No-hitter plate work

[ump81]

I worked third base in a three man HS district playoff last week, the plate man was a veteran of about 15 years experience at the high school level, no college and this was probably the best and biggest game he has done. My partner and I are Div I college guys and thought the plate would be a great honor and pick-up for this guy. He was excited and happy to plate the game. It was a well played game 3-0 final, on his first big playoff plate job the guy calls a no-hitter! The park had a scoreboard but just the basics not an inning by inning run down, none of us knew it until the announcer said it after the last pitch! Game done in about 1:30, it was so quick we never had the chance to figure out the guy never gave up a hit. My question is this, as an evaluator in my association I must evaluate the plate work. My other partner is also an evaluator and he is senior so he will handle the evaluation for the most part, but honestly the plate guy did a poor to so-so job. Is this possible in a no-hitter or are we being over critical? The losing team had about 5-6 pitches called against it that almost bounced, the no hit guy had an outstanding curve and breaking pitch that overmatched the hitters and the umpire. He had a poor set up in the box stance and we figured out he was guessing on anything outside and low beacause he never saw it clearly due to no slot presence and being way behind the catcher. How can we honestly now go to the guy who is in the sky happy and excited and bring up some of the shortcomings. Youg uys must think we are nit-pickers and over critical, but it is truely possible to have a poor performance in a no hitter?

[BrianC14]

I worked third base in a three man HS district playoff last week, the plate man was a veteran of about 15 years experience at the high school level, no college and this was probably the best and biggest game he has done. My partner and I are Div I college guys and thought the plate would be a great honor and pick-up for this guy. He was excited and happy to plate the game. It was a well played game 3-0 final, on his first big playoff plate job the guy calls a no-hitter! The park had a scoreboard but just the basics not an inning by inning run down, none of us knew it until the announcer said it after the last pitch! Game done in about 1:30, it was so quick we never had the chance to figure out the guy never gave up a hit. My question is this, as an evaluator in my association I must evaluate the plate work. My other partner is also an evaluator and he is senior so he will handle the evaluation for the most part, but honestly the plate guy did a poor to so-so job. Is this possible in a no-hitter or are we being over critical? The losing team had about 5-6 pitches called against it that almost bounced, the no hit guy had an outstanding curve and breaking pitch that overmatched the hitters and the umpire. He had a poor set up in the box stance and we figured out he was guessing on anything outside and low beacause he never saw it clearly due to no slot presence and being way behind the catcher. How can we honestly now go to the guy who is in the sky happy and excited and bring up some of the shortcomings. Youg uys must think we are nit-pickers and over critical, but it is truely possible to have a poor performance in a no hitter?

No-hitters are the pitcher's glory, not the umpire's.

Just my $0.02.

As for your critique of the plate guy - - criminy, those sound like some pretty basic level comments (poor set up in the slot... and missing that many pitches is pretty good evidence of that). I don't think it's nit-picking.

[MCLEOD36]

It could have been the best game, he had never seen. I look at it simply, cream rises to top, but skim milk will never be cream. If he thinks he is cream now, let it lay, he will fall hard on the next assignments and then you can bring it up then. He is now feeling like that was HIS game, which we know we never swing a bat or make a tag. Just my two cents.

[therefump]

He had a poor set up in the box stance and we figured out he was guessing on anything outside and low beacause he never saw it clearly due to no slot presence and being way behind the catcher. How can we honestly now go to the guy who is in the sky happy and excited and bring up some of the shortcomings. Youg uys must think we are nit-pickers and over critical, but it is truely possible to have a poor performance in a no hitter?

Well, if he's a good umpire or aspires to be a good umpire he must want feedback. In addition, I agree with BrianC14 (somethings wrong here, we agree) that it's a pitchers' glory not ours.

I always (yes, always) ask my partner(s) to critique me....for example, "hey, if you see anything let me know. There's always room for improvement", etc. If I had 2 evaluators on the bases I'd be taping them for knowledge for sure.

Lastly, if he's too sensitive then maybe he's at too high a level for his own good.

[Umpire in Chief]

I think I have some pretty good insight here. While I have no idea of the other umpires in the game mentioned, I have been evaluated by Ump81.

You can see my evaluation and blog about our last eval game together here

... Also note when reading my blog I did not get my eval until several days after I wrote the blog. My line about, "If I don’t move up, this game will be the reason." Was a

tad bit

dramatic, but how I was feeling as I took out my frustration at myself on the keyboard. I am also a

tad bit

more harsh on myself than sometimes necessary.

Back to topic. I would definitely give this guy the feedback he needs. One thing you specifically and most of the other evaluators are good at is giving it to us straight, but also tempered with what we did well. Hopefully he will have some idea of the legitimate concerns you have with his performance and will want to hear it to improve himself. Undoubtedly the no-hitter was a thrill and something he can be proud to have called, but we are talking 2 different animals with the pitcher's performance and the umpire's. But overall treat it like any other game for the purposes of the evaluation.

[treedog24]

Read Jack Welsh ideas about performance and review of performance... your are doing this guy a diservice by not telling him, he will do another game and will suck and he will come back to you and say why didn't you tell me this? This would be no different than not dumping a rat coach when they need to be dumped.

[bassfam11]

Well, if he's a good umpire or aspires to be a good umpire he must want feedback. In addition, I agree with BrianC14 (somethings wrong here, we agree) that it's a pitchers' glory not ours.

I always (yes, always) ask my partner(s) to critique me....for example, "hey, if you see anything let me know. There's always room for improvement", etc. If I had 2 evaluators on the bases I'd be taping them for knowledge for sure.

Lastly, if he's too sensitive then maybe he's at too high a level for his own good.

QFT

If I had two D1 partners on a game, I would buy dinner, get you drunk:givebeer: and get to the truth. Without honest evaluations it is hard to improve. Tell it to him straight

[mstaylor]

It may have been the fact that he was in the biggest game of his life with two DI evaluators on the bases. Have you seen him work at other levels? If he normally does a decent job and he just banged up a high powered game then you focas your eval that way. Take it from the angle of , I know were nervous but you need to learn to control the nervousness in a big game. Then you can tell him what you guys saw and attribute it to nerves and how to concentrate on the mechanics basics to control his nerves.

Instead of making it a negative eval of his plate job, make it a next time you are in a game that big here's what to do. Way more positive.

[jjb]

If it's your job to evaluate him on every game, by all means, go ahead and do so: Personally, I won't evaluate an umpire (1) on a tournament game, or (2) when he's shorthanded (1 man). He's got enough pressure out there, without worrying about me standing behind him. I'll wait and find him on a nice, regular season game, and get to see him in his natural habitat....

[LLWS#32]

Just out of curiousity how did the guy get the assignment in the first place? Clearly this was a big enough game that a "known entity" should have gotten it.

[LMSANS]

Speaking as someone who is starving for an evaluation, give him the feedback in context, but let him know where he needs to improve and where he did well(?).