LLWS Discussion / Umpires / Plays / Etc ...

[BlueRanger]

MESSAGE FROM @Thunderheads

1 hour ago, Thunderheads said:

This thread will be for all LLWS discussion.  From Regionals and throughout the tournament, post comments and discuss here please.

WARNING:  Be kind and respectful to our brothers in blue!  Your personal opinions are welcome, but please keep it civil and respectful.  Your post will be deleted and access to the site could be suspended if things start getting insulting/personal.  Again, please be respectful to the bretheren!

@BlueRanger ... his post is the first one, and his post gave me the idea...

Carry on as if your IQ's are normal

Original Post:

Texas vs. Oklahoma PU sporting a Diamond with Team Wendys and a properly (!!!) attached Mizuno throat guard. Calling a great, consistent zone too! Kinda wish I had him when I played LL eons ago...

[MadMax]

... and while LL hasn’t taken the big, bold step and issued shirts in either the 2016 Panel or the 2010 Stripe, I do commend them on using “Classic” Polo Blue with Black Collar. 

[BlueRanger]

8 hours ago, MadMax said:

... and while LL hasn’t taken the big, bold step and issued shirts in either the 2016 Panel or the 2010 Stripe, I do commend them on using “Classic” Polo Blue with Black Collar. 

I like that they've stayed away from the professional uniforms, it reminds everyone that the LLWS is umpired by volunteers who donate their time, not professionals. I can understand why one would advocate for the pro uniforms though.

 

Just my 

[Thunderheads]

On 8/8/2018 at 2:18 PM, BlueRanger said:

Texas vs. Oklahoma PU sporting a Diamond with Team Wendys and a properly (!!!) attached Mizuno throat guard. Calling a great, consistent zone too! Kinda wish I had him when I played LL eons ago...

that's the ONLY umpire so far in the LL broadcasts to date that has worn his TG properly .........

[Thunderheads]

This thread will be for all LLWS discussion.  From Regionals and throughout the tournament, post comments and discuss here please.

WARNING:  Be kind and respectful to our brothers in blue!  Your personal opinions are welcome, but please keep it civil and respectful.  Your post will be deleted and access to the site could be suspended if things start getting insulting/personal.  Again, please be respectful to the bretheren!

@BlueRanger ... his post is the first one, and his post gave me the idea...

Carry on as if your IQ's are normal  

[TheRockawayKid]

I wish that the speculators on TV and internet realize that these kids are 11-12 and that a) the LL strike zone is different from the MLB strike zone (a lot bigger) and b) should be expanded a bit in/out so that pitchers aren't being squeezed. 

[BlueRanger]

Max would've loved it, the PU for the N. California vs. Nevada game had a set of Wilson memory foams loaded on his mask with the 'dubya blacked out, You could only see it on the really up-close shots.

[Rich Ives]

18 hours ago, TheRockawayKid said:

I wish that the speculators on TV and internet realize that these kids are 11-12 and that a) the LL strike zone is different from the MLB strike zone (a lot bigger) and b) should be expanded a bit in/out so that pitchers aren't being squeezed. 

It's bigger up. It's not bigger wider.

Squeeze the pitcher?   AKA Screw the batter.

Call the zone!  

Why do so many people think a smaller kid with a shorter bat can hit the outside pitch?

[Tborze]

4 hours ago, Rich Ives said:

It's bigger up. It's not bigger wider.

Squeeze the pitcher?   AKA Screw the batter.

Call the zone!  

Why do so many people think a smaller kid with a shorter bat can hit the outside pitch?

I was gonna post the same sentiments earlier!  OMG, I'm not turning into Mr. Ives

The reason I didn't post was, they do get 3 strikes!  But I've seen batters get rung up on unhittable pitches, 2' outside.  (OK, 12-14")

I agree you can expand it up and down, but be consistent!  What I've seen so far was NOBODY knows the strike zones!  Catchers are framing EVERY pitch!  

The way I feel is, if you can't hit the zone, maybe you shouldn't be pitching.  This IS the WS!  

PS; Catchers don't seem to be helping matters!  

 

[MadMax]

Michigan (Grosse Pointe) vs. Indiana (New Albany) Regional.

Michigan’s 10th run, scored while a batter named Service was at bat, should not have counted.

I don’t recall what inning or number of outs, but with the bases loaded, and Service up, he swung at a pitch up and in. The ball was uncaught by the catcher, and deflected off the PU. Service went down in a heap on top of the baseball. Reactively – whether he should have or not – the PU put his hands up in a Time signal. R3 continued to run and cross the plate. 

Rightly so, New Albany’s coach came out to plead his case – not only was his F2 prevented from retrieving the baseball (because it was under the Batter’s body), but the PU has called Time. Unfortunately, the crew conferenced and still scored the run!

It should have been, at the very least, still 9-0, with bases loaded and a strike against the batter (on his swing).

[stkjock]

/\ I saw that live and was a bit perplexed as well   Big picture it was meaningless, run rules the next inning anyway 

 

 

West regional -Brad Parker PU just took a 70ish mph pitch untouched to,the mask 

[Jimurray]

3 hours ago, MadMax said:

Michigan (Grosse Pointe) vs. Indiana (New Albany) Regional.

Michigan’s 10th run, scored while a batter named Service was at bat, should not have counted.

I don’t recall what inning or number of outs, but with the bases loaded, and Service up, he swung at a pitch up and in. The ball was uncaught by the catcher, and deflected off the PU. Service went down in a heap on top of the baseball. Reactively – whether he should have or not – the PU put his hands up in a Time signal. R3 continued to run and cross the plate. 

Rightly so, New Albany’s coach came out to plead his case – not only was his F2 prevented from retrieving the baseball (because it was under the Batter’s body), but the PU has called Time. Unfortunately, the crew conferenced and still scored the run!

It should have been, at the very least, still 9-0, with bases loaded and a strike against the batter (on his swing).

Luckily it had no effect on the game as Jerry Lane's premature time call did not either have an effect in his game: 

But without video, I have seen PUs hit by pitches throw their hands up. Was the hands up in reaction to being hit, reacted acted upon? Or was it an actual kill of the ball? Luckily for Layne it was not and was not even noticed or commented upon. Need Video.

[BlueRanger]

Ok, I love the LLWS and all the rah rah for the never-appreciated umpires and volunteers. But, there are two things that irritate me out the wazoo with the LLWS, despite my enjoyment of the event otherwise.

1) ESPN Commentary

Its awful. There is so much needless filler shoehorned into the broadcast its insane. If you took the filler out, there might be a solid five minutes of legit analysis of the game.

2) ESPN Graphics

Pitch Speed: 71

MLB: 93

I actually thought "The Ocho" was doing a LLWS game the first time I saw this.

[grayhawk]

Watching the NE Regional Championship PU reminds me of why verbaling strikes down is a bad mechanic. I think it makes him come up too quick on balls and he’s struggling with the crowd because they think he’s going to call a strike on some close pitches but he’s not. 

[stkjock]

5 minutes ago, grayhawk said:

Watching the NE Regional Championship PU reminds me of why verbaling strikes down is a bad mechanic. I think it makes him come up too quick on balls and he’s struggling with the crowd because they think he’s going to call a strike on some close pitches but he’s not. 

Any opinion on his zone?

 

hoping you’re feeling stronger with each passing day 

[grayhawk]

3 minutes ago, stkjock said:

Any opinion on his zone?

 

hoping you’re feeling stronger with each passing day 

Thanks - I’m home and getting stronger every day. 

No opinion on his zone.  He’s missed a few which is expected. I’m more interested in mechanics because that’s how to fix an inconsistent zone. 

[Thunderheads]

18 hours ago, grayhawk said:

Watching the NE Regional Championship PU reminds me of why verbaling strikes down is a bad mechanic. I think it makes him come up too quick on balls and he’s struggling with the crowd because they think he’s going to call a strike on some close pitches but he’s not. 

Concur.....

It seems a lot of the LLWS guys are exhibiting more of a softball mechanic (staying down on strikes, then standing for the signal)

[stkjock]

IIRC from posts in the last two years LLI instructs the umpires to use particular mechanics at the LLWS (?)

[lawump]

7 hours ago, stkjock said:

IIRC from posts in the last two years LLI instructs the umpires to use particular mechanics at the LLWS (?)

There's nothing like seeing a second base umpire run from shallow centerfield to the second base cutout with his back to an F8 who is on a dead sprint toward the outfield wall (or making a diving catch attempt coming straight in).  

I'm not criticizing.  Clearly it is their mechanic since I see it year after year after year...It is just so unusual to see because no other entity (that I'm aware of) uses mechanics where this occurs.  And to me, the optics are horrible when the only umpire in the picture on mom and dad's TV has his back to the play (again, not the umpire's fault...its a problem with the mechanics).

[stkjock]

running away from the play?

[Rich Ives]

21 hours ago, lawump said:

There's nothing like seeing a second base umpire run from shallow centerfield to the second base cutout with his back to an F8 who is on a dead sprint toward the outfield wall (or making a diving catch attempt coming straight in).  

I'm not criticizing.  Clearly it is their mechanic since I see it year after year after year...It is just so unusual to see because no other entity (that I'm aware of) uses mechanics where this occurs.  And to me, the optics are horrible when the only umpire in the picture on mom and dad's TV has his back to the play (again, not the umpire's fault...its a problem with the mechanics).

The OF line umpires have the calls, not U2.

[ilyazhito]

On 8/12/2018 at 1:17 PM, grayhawk said:

Watching the NE Regional Championship PU reminds me of why verbaling strikes down is a bad mechanic. I think it makes him come up too quick on balls and he’s struggling with the crowd because they think he’s going to call a strike on some close pitches but he’s not. 

Does this umpire also do softball? In softball, making the verbal call while down is the SOP, but it really messes up timing to do that. This might be one of the reasons why I might drop softball next season. 

RE: the U2 going away from a play, that is stupid. The situation described is a classic going-out situation for an umpire stationed outside the basepaths, whether 60' or 90'. LLI really needs to re-write the book on this to match CCA 4-man mechanics (6 is just 4 with 2 extra umpires for fair/foul calls and trouble balls deep in the outfield). 

[Thatsnotyou]

On 8/10/2018 at 4:00 PM, TheRockawayKid said:

I wish that the speculators on TV and internet realize that these kids are 11-12 and that a) the LL strike zone is different from the MLB strike zone (a lot bigger) and b) should be expanded a bit in/out so that pitchers aren't being squeezed. 

Kids that are the size of 14 year olds are throwing gas on too tiny of a field. There’s zero need to call a wide zone. They don’t need the help. It’s hard enough to hit most of these guys. 

[umpstu]

On 8/12/2018 at 10:17 AM, grayhawk said:

Watching the NE Regional Championship PU reminds me of why verbaling strikes down is a bad mechanic. I think it makes him come up too quick on balls and he’s struggling with the crowd because they think he’s going to call a strike on some close pitches but he’s not. 

My favorite saying to new umpires, "Down on your balls".

[umpstu]

On 8/13/2018 at 4:23 AM, Thunderheads said:

Concur.....

It seems a lot of the LLWS guys are exhibiting more of a softball mechanic (staying down on strikes, then standing for the signal)

It looks horrible.