SnareDrum

Forgot to add: A 1 means state championship caliber, then scores slide down through sectionals, districts, varsity and lower. The coaches are encouraged to do the ratings while the game is still fresh in their minds. Some local associations do eval their guys for obvious reasons, but they don't have to.

I didn't realize you needed 30 to qualify for state post-season. That's crazy. In my 4 Varsity games completed this year, I've received exactly ZERO ratings. ZERO. At this rate, I would never make post-season. That's what we were told at our pre-season interp meeting... Crazy indeed. It gives a lot of weight to the coaches to actually turn them in (though there is some sort of slap on the wrist from MSHSAA if they let them pile up), and I've heard of angry coaches waiting until the post-season actually starts just so an official may not have enough, that is unless they trashed their ratings anyway. Of course, sometimes coaches just get busy and they forget, which would also suck. For 30 solid ratings you'd need 15 games of BOTH coaches sending them in. But to think of one angry coach out of 15 games (VERY likely) having that much power... then a couple that forget (just as likely)... As realistically short as the HS regular season is... Lots of coach power in MO.

True! That's the only section of USSSA where it's illegal, but in all Player Pitch leagues, there's no rule on it at all. I've seen batter's try it at various levels, but I've never heard a chirp regarding legality.

For HS, our "group" does not have evaluations besides being on the good-side of the group chief/assignor (also the state regional interpreter). But MO has a system where the coaches "rate" your varsity games. To qualify for post-season, you need a minimum of 30 ratings. Also, bad scores get back to the interpreter (see above why that's important). Coaches rate from 1-5 (1 good, 5 bad) on Verbal Communication Skills, Physical Appearance, Effort, Control, Consistency, and Professionalism. They can also mark which areas you need improvement on. The scores are then averaged into quartiles for your Official's Rating. The areas needing improvement and the scores are available online to you. As someone more or less mentioned above, a coach that had a bad game can ruin your season. For the city, the UIC does at least one per season, and a senior umpire will also do one.

Great catch and true indeed. I was wondering if somebody was going to spot that and bring it up. Just one of my random coach quotes that pops into my head every now and then. Your response was also mine. Since he didn't say ""after he comes set" neither did I. Didn't want to misquote him or anything. OBR game. He was complaining about their LHP who picked R1 for the the 3rd out rather excellently after a stretch and set. I sent him to the parking lot when he popped out of the dugout with a rulebook, ran my stop sign, and he tried to show me. He did stay for another minute fumbling around in the book trying to find what he was talking about ("See! It says it right... wait a minute... no, see! It says... oh. Wait it's here somewhere...") while my PU tried to escort him off. My expressionless face belied the laughter inside. The random quote I've heard re: this OP is: "But he caught it after it bounced! He didn't drop it!" Maybe I'll make that the next one...

New rule in 2011. Subs must be listed, but there's no penalty for a coach who forgot to add a sub to the list. The rule still says "should" list subs. Then they added a sentence that says the umpire "shall" not accept the lineup until subs are listed. Go figure. At our interp meeting, we were told that "for instance" we see 14 able-bodied players in the dugout, but only 12 names on the card that we could not accept it. But if a player showed up late, that he could be a sub and we were to just write him in with no penalty. So, yes all subs have to be listed, but they can add them later anyway with no penalty. Go figure, indeed.

Thanks yawetag! Love that baseball history!!

(Great reply mstaylor!) My two cents... I get a few games like this every year in our city league when my chief informs me I'm getting a certain field or team because they've had problems. Sometimes he lets me know what happened before and sometimes he doesn't, and it's hard to clean my mind and think "fresh game", but I try. In some instances, I'll give a slight variation on my plate pre-game to include something like "excellent sportsmanship is absolutely expected" or "any unsportsmanlike behavior will not be tolerated." When I do, I say it slowly while I look at both coaches (and a couple of times loud enough for the fans to hear, since they are sometimes the reason I'm there) and they usually get it and there are rarely any issues. Perhaps, you went into this one with a bit of a long leash for "that team" because you didn't want to give them any reason to try what they did before. You're a fan of the game, so naturally you don't want to see the kids take an unneeded loss because they have a buffoon for a coach. So you left your ordinary comfort zone and went with extra warnings (wisely for both teams) and extra explanations. One umpire got accused of cheating and of course you didn't want to leave any room for the same, because even though untrue, it's still a pretty big insult. You gave that coach every chance to settle down (By LL rules and wording, not checking the swing sounds correct), but he took it as a chance to see how far he could keep pushing you. By going calm and cool on him, you stoked him even more, until a final act of defiance got him bounced. If he keeps having issues with umpires, he better catch on soon that the problem is not with the umpires, or perhaps the league will take appropriate action. I hope you get this team again so he can find out just how short of a leash you really have.

I'm a pointer myself (I've tried the hammer, but couldn't quite get used to it), but I always find it interesting to watch old MLB footage and see how the strike call has slowly evolved over the decades. If it continues to evolve, I wonder what it will look like decades down the road. I've heard that historically, there was no hand signal at all, but it was instituted in some obscure early league due to a deaf fielder as a courtesy and it just caught on. I think it was just a bit of a wave gesture.

Not many people (not wearing blue) at ANY field know the rule. It hits the ground and regardless of outs or runners, the screaming starts "RUN RUN RUN!" Had a DP on it the other night with R1 & R2, 1 out. Batter swings at strike 3 in the dirt and everybody starts yelling RUN, so he runs. Runners didn't know what to do so they run. The smart F2 DID know what to do and threw it to F5 for the easy tag for the third out. 3B coach wanted to know why there were 3 outs. Similar sitch when the screaming starts and all three runners "scored" on a series of throwing errors, but they want to know why the BR's run didn't count. Perhaps the "common acronym" at http://umpire-empire.com/index.php/topic/4391-common-acronyms/ and elsewhere need a change, but we're so used to it. As long as the word "dropped" keeps being floated around, uncaught will have a hard time catching on.

Just thought of another one... Batter ducks to avoid being hit and leaves his bat up. Ball hits it and goes foul. No big deal, but my partner said that he didn't see that very often. I replied that I usually get one or two per season. Over the next 2 innings it happened 5 more times. ...and I learned long ago to never comment on how fast a game is going.

From the thread on a balloon that floated over my field a few days ago. This reply not about the field, but it cracked me up.

Got called in Wednesday to work a 13U doubleheader. I was dead tired, and I usually don't work Wednesdays due to a church obligation, but my chief called just as I was walking in, so I decided why not. The 2nd game, I was PU and the visitors are getting killed. Top of the 5th coming up, and last inning due to time-limit, the V's are down 11-3. It's cold, it's late, and I'm tired. But I never think about getting out of there or going home. If I wanted to be at home, I wouldn't umpire. The people in the stands ARE ready to go. As the pitcher completes his warmups, this VERY old lady wrapped up in a blanket is sitting behind home plate and she asks in a tiny voice, "Mr. Umpire, do both teams have to bat?" I politely said, "No ma'am. Unless the red team scores 8 or more, we'll end the game." As soon as I said the number "8", I said to myself "D-oh!" because I had a feeling about what was about to happen. The jinx was on. The visitors hadn't been hitting squat all night, until now. Deep drives and sharp liners filled the air. The home team had been stellar in the field, until now. F6 had a double play ball hit right at him that could've ended the game, but he threw it underhand... into RF. F5 had an easy grounder with 2 out that could've ended it, but instead of a good throw, he spiked the ball like he had just scored a touchdown and it rolled away as a run scored. 6 errors, 11 runs, and 40 minutes later, we make it to the bottom of the 5th. It took 5 batters, but the visitors pulled out the win for just their second victory of the season while knocking the 1st place team into a tie for 2nd. Got home just before midnight. As I was leaving, one of the parents said while he laughed, "See? If you hadn't said anything, we'd be outta' here now!" Just like if you're in the press box, never say "HEY! He's throwing a no-hitter!" (*crack" There's a single to center!) Or tell your partner, "I haven't been hit in the facemask all year." (*whack* You're wearing your mask sideways) The gods of baseball are listening and they have a strange sense of humor... and justice. Some may say just a coincidence. I say, long ago I learned to just shut up or it'll happen. You ever say it, and have it happen?

With all of the rain and a couple of scheduling shifts, I haven't had the chance to work with or have an an extended talk with him. I saw him briefly last week when we were both at the same complex. He's been "demoted" to the rec league/younger divisions, apparently by request of the program director. Since I only do the competitive/upper ages when I work the city leagues, it's not very likely that I'm soing to be seeing him anytime soon. Where he is now is where a lot of bad teams and coaches are, and it can be zero fun. I told my chief that I'd still be willing to work with him, and it may be a possibility. I should've been more proactive. But he got over-complacent while basically refusing to try and fix, and even magnifying some blatant flaws... not a good thing to do as an umpire. He's been "sent down". Hope he makes it back. I appreciate ALL of the input and advice, and if I do get the chance to work with him again... and I'm pretty sure I will... I'll post in the results.

That's the rule I remember but my book wasn't available, and I didn't want to chance a misquote. I'm thinking that this where that confusion comes from sometimes about "battter out for throwing the bat". The keywords there are "thrown and interferes". Thanks.

If it's just a normal release of the bat after hitting the ball there is nothing to call. For a "normal" release, I agree. But if batter really flings or throws it, resulting with hitting &/or tripping the catcher just as or before he moves forward to field the ball... Is there any room for an INT to interpreted here, or is it just either play on or EJ? Yes, it's a bit of a HTBT, but it ahppened a while back when I was BU. My partner called the INT when the batter really let it fly after the swing... Instead of dropping the at and running he flung it backwards. It hit F2 pretty hard in the chest then as the bat dropped, he (F2) tripped and stumbled over it just enough to keep him from getting to the ball.

Just a "what if" for input/opinion: What if the batter swings and hits it off the plate and the ball bounces straight up, and he throws his bat as the catcher is moving forward to field the ball. When the bat hits the catcher, the batter has released it. Catcher trips over the bat, or it blasts him in the facemask or elsewhere, and he doesn't make the play as the result. BR is now safe at first. Is this INT, and if so, is this where the "batter is out for throwing his bat" myth may have grown from? I warned a batter last night about throwing his bat. Whacked the catcher in the head with it. Their coach asked me at the half-inning what the penalty was if the batter did it again. I told him that if it happened again, the player could be ejected. He then asked if the warning applied to the whole team. I told him that for now, no it did not, but it would if it became a problem with another batter. (Edited to clarify "ball" hitting plate and batter releasing bat)

Suggestions on specific indicators for this? I like the one I have (Diamond chrome) because it doesn't feel cheap like the plastic ones. It's a 3-2-2 (good) but it shows strikes first (bad). All the ones I've seen (or paid attention to, I guess) were strike first indicators. I had to go cheap, plastic and fast this year and found one on Ump-Attire as I was buying my shirts. Balls first & resets at 3-2-2... Balls/Strikes are side by side on the top and the dials are in that green "day-glo", but I'm getting used to it. I notched only the 0's for now but I may try adding more notches. When I need a peek, B & S are right there like a mini-scoreboard so I don't even have to open my palm or move my fingers hardly at all. I thought, "COOL! Balls first! COOLER! 3-2-2! I'll give it try." After using it for a while, I kinda' like it. Again, not the highest quality, but for now it works for me.

My thinking as well. This is one of the largest complexes in the area with 7 fields surrounded by packed parking lots. Games ranging from 10U to women's college softball to D2 baseball all going at the same time. Also, they weren't hitting their "hot air jets" very much either...

Sounds totally valid to me. There's no need for cheap shots like that. Retaliation possibilities for Thursday are high. Did you file any report, and will Thursday's crew have a "heads up"?

Agreed. Like I said, it was the middle of the inning, but we did resume play just as it got between roughly the pitchers mound and 1B. I should've held everything up right there. The field on the one side of us had a D2 college game going on and it went right over them as well, but they kept going too. Then as it moved over an adjacent field, it actually got lower. I saw the facility administrator after the game, and he said that it ( the balloon) floats over every few days or so. They give rides for birthdays, etc. But he said it's never been anywhere close to being that low. If a ball had hit it over fair territory, I believe I would have gone with a "play on". Just a strange thing I wanted to bounce off of you guys.

So it's the middle of the 3rd inning and you happen to look up and see a huge hot air balloon slowly approaching your field. It's moving slow and low... probably between 100-150 ft off the ground. It drifts directly over the infield on a line between 3B and 1B, and while the players and umpires do a great job of not being distracted by it, you can't help but think, "what if"... If a pop fly were to hit the balloon's gondola (or a player loses sight of the ball and it drops,) what do you rule? Over fair territory live ball play on, or GRD? (similar to indoor stadium ground rules). Large slow-moving objects over the field is not exactly something we cover in the pre-game. As a player, I would've just wished it was BP time!

Congrats on the result of all of the hard work! Stepping on to "your team's" field to go to work is simply fantastic. The K is a beautiful place and I've been to many games there as a kid and a grownup. The only bigger thrill for me would being able to do the same thing at Wrigley. And while your feelings and worries will linger, just remember that FAMILY FIRST is always the best choice.

An umpire should never call a forfeit. "Restriction" could be used here with perhaps a further warning that if he's ejected, he risks a forfeit. When there are no more coaches, a parent or friend of the team could come down to cover the adult supervision part and some leagues even have that written into their bylaws as to the result of all coaches getting tossed. If it gets left up to me, I'd ask a parent to come down, and let the league or association decide later what penalty to impose if any. If worse comes to worse, it's a suspension of play. I've heard of umpires calling forfeits and getting overruled later...

We've heard, or said that one little pearl of wisdom that we've picked up along the way that means something special. Whether it be about playing, umpiring, or just something about the game itself that's outside of mechanics, situations, and rules. Some of you have them appended to your signatures, while others may find yourself constantly repeating them. Perhaps you picked it up from an old umpire of or player form back in the day, or it's something you've come up with yourself. If you have one (or more) little positive "pearl" that you could tell a newbie umpire, player, or yes, even a coach, or even just something to pass along, feel free to add it here. Mine? "Always leave something of yourself on the field; and always take something with you. Give to the game, and learn from it." - Frank White, former 2B for the Kansas City Royals when asked by a younger player for some advice about how to succeed in baseball. The absolute exact quote escapes me, but that was pretty much it. So, go ahead... wax some wisdom!