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Umpire like a Girl


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I thought I'd throw this out here for your viewing (and roasting) pleasure.  Since being the league UIC 15 of the last 20 years with this league, this is the first time (last year & this year) that I've had a female JR umpire.  During March, LL was promoting #GirlsWithGame.  Well, me being my :sarcasm: self, sent a tweet to our local news reporter with #GirlsOfficiatingGame.  Word got to WP, they invited her & the family up to tour the facility, met with our Director of Umpire Development for LL, and was openly welcomed by the entire class that was in WP going through the Umpire School. 

https://www.abc27.com/news/top-video/umpire-like-a-girl_20190430223729/1967515595

two final notes before the critiques begin - the live broadcast went further than what is shown here, and reporter clarified that the runner at home was out for sliding head first.

 

The 2nd note- It's true that TV adds at least 20 POUNDS.........well, not to her so much.....

 

Now, ENJOY!..............and let the roasting begin........

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No roasting. So awesome.

For the organization in St. Louis, I could count on one hand how many female officials we had. In the one here in SC, I haven't seen one at any of our meetings or partnered with me on the field.

There's no reason a woman can't officiate any sport. It's time organizations, from your local leagues to the professional ones, made it known.

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Female Umpire story; I trained a number of females, and nearly all of them did a fine job. One girl (about 17) worked her first game on a Coach Pitch field. I watched from behind the fence. The ball rolled to her and she picked it up. The Coach Pitcher, about 25 feet away, held his glove hand up and said “throw the ball here, HONEY”………she was the CF for her Varsity Softball Team. She nearly took his hand off….. I almost chewed through my lower lip….

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1 hour ago, yawetag said:

No roasting. So awesome.

For the organization in St. Louis, I could count on one hand how many female officials we had. In the one here in SC, I haven't seen one at any of our meetings or partnered with me on the field.

There's no reason a woman can't officiate any sport. It's time organizations, from your local leagues to the professional ones, made it known.

We have a female umpire in our unit who is really good.  Works varsity baseball and has a playoff game tomorrow.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well they get it easy.

 

They wont have to purchase 2 pieces of equipment we have to.

 

7 games this year behind the plate. 1st game had a foul  the catcher missed and it "skimmed" the lowest point of my cup.  I was a bit jumpy the rest of the game ( my 1st ever behind the plate)

last game  was a 3 game day 1st two went pretty uneventful got hit in the left shin guard about 3 times no big deal took one off the right wrist yeah that smarted but it was not awful.  3rd game 3rd pitch foul tip that the catcher missed completely hit me square on the front of the cup.  I yelled fowl and took two steps towards the home team dugout. I was thinking wait for it wait for it, pains coming..  I'm standing there stunned and was thinking about it. I felt the impact I felt the cup absorb the impact and the push of "Shock absorption"  that it did around the "protected member"  and I was thinking to myself "Damn these newer style cups work awesome, had that been my LL cup I would have been on the ground like a sack of spuds"

 

So yeah They luck out on equipment ..

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1 hour ago, ArchAngel72 said:

 

So yeah They luck out on equipment ..

Yep, other than virtually nothing - from chest protectors to pants to shoes - being designed for them and having to often use ill-fitting small men's sizes, they got it made by saving on that $19.99 cup (and as mentioned, usually using the equivalent anyway).

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54 minutes ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

How so??   I'm not sure about ALL, but women umpires (that I know) wear a pelvic protector.  Used for the same purpose that you wear a cup. 

https://www.shockdoctor.com/pelvic-protector

oddly enough LL does not to my recent knowledge require those for female catchers  So I assumed umpires would be also exempt

 

Odd Story Doc told us at the clinic was a PU in a local regional had a female catcher come out and he asked her if she had a cup, she said no shes a girl. He told the coach that no cup no play.  She returned to the dugout and came out wearing it attached to her shoulder.  from what I recall I do not recall Doc explaining what happened after that. But his point was Don't try to make females wear a cup.

 

 

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Yep.  Heard them all.  We had a "Smitty" many years ago that tried to pull the same thing.  Coach taped it to her arm (uniform sleeve), then left for the day (but won the protest).  Oddly enough, back when I first started, I used to ask the catcher when I would brush off the plate after the first inning "throw down" to 2nd.  I asked this catcher one day and the response I got was "Mr. Umpire, my name is Rochelle, it's nice to meet you."  I quickly replied that it was nice to meet her too, and not to take my habit of asking the wrong way.  :Facepalm:She laughed and told me it wasn't the first time.  HOWEVER, it was the last time that I asked.  Thanks Rochelle!

So since this train is leaving the tracks.................let's ride!:stir

26 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

oddly enough LL does not to my recent knowledge require those for female catchers

I agree, I do not believe there is a "requirement" for females.  So let's talk about the male requirement.   if at the plate meeting, the coach says "Yes" when asked if his players are properly and safely equipped, that removes the need of you asking the individual catcher if they are wearing one, doing a cup check, or having a 10y/o girl completely knock you off your feet......  So how do you enforce that "requirement"? After lil' Johnny is laying in the fetal position, on top of home plate, crying like his little sister.......what do you do?  Do NOT yell out "rub some dirt on it" you insensitive :censored2:!!

In today's litigious society, you're not going down the bench having everyone doing a cup check.  :big_no The responsibility now lies with the coach.  I guess my question would be, should we eject the coach?  :question1: Should he be reprimanded by the league?  He answered in the affirmative 5 innings ago, before lil' Johnny had to bat twice and run outside the left field fence to the porta-jon, all of which I am sure was supervised by an adult, making sure that he had his cup on.  Take it further......if he required medical attention, and an accident report is filed through Little League.  Will the insurance cover the medical visit if he wasn't wearing one?  Is the league now in jeopardy of losing their charter? :wow2:  I agree, a "sensitive" subject like this, should be elaborated on, and communicated all the way down to the coaches & parents.

 

Granted, by the time they reach HS, I have no doubt that big Johnny will ask for time to run back to the dugout because " he forgot his cup".  Big Johnny has already gone through the growing "pains" of finding out the hard way, and thus, helps police what the HC doesn't know.  Is Johnny wearing his cup?

 

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16 hours ago, yawetag said:

@ArchAngel72, can I make one critique? It's petty, but it shows your inexperience.

Those aren't foul tips. Foul tips fall in a specific rule, and if it hits you, it's not a foul tip.

Yea I know its a foul ball and not a foul tip.  tip would have been caught cleanly by the catcher.  Its a bad habit I had from when I was a player to call anything lightly deflected backwards a "tip"   ie. the bat just tipped it.  I admit to having early trouble with it in my 1st two games but since I have been better at paying good attn to that on the field.  I suppose I ought to reflect that when I type about it too.

The thing thats cracking me up though when I typed it I was thinking no that's a foul ball.. but I was also letting my horrible writing style just flow and said F-it.. they will know what I mean.

 

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17 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

Yep.  Heard them all.  We had a "Smitty" many years ago that tried to pull the same thing.  Coach taped it to her arm (uniform sleeve), then left for the day (but won the protest).  Oddly enough, back when I first started, I used to ask the catcher when I would brush off the plate after the first inning "throw down" to 2nd.  I asked this catcher one day and the response I got was "Mr. Umpire, my name is Rochelle, it's nice to meet you."  I quickly replied that it was nice to meet her too, and not to take my habit of asking the wrong way.  :Facepalm:She laughed and told me it wasn't the first time.  HOWEVER, it was the last time that I asked.  Thanks Rochelle!

So since this train is leaving the tracks.................let's ride!:stir

I agree, I do not believe there is a "requirement" for females.  So let's talk about the male requirement.   if at the plate meeting, the coach says "Yes" when asked if his players are properly and safely equipped, that removes the need of you asking the individual catcher if they are wearing one, doing a cup check, or having a 10y/o girl completely knock you off your feet......  So how do you enforce that "requirement"? After lil' Johnny is laying in the fetal position, on top of home plate, crying like his little sister.......what do you do?  Do NOT yell out "rub some dirt on it" you insensitive :censored2:!!

In today's litigious society, you're not going down the bench having everyone doing a cup check.  :big_no The responsibility now lies with the coach.  I guess my question would be, should we eject the coach?  :question1: Should he be reprimanded by the league?  He answered in the affirmative 5 innings ago, before lil' Johnny had to bat twice and run outside the left field fence to the porta-jon, all of which I am sure was supervised by an adult, making sure that he had his cup on.  Take it further......if he required medical attention, and an accident report is filed through Little League.  Will the insurance cover the medical visit if he wasn't wearing one?  Is the league now in jeopardy of losing their charter? :wow2:  I agree, a "sensitive" subject like this, should be elaborated on, and communicated all the way down to the coaches & parents.

 

Granted, by the time they reach HS, I have no doubt that big Johnny will ask for time to run back to the dugout because " he forgot his cup".  Big Johnny has already gone through the growing "pains" of finding out the hard way, and thus, helps police what the HC doesn't know.  Is Johnny wearing his cup?

 

I must be honest I never ask except the catcher whom is at the plate and any time they change. I agree that asking the coach if all his guys are "equipped and ready to play" should be the basis of it, but the ole double check with the catchers I HAVE in only 7 games had 4 kids go back to the bench 3 "fixed it" 1 could not and they had to change the catcher out.  Was I miffed with the coach YEAH.. but to me I let it go like a broken strap on a helmet or shin guard.  "lets fix it and get going"   

I now think maybe I should be more firm with the coachs after reading your post

the kids I am dealing with now are mostly 8-10  I do deal with 9-12 infrequently but that group oddly enough was the 1st offender of oops run back to the bench.

sigh  

Just glad as hell I had a new fancy carbon fiber thing I got now.. 

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12 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

Yea I know its a foul ball and not a foul tip.  tip would have been caught cleanly by the catcher.  Its a bad habit I had from when I was a player to call anything lightly deflected backwards a "tip"   ie. the bat just tipped it.  I admit to having early trouble with it in my 1st two games but since I have been better at paying good attn to that on the field.  I suppose I ought to reflect that when I type about it too.

The thing thats cracking me up though when I typed it I was thinking no that's a foul ball.. but I was also letting my horrible writing style just flow and said F-it.. they will know what I mean.

 

See the source image

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13 minutes ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

lest we forget the catchers dangling throat guard.........

Dang I missed that.  must be the second catcher.. I always check the 1st 2 HT and AT  but I have a bad tendency to forget to check their replacements grrr.. 

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22 hours ago, ArchAngel72 said:

Well they get it easy.

 

They wont have to purchase 2 pieces of equipment we have to.

 

7 games this year behind the plate. 1st game had a foul tip the catcher missed and it "skimmed" the lowest point of my cup.  I was a bit jumpy the rest of the game ( my 1st ever behind the plate)

last game  was a 3 game day 1st two went pretty uneventful got hit in the left shin guard about 3 times no big deal took one off the right wrist yeah that smarted but it was not awful.  3rd game 3rd pitch foul tip that the catcher missed completely hit me square on the front of the cup.  I yelled fowl and took two steps towards the home team dugout. I was thinking wait for it wait for it, pains coming..  I'm standing there stunned and was thinking about it. I felt the impact I felt the cup absorb the impact and the push of "Shock absorption"  that it did around the "protected member"  and I was thinking to myself "Damn these newer style cups work awesome, had that been my LL cup I would have been on the ground like a sack of spuds"

 

So yeah They luck out on equipment ..

Sorry missed @yawetag's comment.

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7 minutes ago, kylehutson said:

You're OBVIOUSLY new here. :wink:

Definitely new here.

We say "F*#K" all the time.

Edit: U-E didn't allow me to cuss.... that's interesting

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On 5/14/2019 at 10:19 AM, ArchAngel72 said:

oddly enough LL does not to my recent knowledge require those for female catchers  So I assumed umpires would be also exempt

 

Odd Story Doc told us at the clinic was a PU in a local regional had a female catcher come out and he asked her if she had a cup, she said no shes a girl. He told the coach that no cup no play.  She returned to the dugout and came out wearing it attached to her shoulder.  from what I recall I do not recall Doc explaining what happened after that. But his point was Don't try to make females wear a cup.

 

 

Now that's funny.

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On 5/14/2019 at 11:40 AM, Aging_Arbiter said:

Yep.  Heard them all.  We had a "Smitty" many years ago that tried to pull the same thing.  Coach taped it to her arm (uniform sleeve), then left for the day (but won the protest).  Oddly enough, back when I first started, I used to ask the catcher when I would brush off the plate after the first inning "throw down" to 2nd.  I asked this catcher one day and the response I got was "Mr. Umpire, my name is Rochelle, it's nice to meet you."  I quickly replied that it was nice to meet her too, and not to take my habit of asking the wrong way.  :Facepalm:She laughed and told me it wasn't the first time.  HOWEVER, it was the last time that I asked.  Thanks Rochelle!

So since this train is leaving the tracks.................let's ride!:stir

I agree, I do not believe there is a "requirement" for females.  So let's talk about the male requirement.   if at the plate meeting, the coach says "Yes" when asked if his players are properly and safely equipped, that removes the need of you asking the individual catcher if they are wearing one, doing a cup check, or having a 10y/o girl completely knock you off your feet......  So how do you enforce that "requirement"? After lil' Johnny is laying in the fetal position, on top of home plate, crying like his little sister.......what do you do?  Do NOT yell out "rub some dirt on it" you insensitive :censored2:!!

In today's litigious society, you're not going down the bench having everyone doing a cup check.  :big_no The responsibility now lies with the coach.  I guess my question would be, should we eject the coach?  :question1: Should he be reprimanded by the league?  He answered in the affirmative 5 innings ago, before lil' Johnny had to bat twice and run outside the left field fence to the porta-jon, all of which I am sure was supervised by an adult, making sure that he had his cup on.  Take it further......if he required medical attention, and an accident report is filed through Little League.  Will the insurance cover the medical visit if he wasn't wearing one?  Is the league now in jeopardy of losing their charter? :wow2:  I agree, a "sensitive" subject like this, should be elaborated on, and communicated all the way down to the coaches & parents.

 

Granted, by the time they reach HS, I have no doubt that big Johnny will ask for time to run back to the dugout because " he forgot his cup".  Big Johnny has already gone through the growing "pains" of finding out the hard way, and thus, helps police what the HC doesn't know.  Is Johnny wearing his cup?

 

Sometimes Big Johnny might not be one of the bright kids.  I only work hs and jc ball and there have been a few times Big Johnny forgot his cup.  Most of the time he wasn't the starting catcher though, so in his excitement he might forget.   It's not a bad thing to ask, even after the coaches have said they are properly equipped.  You  might just help Big Johnny keep his kabossles attached to his body.  

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23 hours ago, yawetag said:

@ArchAngel72, can I make one critique? It's petty, but it shows your inexperience.

Those aren't foul tips. Foul tips fall in a specific rule, and if it hits you, it's not a foul tip.

Reeking of sarcasm I hope.

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On 5/14/2019 at 8:55 AM, ArchAngel72 said:

Well they get it easy.

So yeah They luck out on equipment ..

Hey @Tksjewelry!! Someone thinks you women umpires get it easy on equipment purchasing!!

giphy-downsized-large.gif

Let's start at the top, shall we?

  • Most plain black hats that can accommodate a ponytail are "fashion" hats, or there are some snap-back hats. The majority of associations, though, just crank out fitted or flex-fit ball caps without considering women umpires. Women umpires either have to make do, or get their hats custom embroidered.
  • There isn't a notable difference between sexes when it comes to masks. My experience has found most women umpires use HSMs because of the ease of using it sans hat (and the aforementioned hat thing), and the flank protection it affords. Plenty do use TMs, too. Both sexes would benefit from having an Umpires (specifically) Head Protection System developed.
  • While masks lack any real differentiation, chest protectors make it glaringly obvious. Very, very few women umpires fit the majority of chest protectors on the market, simply because most chest protectors are so generically made. Very few chest protectors can even accommodate narrow or petite builds, regardless of sex. That doesn't even begin to address differences in torso length vs. shoulder breadth, presence and accommodation of bust, or positioning of protective plates and foam sections to be as effective as possible vs. as light as possible. A fruitless circle develops of "Design for us a CP that suits our needs and sizes" -> "Show us a need first; a (profitable) quantity of umpires of those sizes (or sex) who needs a new (major emphasis) CP designed" -> "Can't show that need, because those people can't be or perform as umpires until they have that CP!" This fruitless circle repeats itself in other pieces of gear, as explained below.
  • Just because women don't have their junk attached on the outside doesn't mean a hit to that vulnerable region doesn't hurt any less. I would actually say that for both sexes, there needs to be a significant improvement of protection to the groin and thighs.
  • Shinguards are problematic, simply because shorter / narrower guards are perceived to be for youth, and thus, the quality drops considerably. These nearly threadbare shinguards have minimal padding, fewer additional protective features (patella guards, ankle wings, etc.), and typically lack proper fasteners, such as side-release buckles. On smaller stature people – young men and women, the bigger conventional shinguards come off as clunky and cumbersome.
  • That brings us to the most significantly absent piece of protective equipment – the plate shoe. No one makes plate shoes for women specifically, nor do they make unisex plate shoes in sizes less than 7 (typically). This represents a severe roadblock to the development of women umpires for both softball and baseball.
  • Shirts end up being a sloppy look because they are too long (to accommodate a longer male torso and to be tucked in to a lower-riding set of pants), too generous in the shoulders, and too loose and long in the sleeve. Perhaps instead of devoting all these resources in cranking out out-of-date shirt styles – such as in navy or powder blue – only to be stocked onto retail hangers in brick-&-mortar stores in mid-continent America (I'm looking right at you, Cliff Keen and Dalco), how about producing a full line of apparel in a variety of sizes that also are proportioned for women, too, and sell and distribute them through an order fulfillment system?
  • You think shirts have their issues? It's worse for pants. "Unisex" umpire pants lack the sizing through the hips that women need, have crotches that drop too far down, and will frequently only be offered in an un-hemmed length so as to make them easier to produce and sell. These are usually proportionately skewed, as the knee then falls further up, and the taper to the ankle opening becomes wider as a result, so plate pants become ridiculous. Combos could be the answer, except, again, most shinguards are far bigger and bulkier than necessary, and won't fit under most combos in a presentable manner.

Men show up at the ballpark in a slipshod, uncoordinated, unkempt uniform, they get labeled a clown, but they're still taken seriously, to a degree. Women already are behind the eight-ball, even if they show up in a perfectly coordinated and cohesive uniform! Do we honestly think, as an umpire collective, we are equipping women for success with such inadequate gear and attire?

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2 hours ago, MadMax said:

Hey @Tksjewelry!! Someone thinks you women umpires get it easy on equipment purchasing!!

giphy-downsized-large.gif

Let's start at the top, shall we?

  • Most plain black hats that can accommodate a ponytail are "fashion" hats, or there are some snap-back hats. The majority of associations, though, just crank out fitted or flex-fit ball caps without considering women umpires. Women umpires either have to make do, or get their hats custom embroidered.
  • There isn't a notable difference between sexes when it comes to masks. My experience has found most women umpires use HSMs because of the ease of using it sans hat (and the aforementioned hat thing), and the flank protection it affords. Plenty do use TMs, too. Both sexes would benefit from having an Umpires (specifically) Head Protection System developed.
  • While masks lack any real differentiation, chest protectors make it glaringly obvious. Very, very few women umpires fit the majority of chest protectors on the market, simply because most chest protectors are so generically made. Very few chest protectors can even accommodate narrow or petite builds, regardless of sex. That doesn't even begin to address differences in torso length vs. shoulder breadth, presence and accommodation of bust, or positioning of protective plates and foam sections to be as effective as possible vs. as light as possible. A fruitless circle develops of "Design for us a CP that suits our needs and sizes" -> "Show us a need first; a (profitable) quantity of umpires of those sizes (or sex) who needs a new (major emphasis) CP designed" -> "Can't show that need, because those people can't be or perform as umpires until they have that CP!" This fruitless circle repeats itself in other pieces of gear, as explained below.
  • Just because women don't have their junk attached on the outside doesn't mean a hit to that vulnerable region doesn't hurt any less. I would actually say that for both sexes, there needs to be a significant improvement of protection to the groin and thighs.
  • Shinguards are problematic, simply because shorter / narrower guards are perceived to be for youth, and thus, the quality drops considerably. These nearly threadbare shinguards have minimal padding, fewer additional protective features (patella guards, ankle wings, etc.), and typically lack proper fasteners, such as side-release buckles. On smaller stature people – young men and women, the bigger conventional shinguards come off as clunky and cumbersome.
  • That brings us to the most significantly absent piece of protective equipment – the plate shoe. No one makes plate shoes for women specifically, nor do they make unisex plate shoes in sizes less than 7 (typically). This represents a severe roadblock to the development of women umpires for both softball and baseball.
  • Shirts end up being a sloppy look because they are too long (to accommodate a longer male torso and to be tucked in to a lower-riding set of pants), too generous in the shoulders, and too loose and long in the sleeve. Perhaps instead of devoting all these resources in cranking out out-of-date shirt styles – such as in navy or powder blue – only to be stocked onto retail hangers in brick-&-mortar stores in mid-continent America (I'm looking right at you, Cliff Keen and Dalco), how about producing a full line of apparel in a variety of sizes that also are proportioned for women, too, and sell and distribute them through an order fulfillment system?
  • You think shirts have their issues? It's worse for pants. "Unisex" umpire pants lack the sizing through the hips that women need, have crotches that drop too far down, and will frequently only be offered in an un-hemmed length so as to make them easier to produce and sell. These are usually proportionately skewed, as the knee then falls further up, and the taper to the ankle opening becomes wider as a result, so plate pants become ridiculous. Combos could be the answer, except, again, most shinguards are far bigger and bulkier than necessary, and won't fit under most combos in a presentable manner.

Men show up at the ballpark in a slipshod, uncoordinated, unkempt uniform, they get labeled a clown, but they're still taken seriously, to a degree. Women already are behind the eight-ball, even if they show up in a perfectly coordinated and cohesive uniform! Do we honestly think, as an umpire collective, we are equipping women for success with such inadequate gear and attire?

Can't you just call Perry, Pam, Ria, Jen, and Emma to get the who, what, when, where, how they handle(d) all the above.

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