scrounge

I wish someone had been there for me when I began on my first stint as an umpire. 16 yrs old, in my third game, absolutely no training whatsoever (they just gave me shin guards and a balloon protector and said go forth and umpire). Big beer-bellied parent/coach charges at me from 3rd base, chest bumps me, and knocks me over. This was 25 years ago and in a small, rural town - not a thing happened to the guy. Gave up umpiring right then and there, not returning until this year. I wish I hadn't waited this long, but that's another story. Once, while the BU, my teenaged PU made a call at the plate. Immediately, the coach ran out of the dugout and began yelling at him. I started walking in, mainly to hear how the argument went. The parents behind the fence were starting to yell as well. When I got to the mound, I yelled "TIME!" which quieted all five fields in the complex. I took my PU and asked him what he had -- I believed his original call to be correct. I told him that WE would talk to the coach. I summoned the coach and we began walking him back to the dugout, explaining the judgment behind the call. Amazingly, it worked, and hopefully my young PU learned something that day. I won't jump in right as the argument begins, but I won't let it get too far.

I can see not running him earlier, depending on the timing of the comments and your tolerance that night, but not a chance after the "you're horrible" stuff. Even if you initiated the conversation, he directly insulted you and accused you of bias. Intolerable. And why is your partner ruling on an appeal from a coach, when you already called it a strike? That didn't help matters much.

Yep. It's been absolutely ridiculous this year. Where is all the rain coming from? How bad has it been in Ohio? Here's a blurb from one of our local weather forecasters: STOP ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shameful and disgusting...what is wrong with people?

The first time? If there hadn't been previous sniping, since you've already got his attention with the "Coach!", perhaps just a "calm down" or wave for him to come to you but then also start walking towards him. Kind of a weasel answer, but do a bit of both?

I dunno, maybe it's the youth coach for many years in me, but unless the kid was mouthing off or mean-spirited, I'm not threatening ejection without a gentle warning not to argue balls/strikes, at least if they're under 14. After that, fair game though.

Agreed, that was my mistake. Won't happen again. Because the hit was over the middle you were or should have been looking right there. The runner from first is more likely to try for third than the batter is to try for second and the runner from first reaches second before the batter reaches first most often. And if you have a good plate umpire he can often help with the touch at first by keeping his head on a swivel while watching the runner from second touch third. If you missed a runner touching a base it should have been the batter missing first. Live and learn.

JV game tonight, home team is getting obliterated. Asst coach is steaming but not saying anything audible, just quite agitated. I'm on bases with R1 and R2, 1 out. There's a line drive screaming over the middle, so I turn to watch the ball to see if it's a catch. It goes in the gap and turn to first to watch the BR touch base. I guess in all of that R1 may have missed second, I didn't see it. I know that's my call and I should watch for it, but between seeing the ball land and picking up the BR at first, I didn't see it. Asst coach yells at his team to throw to 2nd, which apparently the team must have thought he was speaking Mandarin, because they all just stared in dumb silence for a good 20 seconds, not knowing what to do. Finally, they get the hint and appeal, but since I didn't see him miss the bag, I say safe, no out. Coach becomes quite perturbed. This was in the 3rd inning, the score was already 15-2. Anyway, after the game finally is over due to run rule, 20-2 score after 5, the asst coach comes up to me and plate ump and says "I'm not going to say anything about the strike zone" ...which was pretty darned near perfect all night, so he'd better not...."but there's one thing that really bothers me. The VT head coach has a round tin in his back pocket. That's a rule violation." After all of this, AFTER the game, and he wants to talk about a possible can of tobacco in the other coach's pocket. One - what on earth does he expect us to do about it at that point? Two - is that really something he thinks we're going to go out of our way to look for? I have no idea what that round tin really is, I'm not going to strip search the coach. Plus I'm not looking at the coach's butt to see if there's contraband in his back pocket as a regular practice. Then of course he lambasted me for the appeal call that was obviously the turning point in the 20-2 loss. "How could you miss that, you're standing right there?!?" He was more lamenting than lambasting me really, kinda sad in a way. He probably doesn't know it, but I'm assigned to them tomorrow as well. I didn't say it - but I was thinking it: see you then, coach :wave:

Unfortunately, as with many youth rec leagues, the power in coach choice lies with the league commissioners, not the umpire coordinator. And they do on occasion have a bit of good ole boy syndrome. Not that I know the particulars of this individual coach - but I've seen this play before. Things like this, supposedly "random" team selection magically resulting in the commissioner/coach's team being stacked with all the best players, etc. Don't get me wrong, for a nearly-thousand player suburban youth rec league, it's mostly run very well and honestly - but there are pockets of things that make you go hmm... On the plus side, my boy said that there were no further incidents or sniping that night. He said the crowd of previously boisterous parents were in shocked silence the rest of the game, and another assistant began to argue a strike call but IMMEDIATELY self-censored and stopped before even getting a reply. Message received!

My 16 yr old was behind the plate for a 9/10 yr old rec league game tonight. I was working another game and not present. Background - they use 16 yr olds and up with at least 2 yrs experience for plate umps for these games. They get a 2 hr clinic for training, so they're obviously not pros, but my boy has been getting some - shall we say - extra mentoring. Coaches are all volunteer parents, no training provided. Anyway, HT head coach wasn't present, so an assistant was managing the team. Like so many new pitchers in the league at this age, the opposing pitcher was kinda lobbing the ball in. Not huge arcing softball lobs, but enough that the ball would cross the plate at the midsection and end up at the catcher's feet. These catchers may have put the gear on for the first time that day, they're not experienced. So there was building consternation with balls and strikes, with some loud verbal protests now and then but nothing too excessive. Then, it got ugly. Here's the game report he filed: When he called to tell me after the game, I told him to call the umpire coordinator and give her a heads up. Upon doing so, she asked him "Was this the 9/10 Indians?" before he said. Apparently, this coach had a reputation as a redass and she guessed who it was. He had loudly protested the competency of an umpire at the picture day scrimmage, a 2 inning unscored scrimmage the teams do just for fun as they get team pictures before the season started. Seems to me that absent the "britches" comment, this may have been too quick. But when you throw in a public, mocking insult like that, he had no choice.

Why on earth do they even need any umpires for a t-ball game? They don't even keep score in t-ball around here. Sheesh.

If anything the on-deck helped the defense and created the possibility of making a play where there was none absent his actions. I'm calling nothing.

another rainout today, third this week out of three days...with one day of sun (tomorrow) scheduled for the next 10 days... Where is all coming from?

It may be actually be interference, but if no one's running and nothing is de facto actually hindered? I'm not calling it. Seems like going out of your way to be overly legalistic to do so. Just like prosecutors often use discretion in not filing every possible charge they can, some discretion is ok here as well. At least that's how I see it. Let the kids play.

I'm not sure I'll work again this year here in Central Ohio, at least not for the school season. Rain today, rain tomorrow, rain Tuesday, rain Wednesday, and maybe rain Thursday. WTflyingF??? Stop, already.

So what's so bad about carrying an indicator on the bases anyway? Just curious, before coming here my only exposure was our local assoc, which encourages it. I find it helps keep me in the game, focused, and of service to players and coaches and occasionally a partner who ask. No big deal it seems.

A fake tag, as I understand it, is illegal because it usually induces a slide and chance for injury. As I recall, the case book specifically says a fake tag is illegal but a fake catch is not. I can't imagine this situation would be obstruction unless there was a fake tag.

BU for a varsity game tonight, but with lower level high schools (quality of play was more like JV in all honesty). Runner on 2nd, no other runners. Pitcher doesn't wheel around but actually steps off first, then turns and fakes to 2nd, but he acted like he overthrew the ball. 2B and SS act out the fake as well, jumping high in the air and running out to center, just like an overthrow. No fake tag, just some Academy Award level acting. Anyway, runner takes off to 3rd - with the pitcher in the baseline waiting for him with the ball. Even had me fooled, as I looked back when I heard all the commotion at 2nd (yes, I know - chest to ball. They got me). Other than that and a close banger at 3rd on a triple, easy night. 4 dropped 3rd strike easy putouts, 8 (EIGHT!!) slow rollers to first base. 2/3 of my out calls and I didn't step more than 3 feet from A position.

R3 is in a run down between 3rd and home. No other runners on base, so I'm at the 3rd end as BU, partner has the home end as PU. R3 is heading away from me to home when he goes wide to avoid a tag. I thought he clearly went outside his baseline but PU doesn't call it, instead calling him safe and counting the run. Coaches are a little upset but really not too much; they were asking if there was a tag. PU doesn't formally ask for help but takes a few steps to me. In any case, we were pretty close just due to the rundown situation. I go and talk just to confirm. He asked me if I had a tag, which I did not. I ask if he thought it was out of base lines, saying that I thought he was. He says he wasn't. Since the action was going away from me, I thought it was his call and didn't push it, even though the dude was a good 4 or 5 ft outside. Should I have been more assertive in saying that, or just dropped it like I did?

This entire week is a disaster

You have a lower rear chin? I'm not sure I have a 'lower' chin, but I sure as hell don't have a 'rear' one - ? Ok, not the best description perhaps, but I meant the area where the jaw bends right below the hinge, just below and in front of the earlobe. I may have two chins, but that's another story.

I know it's strictly a matter of personal choice, but I can attest that my hockey style mask has saved me a nasty headache on at least one occasion and probably two. And that's just in the thirteen games I've had this year with the oppressive rain we've had in Central OH. I decided to go with the HSM this year due to what I felt was superior vision - I just felt that I could see so much clearer and better with it than any traditional style mask. But the all around protection has been key. The first was a foul ball that came in hard and fast around my lower rear chin. A traditional mask might have stopped it, but it was close to where I would have been nervous. The second was when a pitch hit a kid in the rear shoulder and ricocheted right off of him and into the rear side of my head. There's NO way a traditional mask would have stopped that one. But it was just a minor annoyance with the HSM. I know it's only anecdotal with a small sample size, but these events can and do occur. Just thought I'd share. I don't think I'll be going back to a traditional mask.

So I had my first varsity game ever behind the plate tonight (had done a couple previous, but on bases). And to compound it, due to a scheduling mixup by our assignor, I was all alone, no partner. But it couldn't have gone smoother. Hustling helped, both coaches saw I was trying. Couple close pickoffs, but I'm pretty sure I got them right (or at leas was consistently wrong on both, since they appeared identical). Both teams were throwing strikes and swinging the bats, and both were actually catching the ball. What a change from the JV/middle school stuff I had done this year. Had one 3 pitch inning, one 5 pitch inning, and one 7 pitch inning. Twice, a batter just walked off and started for the dugout on called strike three before I even made the call - they knew I know they won't all be like that - not even close - but tonight? Was a good night.

Hi, I've enjoyed the forum for a few weeks now and thought it was high time I registered. I'm a first year in suburban Columbus, with 8 official games under the belt. Including 1 varsity game, which I didn't think I'd get in my first year (tons o' rainouts in the central OH are wreaking havoc with scheduling). Along the newbie introductions line, here's an article I wrote on my journey of becoming an umpire. It's not an ad or a plug for a website or anything, just a short article I wrote. I hope you like it... Why I Will Never Yell At An Umpire Again (sorta)

And hello from a fellow ump in Hilliard, OH - first year in my case.