Sayhey

Balks are a bitch. They cause a lot of arguements and some confusion. My partner called a hidden ball trick balk tonight. Runner was tagged 6 feet off bag and then awarded 90 feet There are 3 different hidden ball trick rules. O.B.R. , N.C.A.A., and Fed. In regard to where a pitcher can be standing when the hidden ball trick happens. Bummer that your situation is such a frustrating experience. I have to ask why you have gone through this frustration for 30 years. "3-4 times a year for 30 years'. That's about 100 instances. You asked the wrong people for advice. Just because someone is the secretary of your group does not mean he knows the rules. Childish behavior to write on a piece of paper the words, that's a balk when you were really asking for a rule reference. Be assured that a pitcher can throw to a shortstop or second baseman way off the second base bag. His non pivot foot must come down behind the pitchers plate before he throws. Unlike 1st base, you do not have to be accurate with your throw. You must throw to 1st base. I mean to the bag. You do not have to throw to 2nd base You do have to throw to 3rd base in summer ball if you are using pro rules. No more fake throws to third base or throwing to a third baseman off the bag. Treat it like 1st base now. New rule. Coaches should not be calling balks from anywhere, let Lone from coaches box. Good luck I think asking, what unoccupied base he threw to is a clever comeback. I do not think the coaches want a balk for throwing to an unoccupied base. They know 2nd base is occupied. They believe it is a balk to throw so far away from the actual 2nd base bag. They are ignorant and then blame you and then your ignorant secretary wants to arrogantly tell you what's what. Don't you love being an umpire.

It's watermelon and a free beer after the game Grapes and bananas. How hard is that to pull off ?? It should be the norm. If you start respecting yourself more maybe decent human beings will start to treat you better. I had a former Dodger catcher meet me in the parking lot tonight and ask me if we wanted to use the dressing room for umpires. He is giving back by coaching a young team. He cared so much about umpires that he was waiting for us to pull into the parking lot to greet us and see how he could make us comfortable. . . We said thank you and appreciated the respect. A volunteer parent met us at the dressing room door with Gatorade after the game. She thanked us for working the game as she handed us our drinks. She had a big smile. She was happy to be there. We see value in the game because it builds character and mental health. It's more than baseball. We had a student murdered on campus today in Oregon. Maybe if this troubled youth, the shooter, had been on the ball club he would of felt like someone cared about him and life had value. Rage won out. Mental health warnings ignored. I digress, but my point is, value yourself enough to demand respect and maybe you will start to see dressing rooms and Gatorade and free beer after your last game. It's time well spent. It brings health to a community. So, if we are going to put energy into this endeavor, why not do it right and part of doing it right is treating umpires with respect. We returned the respect by showing up on time looking sharp. My partner said my plate shoes were polished so fine that they were hurting his eyes. We both had on new pro style shirts and patent leather belts. My partner just finished the state championship game at 1st base and had several close calls and went out several times on trouble balls We worked hard on every pitch and got to call a balk on a hidden ball trick. Not that we wanted to call a balk, but at least we cared enough to study the rule so that when it did happen we got the call right and most importantly, the pitcher learned a valuable lesson and it was a teaching moment. We respect the game. They may be young players or they may be college players playing summer ball And Div. 1 in the spring but it's all baseball and I love the game enough to respect it and that means carrying yourself with dignity and pride as an umpire. Shined shoes and crisp cap and a friendly and professional attitude. Maybe you are dressing in a parking lot because you do not earn respect, or, more likely, you deserve respect, but you are working for people that really do not care about you. Those people need to go elsewhere. . It should not be umpire Heaven because someone valued you enough to make sure you were hydrated and gave you some citrus and a cold one after the game. That should be normal. Quit allowing people to treat you like SH*#.

Tuesday night game in Pittsburg. Cubs lead 7-3 Bolton of ninth. Ramirez, the Cubs reliever is in contact with thevpitcher's plate when he steps directly toward 1st base and throws the baseball into the ground not more than 10 feet from himself and the ball rolls weakly and without proper aim toward short right field where the Cubs 1st baseman picks the ball up and obviously has no play, since he is 20 feet from 1st base and was positioned behind R-1 when the pitcher turned and saw him off the bag and drilled an extant throw into the ground, which rolled weakly toward short right field. I saw a clip only on M.L.B. Network. No one called a balk and a ball was awarded to the batter. The umpires huddled up with the Cubs manager and they were smiling and laughing. Anyone see this game and not just the mlb network clip? Can you tell me why this is not a balk? Pitcher is required to throw to the bag when in contact with the pitchers plate This throw lacked aim and momentum. The 1st baseman had no play. MLB network reported that a throw toward short right field was called a ball

Apple I phone is not the best for posting. It may sound like we are special. Not my intent to sound special. I will work my ass off on every pitch tonight and I have spent thousands of dollars at clinics(camps), but that is not special either. We are lucky here. Luck of the draw where I live. I do hope that conditions get better for everyone. Everyone deserves a private and comfortable place to dress, especially during a double header or tournament. I wish everyone a great summer of calling ball and I hope we all move up and get better games and better conditions

Sorry for the duplication of message. Maybe I pressed post twice.

Umpires are treated well. Not so sure about reared well. Lol. It's not all rainbows and cotton candy. Last month I had a father tell me I needed to up my medication. Pretty funny line. I told him to go somewhere where I could not see him or hear him. We did have a new athletic director at a particular school that closed the umpire dressing room. The first two umpires that showed up and found the door locked told the head coach that if there was no dressing room he had no umpires for the game. The door was unlocked in 5 minutes and remains available. These two umpires were backed up by the head coach and our assignor. It seems short sighted to me to treat umpires poorly. They are a key element to a successful program. Umpires are treated well. Not so sure about reared well. Lol. It's not all rainbows and cotton candy. Last month I had a father tell me I needed to up my medication. Pretty funny line. I told him to go somewhere where I could not see him or hear him. We did have a new athletic director at a particular school that closed the umpire dressing room. The first two umpires that showed up and found the door locked told the head coach that if there was no dressing room he had no umpires for the game. The door was unlocked in 5 minutes and remains available. These two umpires were backed up by the head coach and our assignor. It seems short sighted to me to treat umpires poorly. They are a key element to a successful program. Umpires are treated well. Not so sure about reared well. Lol. It's not all rainbows and cotton candy. Last month I had a father tell me I needed to up my medication. Pretty funny line. I told him to go somewhere where I could not see him or hear him. We did have a new athletic director at a particular school that closed the umpire dressing room. The first two umpires that showed up and found the door locked told the head coach that if there was no dressing room he had no umpires for the game. The door was unlocked in 5 minutes and remains available. These two umpires were backed up by the head coach and our assignor. It seems short sighted to me to treat umpires poorly. They are a key element to a successful program.

Mad Max, I hope you are well and enjoying college baseball. I hope to go some day. I rolled into Omaha 1 hour late for last years final game The Rogue Valley in south west Oregon is where I umpire and some games in Northern Cal. We are blessed with thousands of people in our local baseball community that love baseball Personaly, I am a baseball fanatic. I went to Cooperstown, Fenway, Yankee Stadium, and Mets ballpark last year. We are Giants fans in south Oregon and the recent World championships fueled the fire for the love of the game. The Giants brought the trophy up in 2010 and 2012. We have a junior Giants team. Our local high school team won the big school state championship Saturday. We frequently beat Portland teams that have a population base 8 times our population. Another local team lost their state championship game. The teams get to play at a San Francisco Giant single A stadium at the state Capitol in Salem. We are kind of a baseball crazy area our American Legion team plays in the World Series often. Nothing like the Ragun Cajuns in Louisiana, but we do have a passion. Where I umpire tonight has a dressing room dedicated for umpires Lockers, chairs, mirrors, shower, and sink. Door that locks. Bathroom. Free burger and coke after game. It's nice when there is a tournament We just consider it normal. I have assigned in the past and I just made it clear that the umpires need to be taken care of. It was not a hard sell. They like taking care of umpires. Thank you after the game. Birthday cake after one game. We get respect by working hard. Our high school assosiation is top heavy with college umpires which helps bring up our level of dignity and pride We challenge each other to work hard on every pitch and look sharp on the field. It has just been a norm here for decades that umpires are reared well. The other side of the coin is that the expectations are high. You will be praised for hard work and sloppy work will be noted . Coaches know proper positioning. It fires you up to work hard when you bust down to third base on a base hit from home in a 3-man crew and the visiting head coach, who is coaching third, says, "nice position blue". We get respect by respecting the game and our partners on the field. That respect gets us dressing rooms. Hope it gets better for you

What rule?

Why must R-3 touch his advance base? Why must the batter/ runner touch his advance base ? Batter/ runner is out for desertion if he does not advance to 1st base. Batter/runner is out on appeal if he does not touch 1st base. R-3 is compelled to advance to home because he is forced. If R-3 misses home heavies out on appeal. If R-3 does not advance to home he is out for abandonment. Why would R-1 and R-2 be free to not advance and touch their advance base since they are forced by the walk. They are forced no matter how the batter transitions from batter to batter/runner. It could be a dropped third strike I see no difference between a batted ball and a batter becoming a batter/runner by walk, dropped third strike, hit by pitch, catcher interference. Please give me a rule reference. I am happy to be wrong and get it right. Watching Texas vs Houston Do not want to get up and look for rule book You are saying Fed. Is different than obr Why does Fed. Say all must advance and why does Obr say only batter/runner and R-3 only All 3 base runners are consecutive runners How can they not be forced? Batter/runner is not forced but he is compelled to advance to 1st base I actually will not be happy to be wrong but I will be grateful to learn the rule correctly if I am wrong Humility is a good thing. Hope everyone has a great weekend calling ball and watching super regionals

We do not have a lot of crime. The car can be quick and handy. If I have a double header I like a dressing room. Here is a quick tip. Buy a big roller bag like you would roll through an airport and check. 50 lbs and under. Buy a garment bag and out shirts and pants in it. Bungee cord the garment bag to your roller bag and roll it to the dressing room. You can do this high end and look like ya got it together. Dress in a dressing room when you can. We have all experienced someone walking by as you put your cup on It really sucks when it is a 10 year old little girl Protect yourself and dress in a room or way back in the parking lot. Every Athletic director in USA should be ashamed of themselves if they do not provide a dressing room for high school umpires. We have one that does not because they use a public field. Another alternative is a tent. We do tournaments at a city complex that put up a big tent for the umpires

We used to have an air conditioned space with private room and bathroom at one ball park. Someone decided the press box people needed all that space and now we are down the left field line in a big warehouse with movers and drags We do have a reefer down there for drinks and snacks but our nice bathroom and sink is now a porta potty. Sucks when that happens. My double header Sunday will be at a ball park that does have a private umpire dressing room Bathroom is public but just steps away. Once again, it seems short sided to not provide umpires with comfortable conditions. You get a better game called if umpire needs are met. We one park at a high school where they open up a football locker room that is always cool and has a big shower room. Sometimes I will shower before and after the game. We get over 100 degrees in the summer

In Triple Crown play, if you choose to bat your whole lineup/subs included, and there is a hole in your lineup due to injury or ejection, when that spot in the line up comes due to bat, it is an out The coach is responsible to know that fact. I would never bat my entire line up in a championship game. Too risky. With the hybrid rules mentioned I would try to keep the 1-2 count in order because the pitcher worked that count and deserves the count to be the same.

Let's all work hard on every pitch and support each other. We have no union. Hopefully , conditions will improve. It sounds like all are trying to make the best of every situation they are placed in. Hopefully more money will become available to hire a full crew whatever full is in your area. We need better dressing conditions and higher pay. Hopefully if we work hard and do a good job this summer we will see better conditions next year. The more respect we earn the more likely conditions will improve. We have dressing rooms at most fields. Sometimes we share the room with a mover and tools. I do not get it sometimes. If umpires are a vital component to a successful program why are they an after thought most of the time?

Just a little clean up of facts. The game was not suspended but declared a 1-1 tie. The Giants and Cubs ended the season tied. The Cubs win the 1 game playoff and beat Ty Cobb 's Tigers in the a World Seties in 1908. It was the last time the Cubs won a World Series.

Hi Rick. Yes the game continues . The game is not over. You did not say the score or whether it was the top or bottom of "the last inning". In your case you have 2 out, bases loaded and a walk. The contact between the two runners around home plate is not a violation. It is meaningless. Contact between runners is not a violation. A runner could push a team mate forward or reach back and help a fallen team mate up. It may look odd but it is not a violation. Your game is not over because 4 runners are compelled to touch there advance base The walk created a force and each runner, including the batter/runner is out on appeal for not touching their advance base. Also, the batter/ runner is out for desertion if he does not touch 1st base or at least pass by 1st base. No run can ever score when the 3rd out is at 1st base before the batter/runner touches 1st base. Also, no run can ever score when the 3rd out is a force out. An appeal of any missed base in your case is a force out. So, the game is not over. I can not tell you if the game continues because you did not give me top or bottom of inning or the score. As a side note, there is a very well known scenario called Merkle's boner. Merkle was a rookie playing for the New York Giants. He was on 1st base in the bottom of the ninth. The batter hit a ball to drive in the winning run vs the Cubs. Merkle celebrated instead of running to 2nd base. The crowd thought the game was over . The fans exited the ball park through center field at the Polo Grounds in New York. With the crowd on the diamond the Cubs appealed to legendary umpire O'Day that Merkle had not touched 2nd base when forced to do so with 2 outs. O' Day called Merkle out. The game was suspended and then lost by the Giants when resumed. They lost the pennant by 1 game. Hope this helps.

Grayhawk, sounds like you have a great attitude and you try to make the best out of every game situation. I applaud you. Good job. I do not mind the long post. If you have good things to say, let er rip. You make strong points As far as laughing at people being shocked when we hear that an area is using 1-man, I can understand that since what is normal in your area is so different than mine. Please realize that in my area a 1-man crew is impossible. It would be like teams showing up without gloves and bats and balls, and trying to play a game. Of course a 10 year old game is very different than a J.V. game. That is what shocked me. J.V. Baseball games with 1 umpire in some parts of USA I had never heard of that being done. I understand it is your perspective that it is a kids game and Matt saying that players can learn life lessons when umpires miss a call. We make enough bad calls in 2-man that the players are learning life lesdons already. I look at it from an umpire paycheck perspective If you work one man you are taking a paycheck out of a working umpire's pocket. You may enjoy the 1.5 fee and gladly pocket the money, but another umpire did not work that game and made nothing unless he is somewhere else in town also working 1-man. Philosophically, I think it dishonors the game., but now I am getting serious and it is not my intention to disrespect anyone. I have already told you I respect you. We have a difference in opinion. There are a lot of serious issues in America and this is only a game.

Fleas of 1,000 camels(wtf) kidding, you were put into a tough position and lied too. I wonder what kind of money the tourney made at the expense of umpires working 7 games in one day alone I can do 4 with a partner. I have no idea how you worked 7. I would need hot tub and Tylenol and whiskey after the game. It sucks that you were treated like that. Scabs break picket lines knowingly. You are not a scab. Did any of the local umpires talk to you? We had an association 100 mile away that went on strike during summer ball because a coach was not suspended. Our assignor sent 2 umpires up there to work a game without telling the crew what was going on Local umpires met the crew at the dressing room and asked them not to work the game. The crew worked the game fearing problems with our assignor if they refused to work the game. The local umpires refused to talk to the crew after the game. They were angry. Our assignor was fired by our group We are private contractors and have no union We are not in a power position. We must press the issue by negotiation. I worked 1 one man game for Park and Recs When the game was over I politely told park and Rec that That was my last game as a 1-man crew My point of emphasis was the players deserved a two man crew. Our complex is fairly new and has lots of tournaments and millions of dollars on the line. Park and Rec can not afford to have unhappy coaches and parents because a call was missed due to perception or reality that 1 umpire could not get into proper position. Couple months ago I called a runner out at home Problem was, the ball was laying on the ground The catcher did not have possession of the Ball My partner was able to help our crew get the call right. How would that work in a 1-man crew

Sorry, pressed wrong place and sent message early. My suggestion is to put 2 umpires on the field and split the 1.5 umpire fee. If the 1.5 fee is what the league has in the budget for a game then that can not be changed immediately, but you can negotiate for next year. Show the coaches and board how well a 2 man crew can work together and hopefully they see the value and hire 2 man crews next year. It may suck to split a 1.5 game fee 2 ways but I like that idea better than 1 umpire on the diamond. It sounds like a tough issue with no easy answer In my area local Babe Ruth is a memory and the days of a 13 yr. old with little experience signing up for $50 and playing a 20 game season with a shot at an all star team are over. It's all travel ball and tournaments in the summer. In the spring we have 6th grade- 8th grade that play "middle school ball". These teams are connected to the high school. The players dress in high school colors and the high school coaches oversee the program. The high schools provide balls and umpires. We are getting small raises up here. We are blessed to live in an area where umpires are highly valued. I had never heard of 1-man until I got on this site. If we do not have 2 umpires we do not have a game. The game would be postponed. It would be like trying to play a game without balls and bats and gloves. We need 2 umpires to start the game. I do not take pride in this and consider you a "hayseed", or inferior to our group. I am just stating facts. Just the opposite. I admire you for dealing with a less than perfect situation with hard work and pride. All the best to you as you wrestle with this issue

Hi Grayhawk. Hope your day is good. I have always thought Southern California was very sophisticated and plays some of the best ball in America. As you say, working your ass off and providing good service may be hurting your chances of getting a second umpire. I applaud you for your hard work. I respect you for doing a good job even though you may prefer a partner. I do not think you or your peers are hayseeds. I assumed the problem was umpire numbers. My apology for making an assumption I could not figure out why a valley with 12 million could not find enough umpires. Since it is a money issue I have a suggestion. Some of the posts mention umpires

There are many components to a baseball program. General manager down to someone washing uniforms. Grounds crew, burger and hot dog person. Secretary and team bus driver. Announcer and music person. Coaching staff. The purchase of balls, bats, clay, chalk, and tarps. Backstop maintenance. Payment for a lease of land and water bills. Sprinkler maintenance and mound maintenance A cart to drag the infield. A grass mover. Lighting for night games. Purchase and maintenance. It goes on and on, so a board could decide that enough money has already been spent. Let's cut our budget by keeping umpire fees as low as possible. Let's hire one umpire to do a 3 man job. Sounds like a good idea until there is a very close play at third base in a tie game. If you are going to pay 1.5 fee to 1 umpire why not hire a second umpire for .5 game fee cost and trim the budget somewhere else. Another mind set would be to prioritize umpires in your budget from the start. If a board could be convinced that 2 good umpires enhance the league, bring the class level of the league up, maybe they would value umpires enough to hire 2 With travel ball the players are better and more competitive than ever. I think all the effort that is put into a program to make it an exciting experience for players and parents deserves good umpire crews. I think it is short sighted to save bucks by cutting crews down to the minimum. Someone said it is just a kids game, why bother. I think if we are going to do something, lets do it right. Let's have some class Players play better and have a better experience Our local Legion team competes at a high level They play in the Legion World Series often. They work hard to get better and they compete When they are on the road at a tournament they go to team breakfast and when they return to their room their uniform is cleaned and folded and placed on their bed with their cap and socks It is a touch of class and the players feel valued and they respect the program. We work youth games like a varsity high school game. Call your partner the night before Pre game and post game(beer/pizza) Shined shoes or patent leather. Pro style shirts that are clean and match. Jackets that match and caps that are new and say," I take your game seriously and I am here to work". Honigs poly wool pants with pleats that actually see a dry cleaner once in a while. Patent leather belts and new mask pads. It's just a mind set of honoring the game. Respect. Passion. Class. Everyone had to make a choice what kind of program they want.

Interesting stuff. How about non prescription, non mirror, sunglasses that have ear pieces that are baseball white in color. Before the first pitch was thrown the guest team coach wanted the sunglasses removed. His position was the ear pieces were distracting to his hitters because he taught Ted Williams hitting science. Teddy Baseball,( whose life time goal was to be the greatest hitter of all time) focused his eyes on the pitcher's cap. Since the pitcher's arm slot is very close to his cap it is easy to pick up the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand. Joe Morgan did the same thing. Focus on the pitcher 'a cap. I do the same thing as an umpire. By the way, I wear prescription sunglasses every day game. Mine are shooter orange. I thought the coach's point was strong. I asked the pitcher if he needed his glasses. I knew I needed mine. He had forgotten he had sunglasses on and their removal was a non issue.

Good stuff. Thanks Matt.

Nice job Matt. 1st base and now third base in the same week. What measurement should we use Matt, when ruling on "making a play". If I am the third baseman here and I can catch the throw from my pitcher and take 1 step and then make a tag attempt on R-3, have I met the criteria for being close enough to "make a play "? The rule book says throw to the bag. How precise does the throw need to be to be legal? Step and a reach ok?

I did not think it was a balk. I had the advantage of slow motion. I would like to know what the Ole Miss coach said to the 2nd base umpire. I think he had issues with the Husky pitcher' upper body motion. Just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on the pick off. Happy for you that you were able to attend the game. Looks and sounds like a great venue . Anthony Bourdain was in Oxford On C.N.N. Sunday night. Great food. Hope you had a good meal after the game.

Yes, Jocko, you are right about that. Lines in the sand can be foolish. We do not have a union but sometimes we describe ourselves as a brotherhood. What would happen if all the brothers got together and said in a respectful manner," hey, I deserve a partner". If you can sell the payer that they will get much better coverage with 2 umpires maybe that would do the trick or if you can hammer home the point that the players deserve 2 umpires. My apologies for over simplifying a complicated issue.