their successes...they obviously have tremendous GOD given ability and desire to succeed.  

I'm also not implying that we're the only association with good umpires in South Carolina, but I'm also not apologizing for our association's success, either.  I've (and others) put my blood and sweat into this association for the last 12 years.  We've produced a ridiculous amount of training opportunities for our members.  For every hour I spend umpiring, I spend three doing off-the-field stuff...such as training, writing rules or mechanics quizzes for our website, planning and running our weekend camp, writing our 300+ page umpire manual, etc.  When I have a guy come up and say that he never had these resources available to him in his prior association...wherever that may have been...and that he can't ever imagine working any where else again (and this does happen)...we'll, that's the reason I still umpire.

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I appreciate your response.  Glad to hear of the changes - hopefully Charlie will start pulling from our district!  We have some really good officials who don’t always get a shot.

Sounds like your training is really robust - we do a lot as well in our district, and I’ve been pushing for us to expand more.  Maybe I could glean some ideas from you.  

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13 hours ago, lawump said:

 

I'm also not implying that we're the only association with good umpires in South Carolina, but I'm also not apologizing for our association's success, either.  I've (and others) put my blood and sweat into this association for the last 12 years.  We've produced a ridiculous amount of training opportunities for our members.  For every hour I spend umpiring, I spend three doing off-the-field stuff...such as training, writing rules or mechanics quizzes for our website, planning and running our weekend camp, writing our 300+ page umpire manual, etc.  When I have a guy come up and say that he never had these resources available to him in his prior association...wherever that may have been...and that he can't ever imagine working any where else again (and this does happen)...we'll, that's the reason I still umpire.

Have you offered your body to science yet, so they can clone you?

Need more like you that enjoy seeing and working towards others success, (and there are definitely others like you), more than worrying about your own personal success, (maybe to your own detriment at times).

On another note, as I post, are you attending one of them there D1 Regionals that are popping up/underway in your state right now, to pick up on some umpiring tips for future use, both for you and those who will be taught/mentored by you in camps and clinics.

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22 minutes ago, dumbdumb said:

 

On another note, as I post, are you attending one of them there D1 Regionals that are popping up/underway in your state right now, to pick up on some umpiring tips for future use, both for you and those who will be taught/mentored by you in camps and clinics.

I'm on my way to Indianapolis to write the NFHS rulebook (as one of 11 members of the national rule committee).

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FYI, I will be the lead instructor at the high school portion (focused on 2-man mechanics) of the Metrolina Umpire Camp this October in Charlotte, NC...if anyone is interest.  I'll post the link to the website soon.

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