Leaderboard

Ball is dead, BR is awarded one base from TOP. Since he didn't have a base until the award on the walk, he only gets first. The awards cannot be cumulative.

Moral to the story; a good catcher is worth his weight in gold to the PU and his team.

Umpires are not the show, they keep the show from becoming a circus.

I see this as no different than a career in most professional fields, you have to attend an accredited school and then work for a number of years, taking exams along the way to reach the full potential. All of this is not free. If the kid has potential and cannot afford it, maybe your group could set up a scholarship fund to help him and others like him.

I received notification a while back, but didn't want to intentionally toot my own horn. After thinking about, I have been honored with quite a milestone. I have been invited to umpire in the 2013 SRLL World Series in Bangor, Maine. I will be visiting maineump and his contingent Aug 11-17. I hear they put on quite a show in Stephen King's back yard. I guess I'll have to keep my sarcasm and quick witted remarks (normally reserved for the likes of Jax and such) to a minimum.

Well guys, I've been here just a little over a year now. I've learned a lot and I've kicked some bad habits. Just like to say thanks to all of you for helping me on this journey. Looking forward to improving some more and having some fun here.

I'm not saying I disagree with you, but I kind of gather you're pissed because your partner didn't dump a player who you could/should have dumped. I've been on both sides of this (as I'm sure most of us have). Nothing would piss me off more than to have a run in with a coach and then see him down there buddy, buddy with my partner. I've also been on the other side of being the "sounding board" for a pissed off coach or player. Obviously I wasn't there but based on what you've described, I can tell you I probably wouldn't have dumped the player for talking about you. What I would have done is put him in his place. I would have told him that I haven't said one bad thing about one of his teammates today and he's not going to be badmouthing one of my teammates either. I would then tell him in no uncertain terms that if he said anything like that again I'd run him, then confirm that he understands what I just told him. Here's why - You had ample opportunity and were justified in ejecting the player. The kid comes out and pops off to your partner about you and he immediately gets ejected. What does that look like? 1) your partner is a red ass & 2) you can be walked on. By doing what I would have done I would have made the kid understand we're a team, too. I have your back and he's not going to run his mouth about you and if he does he's going to be ejected. I bet the kid would have kept his mouth shut the rest of the game.

I thought you handled it well in the second game. This is a good example of how we can make it tougher that it has to be on our partner and future partner's if we don't take the bull by the horns and put an end to pointless chirping. Simply ignoring the chirping does not help the situation. Talking to the catcher was a great way to handle this situation. In a similar situation, think of the catcher who partially stands up with two strikes in the count. The ball is thrown just below the shoulders trying to get a strikeout on a high pitch outside the batters wheel house. The catcher is not doing us any favors when this happens--especially if the pitcher puts the ball in the strike zone. We are often left not being able to see the pitch clearly. Simply having a conversation with the catcher and/or manager why the pitch was called a ball, between innings, puts the responsibility on the catcher to either stay down, or expect that a close pitch will get balled if he stands up. If this happens again, the coach will be complaining to his catcher, not us, on this type of call. This is called preventative officiating and one that a lot of guys don't seem to grasp because they are either looking for a confrontation or they don't have good people skills to feel comfortable communicating with teams.

I honestly don't think the system is flawed, an I think to say so after a week where we had 2 highly publicized umpire errors is not fair.   I think having 2 schools is just fine. From what I know most of the people at either school aren't necessarily seeking a PBUC invite. And that's great for them. But you still end up with probably over 100 between them that are. Then the top grads from each get a PBUC invite. The top performers from each of those get a spot with MiLB, then there is a second tier of guys who get sent to the CPL. Some who get the CPL will get their shot at the minors.    But the end story is every year you have a hundred or so people every year vying for these coveted jobs. Remember in the entirety of professional baseball there are only 295 spots (68 MLB, 225 MiLB). For you to move up there needs to be a vacancy ahead of you.   So lets start at MLB. We had only 3 retirements so Carpazza, Porter & Gonzales got the knod. - The past few years there have been a pretty high number of retirements. Some years there won't be any MLB openings,   That by itself created 3 AAA openings, in addition there were a few resignations/releases that created I believe (and dumbdumb will correct me if I'm wrong ) 14 AAA openings.   Continuing on those 14 promotions plus resignations/releases created  18 Spots in AA.   18 guys being promoted to AA plus resignations/releases left High A with 23 openings   23 Low A guys were promoted plus resignations/releases leaving Low A with 30 openings (an entire new staff)   I don't know all the details for Short A or Rookie league since their seasons just started but you can see the effect.    So they have all the applicants they need to get the jobs done without scouting each and every year and they have the luxury of  being able to work guys through the system and continually evaluate them and make their decisions on who to hire,keep & promote.   Another aspect on why scouting is not practical is once guys have the experience to standout as good college umpires, they are making more money at their level than they would in MiLB, and if that wasn't a factor for them the money would probably be. The better NCAA umps they would want to scout would generally be older than the guys coming out of PBUC, have pretty good day jobs, families and may not have much interest in the time it would take to rise through the minors.    The down side is that yes they do lose some potentially excellent guys in the process. The time & travel wears on you and your loved ones, the money isn't incredible and then the aspects of umpiring we all deal with can cause some guys to not chase the dream any longer.    But overall I think the process works. If you have the talent and ability, you may make it. But some will depend on luck too. You need enough openings above you to keep you moving. If there is a bottleneck at the top you could be one of the best and not get a shot, those are the breaks.    The way I see it (my best guesstimate) there looks to be some continual retirements the next few years, but sooner than later the class of 1999 will be among the most senior followed closely by the hires since then. I think this would create a pretty large bottle neck of younger umpires who probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon.    On the flip side there is always talk of league expansion - which would mean more umpires. Adding 2 teams generally means adding another umpire crew. Plus any expansion teams would need to create a farm system adding to the minor league head count.    So the system is not broken. It's imperfect. 

DO NOT give a new pitcher outs and base runner position. That is the coach's job when he hands him the ball. If the change happens in the middle of an AB then give that.

They will do that if the pitcher is off the rubber. You know, " Nanny, Nanny,Boo Boo....Pitchers got a big butt." and all that good stuff.

Called ump attire today and they are the top of the line 5 stars in my eyes

Fed wants you in B. Everyone wants you in B

If you compiled this and I stole your thunder, sorry. Nice job, though. http://imgur.com/a/mxEl9

After 7 cancellations, I got my first game. It was 13-15 and behind the plate. I had some trouble with my plate stance. Couldn't quite find one that fit both teams. I was able to get into the slot well with one team on defense, but the other catcher was all over the place. Also, during the game I was asked if I would umpire in the tournament in the same 13-15 division.

Nope, he'll be busy doing other "plate" work...

"Ball -- outside. Outside -- ball." Turn to the coach. "How's that?" Good! Or: To the 1B dugout: "Ball!" To the 3B dugout: "Ball!"

"Ball -- outside. Outside -- ball." Turn to the coach. "How's that?"

Repeat: "Eject early to eject less"

Perfect example of what a batter is supposed to do. Stay in the box. Don't duck, move or do ANYTHING.

I have no problem with telling the catcher that is not a strike.....and I might add to the catcher, would you want me to call that pitch out there a strike on your when you are batting? if he doesnt get it its gonna be a long day.. Now as to the VT assisitant......."Call it both ways" is a quck ejection for me..............he just called you a cheater............I wont tolerate that......

If you have been umpiring for any length of time, this has happended to you.........its embarassing, but it happens........

Thank god it only takes a check to get into umpire school or the vast majority of those that attend wouldnt get to go......its only about the TOP 10 percent that get to go to PBUC right?............so the other 90% get to go home being better umpires....... I would love to go to pro school, and I would go without any false impression of me getting selected....I want to go, because I know I would come home a better umpire......but the time committment required would not go over well with my "real job" employer......

Someone once explained to me that it is because left handed throwing catchers are rare. When working a with a righty batter and with a right handed throwing catcher (glove on his left hand), with a pitch that is off of the outside corner, typically the catcher has to reach across his body to catch the pitch. However, with a lefty batter, he is typically receiving the pitch that is off of the outside corner with little to no glove movement which will probably make your zone a little wider to lefty batters. If you had more left handed throwing catchers, the opposite would be the case. With a lefty batter, a left hand throwing catcher would typically have to reach across his body to catch the pitch that is off of the outside corner but with righty batters receive the same pitch with little to no glove movement.

You could also have someone look to see if you are really set the same way on both sides. Even an inch different in where you are or a slightly different angle could make all the difference.

It's more likely simply to be a comfort-level issue: if you see mostly RH batters, then that's what you're comfortable with. Being on the other side makes your whole body backwards (for many plate stances anyway): feet backwards, arms backwards, etc. The stance can make you uncomfortable, and the discomfort can impair your concentration when focusing on the pitch. If you set up for LH batters as if they were RH batters, you're going to get a lot of nose-burners, and more as you move up. That's where good batters foul off tough pitches. You'll stay healthier being in the slot. When you move over for LH batters, get yourself set early, take a deep breath, and remind yourself to focus on the pitch (not where you are or how uncomfortable you are). Slow your call just a bit to give your brain an extra moment to process all the info on the pitch, and call it. The deep breath is crucial: deep breathing triggers your body to relax and lowers cortisol levels (the "stress hormone"). Lowering your stress level will allow your brain to focus and concentrate better, and you'll enhance your ability to call from the other side of the plate. Better umpiring through neuroscience.

I'm considering OBS for this play, at least for FED. Consider the following case: 8.4.2 SITUATION F: In the opinion of the umpire, R1, when leading off first base, moves up to the front of the baseline, thus effectively screening F3 from the ball on F1's attempted pickoff. RULING: R1 shall be called out for interference. COMMENT: If this is not ruled to be interference, the runner gains an advantage not intended by the rule. This maneuver taught by some coaches shall be penalized. Applying the same principle, by screening the runner, the defense in your play gains an advantage not intended by the rule. If F6 is standing in front of R2 and moving to maintain that as R2 tries to adjust his lead, then sure get the OBS. It's like if F5 does it to R3 tagging up. But the play here is F6 moving left behind R2, then forward then right in front of F2 and not standing there. Your reaching to apply this case to that play.

What a well written article also

Runner should have run around the catcher instead of trying to slide that far from the plate. And OBS should have been called when it happened and then "ignored" when the runner touched the plate instead of waiting to see what happened.

Just to add to JMs response if the runner does not retouch on a foul he is NOT subject to being out on appeal or being declared out or any other nonsense you sometimes hear.

Yes, the runner must return to his base after a foul ball/dead ball situation. Whether he actually touches it or not is not really material. The umpire should not put the ball in play again until he has returned to the vicinity of his base. A runner is under no obligation to return to or touch his base between pitches when the ball remains in play. It is generally advisable that he do so. JM

I don't care about his "natural pitching motion," I care whether he's double setting. 2 ways to avoid that: the "shrug" is part of coming set (prior to his one, legal set), or the "shrug" initiates his pitching motion (after his one, legal set). Either way, if you judge there's one set, it's legal. If you judge he comes set, shrugs, then sets again, that's a balk for starting and stopping. Again, we don't care about his "natural pitching motion."

I'll start. My second year in a varsity scrimmage I am in B and R1 is stealing, I get in a good position, track the ball, watch the slide, see the tag, pause and say "show me the ball". F2 holds up his glove with the ball and I give a loud and strong "Safe" along with the proper mechanic. I will never be allowed to forget this as my son was the F2. He didn't say a word then but he reminds me at least once a year of this gaffe. That is a quick F2... :-)

Here you go. 5.09 - The ball becomes dead and runners advance one base, or return to their bases, without liability to be put out, when - © (MINOR/MAJOR BASEBALL) an illegal pitch is committed (See Rule 8.05 Penalty) (MINOR/MAJOR BASEBALL) PENALTY: The pitch shall be called a ball. If a play follows the illegal pitch the manager of the offense may advise the plate umpire of a decision to decline the illegal pitch penalty and accept the play. Such election shall be made immediately at the end of the play. However, if the batter hits the ball and reaches first base safely, and if all base-runners advance at least one base on the action resulting from the batted ball, the play proceeds without reference to the illegal pitch. NOTE: A batter hit by pitch shall be awarded first base without reference to the illegal pitch. So, I think this is right : Say the runner sees F3 with the ball and takes off for second before he can tag him and F3 air mails the ball into left field and the runner ends up a 3rd. You would leave him at third but if they tag him out a 1B, you have a dead ball. R1 remains at first and a ball added to the count.

Wait... you were gone? Didn't even notice. Probably cause I have you in a couple groups on Facebook.

It's finally official. I am a State Regional level umpire. Triple header in Castle Rock, WA this Saturday. Then my high school season just might come to an end (depending on if I get any playoff games from Oregon or not.)

Ditto and no shorts for me. Never been much of one for shorts. And to answer the question posed in the title of the video... sorry not a single one.

having a centralized replay official might work...    But if they were to ever move to a 5 man crew it would have to be somebody who could work into the rotation. 

8.05 COMMENT: If you're in doubt about the legality of the move, judge whether the pitcher intends to deceive the runner with it. In your case, it sounds as if the answer would be "no." maven

Thanks for the question   Unfortunately, in this case I can not see any way to remedy the situation where you would be able not to have the run score.    As you mentioned there are many instances where the players and coaches are supposed to be aware of the situation (Infield fly comes to mind immediately) regardless of what the umpire announces or may not announce.    Please don't take it that I am shifting the blame from the umpire to the player or coaches, but when the umpire announced the situation R3 and 2 outs would have been the most opportune time to fix the situation.    IMO, I do not ever tell the incoming pitchers the situation at any level. I consider it unnecessary for the umpire to do and the coaches should be handling with their players. Once again where the teams both in this case need to be aware of the situation. The defense to make the third out/prevent R3 from scoring and the offense in knowing the play is still live.

No running hammer. A strong YES HE DID, with a safe signal, on a check swing.

The running left handed hammer is next!

to the best you can, keep your ears out of the stands.........ignore the fans.....

the brats would have been gone long before incident at first Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2

Burn Notice Quote: You know spies. A bunch of bitchy little girls. Good news for you (though) I'm a drunk and a washout already so I can talk to anyone I want – burned or not. — Sam Axe The same could be said for UMPIRES. I can identify with your comment. Member since July 2010 and I've posted 17 times 18 counting this one, and read hundreds. The negativity that seeks its way into some of the strings, serve as a reminder to me. Have Fun, don't bait others, let the game come to me, and when it gets personnel.........EJECT the offender!!!!! We have to stay in the game. So, I'll continue to read, work to help the newbies when I can, and shake my head at the chirping.......... "I picked the wrong day to quit drinking"...... had to sneak in a AIRPLANE quote Enjoy the Vacation.

The book is wrong! In an immediate dead ball situation, the first word out if your mouth should be TIME (as a wise man said above). So what do you echo? "Time", "Balk", or both? I typically echo "sh*t" when it is the 4th balk my partner has called in a 14U game that has gone on way too damn long already

.

Had a similar play yesterday in a college conference tournament game. Batter squared, pitch way way inside, batter hit. Coach claimed batter never pulled back. I just told him (from the middle) I had no attempt. He didn't like it. Too bad, so sad.

urout, I was at a regional held at HP a couple of years ago watching my nephew's team, and the PU ejected the 1st batter of the game for coming to the plate w. a necklace - hence my question. I was appalled. He said he had "warned" while inspecting "bats & hats" before the game. I don't believe the umpire has received a post-season assignment since. JM

I disagree that it isn't a big deal. Shouldn't matter and doesn't matter are two different things There is no way a gay athlete gets a fair shake these days, but folks who come out make it a little easier for gay athletes to get a fair shot. And once the gay athletes get their fair shot, that makes it easier on the gay student athlete. I do like that the conversation has shifted from "Gays shouldn't [insert freedom here]" to "Who cares. Just stop talking about it." Even Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly are making noises about giving up that fight. We're done talking about it, coach. Let's play.