My first college game....ever.

[Welpe]

All I'm saying is umpires may bicker like women sometimes but I'm not your sister...

http://dictionary.re...browse/sorority

[umped up]

All I'm saying is umpires may bicker like women sometimes but I'm not your sister...

http://dictionary.re...browse/sorority

Ah ha, My bad. how funny!

[Guest]

We are a brotherhood, not a sorority.

No one is attacking you. I'm not sure you were even truly "ripped"

You posted a situation that you egregiously mishandled and were critiqued as such based on the caliber of umpire you need to be to succeed at that level, not according to the caliber of umpire that you are.

Call correctness, mechanics, style, etc etc all mean nothing in relation to game management. If you have poor GM, your development will plateau faster than you can blink. Look at Angel Hernandez - according to Gil and the UEFL, since they began tracking call correctness leading to an EJ, all of AH's EJs have stemmed from correct calls. But, many times his ejections have caused controversy throughout the baseball world and he is consistently rated at or near the bottom of player and manager polls. Furthermore, Angel has only worked in the post season once since 2006 - one of last year's division series. Umpiring is not a matter of "what have you done for me?", it is a matter of "what have you done for me lately?"

To succeed, you need to be your own toughest critic. Even if you do get ripped on here, it shouldn't bother you - because if the situation merits you being ripped, you should already be ripping on yourself.

If you encounter a situation and wish to discuss it on here but are concerned about the feedback being too harsh, admit right away that you weren't sure what was appropriate, instead of surmising that the way you acted was the right way to go. That said, you may still get chewed out but you must learn to take the good with the bad.

[mstaylor]

One of the best pieces of advice after a particularly bad plate was, "Take what you know you did wrong and learn from it." It is important to always learn from your mistakes. We are showing you what you did wrong so you can.

[umped up]

We are a brotherhood, not a sorority.

No one is attacking you. I'm not sure you were even truly "ripped"

You posted a situation that you egregiously mishandled and were critiqued as such based on the caliber of umpire you need to be to succeed at that level, not according to the caliber of umpire that you are.

Call correctness, mechanics, style, etc etc all mean nothing in relation to game management. If you have poor GM, your development will plateau faster than you can blink. Look at Angel Hernandez - according to Gil and the UEFL, since they began tracking call correctness leading to an EJ, all of AH's EJs have stemmed from correct calls. But, many times his ejections have caused controversy throughout the baseball world and he is consistently rated at or near the bottom of player and manager polls. Furthermore, Angel has only worked in the post season once since 2006 - one of last year's division series. Umpiring is not a matter of "what have you done for me?", it is a matter of "what have you done for me lately?"

To succeed, you need to be your own toughest critic. Even if you do get ripped on here, it shouldn't bother you - because if the situation merits you being ripped, you should already be ripping on yourself.

If you encounter a situation and wish to discuss it on here but are concerned about the feedback being too harsh, admit right away that you weren't sure what was appropriate, instead of surmising that the way you acted was the right way to go. That said, you may still get chewed out but you must learn to take the good with the bad.

Agreed. Makes sense. :nod:

[umped up]

One of the best pieces of advice after a particularly bad plate was, "Take what you know you did wrong and learn from it." It is important to always learn from your mistakes. We are showing you what you did wrong so you can.

I understand. Thanks for your help. And I am My worst critic, some think a little too hard but I don't think so. I try hard no to make the same mistake twice. I'd much rather learn here than make the mistakes out there. Thanks again.

[alex7]

Quick question the balk, flipping the ball from one hand to the glove, is that always called at every level

[umped up]

Quick question the balk, flipping the ball from one hand to the glove, is that always called at every level

Actually, that's not even a balk. If he's in the "stretch" position and not the "set" position, there was nothing wrong with this. The coach said he does this every time in the stretch position and this was the first time "ever" he's been called on it. If he's in the stretch position and he goes to adjust his cap, is that a balk? As long as there's no intent to decieve the runner (your judgement obviously) in that situation.

[HokieUmp]

After the game, I put the balls in the home teams dugout and headed toward the parking lot and my partner looked up at me and said, "later" and walked away. Obviously, he had nothing to say about it. I then waited until he left the lot and patiently waited for the home coach to finish his post game and motioned him over to me. And to no surprise, he welcomed me with both hands behind his back with a glaring look as to say, "what the fk do you want"? I then extended my hand and said, "what was your name again"? He extended his and said, John. I then wanted him to know that I cared about the situation and if he was satisfied with the calling. NO! He still had no clue what the balk was about. He then called his pitcher over who explained to me that he was still unsure of his balk He said "from what I can surmise, I think blah blah.

I'm sure there are plenty of replies to this, but I'm just going to go ahead and say: your partner wasn't the only one out of line. In fact, you were so much farther out of line, you can't even SEE your partner from there. I mean, I'm so astonished, i have to ask: really? You really did that?

Aside from throwing your partner under the bus, without him even around to know the bus was approaching, you did another Thing You Don't Do: kiss a coach's ass.

Please don't do that again. Ever.

I'm not a college guy, and it looks like I never will be, given where I'm living now, and my current age, but I know I won't be doing this, if it ever DOES happen.

Edit: now that I've finished the whole thread, it would appear you were, in fact, replied to. With interest. But I'm not deleting the post. Just keep working and learning.

[umped up]

Oh, Im in absolute areeance with you. Trust me, I've been torn up a bit on this one. I never had the intentions of doing so, it's just that he didn't wait for me to put the balls away in the home dugout. I honestly think he just wanted to get the hell out of dodge. He didn't have a very good day behind the plate or in the field. Coaches, fans and players were on him throughout the day for his calls. Here's just a couple: He's the PU, R1 is stealing, B1 attempts to bunt a high pitch. Not only did B1 not pull back but he went forward a tad to make contact. He called it a ball said he pulled back. The visiting dug out and fans let him here about that one. He never checked with me.

Another: pitch comes inside to B1 and I hear a nick, I thought it was either the bat or B1. B1 drops the bat and heads to 1st. PU says, "no you don't, get back here", I thought he was going to call foul. The 3rd base coach comes down to discuss it with him and he just told him there was no way it hit him because the catcher didnt have to move his glove to catch it. He called it a ball as if nothing happened. I definitely heard something and a lot of others did too but him. I'll leave it at those two.

The only thing I did that was out of line was when he was in a battle on the field with the manager over a balk call and I went out there when I noticed them getting loud. I positioned myself by them and intervened. What I learned was to just be in ear shot, it was his battle not mine to solve. Once an EJ happens, then and only then do I (if needed) to put myself between them to get the coach back to the dug out. The manager told me as he was walking back to the dug out that my assignor will be getting a call. I had no intention to talk to him after the game but once my partner turned around after saying "later" and left, I thought hmmmm. He has no clue I did this, he had already left. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making exuses, I should have never done that. I just thought too that I've give my assignor a heads up on what's he gonna get an earfull of. (yes, im still wrong, I know)

The only time that will happen again is if us partners are walking out together and one of the coaches call for us. That's it! I honestly don't think my partner was mad at me, I think he really just wanted to get as far away from that place as possible. I can understand why with the two games he had. Hey, we all have those games sooner or later.

I have learned, trust me on this.....

[Replacematt]

Oh, Im in absolute areeance with you. Trust me, I've been torn up a bit on this one. I never had the intentions of doing so, it's just that he didn't wait for me to put the balls away in the home dugout. I honestly think he just wanted to get the hell out of dodge. He didn't have a very good day behind the plate or in the field. Coaches, fans and players were on him throughout the day for his calls. Here's just a couple: He's the PU, R1 is stealing, B1 attempts to bunt a high pitch. Not only did B1 not pull back but he went forward a tad to make contact. He called it a ball said he pulled back. The visiting dug out and fans let him here about that one. He never checked with me.

Another: pitch comes inside to B1 and I hear a nick, I thought it was either the bat or B1. B1 drops the bat and heads to 1st. PU says, "no you don't, get back here", I thought he was going to call foul. The 3rd base coach comes down to discuss it with him and he just told him there was no way it hit him because the catcher didnt have to move his glove to catch it. He called it a ball as if nothing happened. I definitely heard something and a lot of others did too but him. I'll leave it at those two.

The only thing I did that was out of line was when he was in a battle on the field with the manager over a balk call and I went out there when I noticed them getting loud. I positioned myself by them and intervened. What I learned was to just be in ear shot, it was his battle not mine to solve. Once an EJ happens, then and only then do I (if needed) to put myself between them to get the coach back to the dug out. The manager told me as he was walking back to the dug out that my assignor will be getting a call. I had no intention to talk to him after the game but once my partner turned around after saying "later" and left, I thought hmmmm. He has no clue I did this, he had already left. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making exuses, I should have never done that. I just thought too that I've give my assignor a heads up on what's he gonna get an earfull of. (yes, im still wrong, I know)

The only time that will happen again is if us partners are walking out together and one of the coaches call for us. That's it! I honestly don't think my partner was mad at me, I think he really just wanted to get as far away from that place as possible. I can understand why with the two games he had. Hey, we all have those games sooner or later.

I have learned, trust me on this.....

Next thing to learn: "Getting the hell out of Dodge" is something an umpire should do, by practice. Sure, maybe it was a bad game or two--doesn't matter; you could have the best games of your life. It's simple: Get there, do your job, get out. As my mother says, "Nothing good happens when you're out after midnight." Nothing good happens when you're at the field after the game is done.

[Richvee]

Quick question the balk, flipping the ball from one hand to the glove, is that always called at every level

Actually, that's not even a balk. If he's in the "stretch" position and not the "set" position, there was nothing wrong with this. The coach said he does this every time in the stretch position and this was the first time "ever" he's been called on it. If he's in the stretch position and he goes to adjust his cap, is that a balk? As long as there's no intent to decieve the runner (your judgement obviously) in that situation.

I may be wrong, but I don't think this rule is any different at any level. I do not know NCAA rules, but this sure is a balk in HS.

NFHS.arbitersports.com/Front/105401/Rules/Book?rulebookid=84a3fd7c-1173-4b83-8c68-de530b79c3b7'>6.1.3 SITUATION D

With R1 on first, F1, in a set-position stance with the ball in his gloved hand and his pitching hand at his side, takes his sign. He removes the ball from his glove and goes to a set position.

RULING: This is a balk.

NFHS.arbitersports.com/Front/105401/Rules/Book?rulebookid=84a3fd7c-1173-4b83-8c68-de530b79c3b7'>6.1.3 SITUATION E

With R1 on first, F1 receives the ball from F2 and with his feet in set position stance and in contact with the pitcher's plate (a) nervously tosses ball in glove two or three times, or (B) removes the ball from his glove.

RULING: This is a balk in (a) and (B). Restrictions on F1's movements begin when he intentionally contacts the pitcher's plate with his pivot foot.

[mstaylor]

If the pitcher flips the ball as part of settling on the rubber, let it go. If he continues to flip it then it is a balk. Don't worry about taking the balls to the dugout, just roll them in the general direction. It saves from giving the manager an easy shot. Getting out of Dodge should mean getting off the field, it should not mean leave your partner high and dry. I'm not sure you said it or not but on a bunt attempt you don't have to pull it back, you just can't push it forward.

[umped up]

If the pitcher flips the ball as part of settling on the rubber, let it go. If he continues to flip it then it is a balk. Don't worry about taking the balls to the dugout, just roll them in the general direction. It saves from giving the manager an easy shot. Getting out of Dodge should mean getting off the field, it should not mean leave your partner high and dry. I'm not sure you said it or not but on a bunt attempt you don't have to pull it back, you just can't push it forward.

The only reason I took the balls to the dugout was that the coach asked me to put them in the box for him. On the bunt, you stand correct. The batter actually made an attempt at it (bat was moving forward)

[mstaylor]

I think the idea that you were out of line after the game is well documented, however your partner was just as wrong in what he did. You NEVER,EVER leave your partner. He may have had a tough day but you stay and either discuss it or at least hang out with your partner until he is changed out. By leaving you, you tried to do a good thing that somewhat backfired. If he had stayed you could have talked out the situation where you interceded in the discussion. Because he left, you had no idea you were in the wrong and then compounded the problem by talking to the coach.

End result, an inexperienced umpire made an indiscretion during the game. Because the experienced umpire left then the same inexperienced umpire made a second indiscretion. The first one was simply a mistake due to inexperience, the second was as much on the partner, he allowed a new guy to try and fix something with no guidance.

[umped up]

I think the idea that you were out of line after the game is well documented, however your partner was just as wrong in what he did. You NEVER,EVER leave your partner. He may have had a tough day but you stay and either discuss it or at least hang out with your partner until he is changed out. By leaving you, you tried to do a good thing that somewhat backfired. If he had stayed you could have talked out the situation where you interceded in the discussion. Because he left, you had no idea you were in the wrong and then compounded the problem by talking to the coach.

End result, an inexperienced umpire made an indiscretion during the game. Because the experienced umpire left then the same inexperienced umpire made a second indiscretion. The first one was simply a mistake due to inexperience, the second was as much on the partner, he allowed a new guy to try and fix something with no guidance.

I love how you put things. That pretty much sums it up in a nut shell. ;)

[ukce1861]

A guy I respect once told me, "You win the job on the plate and you lose the job on the bases." A good "ball/strike umpire" is impressive, and I think, initially, that's the hardest thing to get "good" at. You can do an adequate job on the bases almost immediately. It typically takes more time to develop a consistent strike zone.

But once you have a consistent strike zone and are a good ball/strike umpire, it takes far more time to master the nuances of the rest of the job - kind of like the 20% that Mike always refers to. I feel like I've been a good ball/strike umpire for a couple of years now (missing 3-6 pitches per game, with one "gross miss" every 8-10 games or less). And I'm good with routine plays at the plate/on the bases. But it's the quirky stuff that still gets me from time to time. And I know there's stuff I miss; most of the time everybody else misses it too, but I still beat myself up knowing I missed it. I know my game management is not at a high level yet - again, it's adequate for most situation and with the exception of some very early games, I've never had a major problem - but I certainly wouldn't put myself in the upper echelon. Now a lot of that is just my personality - it's going to take more work for me then it will some other people - but for everyone, that takes time.

My point in all this is, most people outside of umpiring think calling balls and strikes is the hard part. But really, it's not that hard to get good at; for one thing, you get more practice with that then anything else. In a relatively short time, you can look really good behind the plate. Heck last year, I had a former AAA umpire ask me if I'd gone to pro school. But watch my footwork on the bases; watch me struggle to get the right steps on a pickoff; listen to me stutter on a explanation to a coach - then you know I never went anywhere... I'm a decent umpire, but I've got a ways to go and time's the only thing that's going to get me there.

I did one JuCo game in the spring last year - I was kind of a fill-in when no one else was available. I was way over my head and it showed. While I know I've gotten a lot better since then and am sure I would be more comfortable now, I still think there's a lot of value in putting in your time and working your way up the system. There's a lot to be said for working from the ground up. Umped, understand I'm not knocking on you and this isn't sour grapes - if I had the opportunity to start at the college level I'd probably jump on it too.

[mstaylor]

Game management is absolutely the thing that will make or break you as you move up. The problem with getting better on the bases is it can very routine for several games and all of a sudden, something blows up and you have to figure out what happened. Is it a passed runner or a hit runner that is between fielders, did the second fielder have a play. All kinds of odd things happen and you have to dredge some obscure rule up from your memory and explain it to the coach like it happens every day. Not an easy thing.

I was in the locker room of an A ball game where the PU dumped the home manager. We had a local guy on the bases due to an injury. Bottom of the first, R1, the LH F1 picks to first which got by the F3. The R1 was very fast and went to third. The ball rolled down the line, hit the tarp and bounced out of play. The PU killed the ball and returned the runner to second. The HM lost his mind and argued that his runner should stay at third. The umpire was correct but didn't handle all that well so the manager protested. The runner scored so the protest became moot. The real mistake was the PU refused to withdraw the protest and went ahead and wrote it up. When he called it in his supervisor gave him a fit for not withdrawing it. The PU didn't because the manager pissed him off. That's the problem of a young guy working a pro game. He has the rules knowledge and the mechanics but game management drags behind.

[umped up]

A guy I respect once told me, "You win the job on the plate and you lose the job on the bases." A good "ball/strike umpire" is impressive, and I think, initially, that's the hardest thing to get "good" at. You can do an adequate job on the bases almost immediately. It typically takes more time to develop a consistent strike zone.

But once you have a consistent strike zone and are a good ball/strike umpire, it takes far more time to master the nuances of the rest of the job - kind of like the 20% that Mike always refers to. I feel like I've been a good ball/strike umpire for a couple of years now (missing 3-6 pitches per game, with one "gross miss" every 8-10 games or less). And I'm good with routine plays at the plate/on the bases. But it's the quirky stuff that still gets me from time to time. And I know there's stuff I miss; most of the time everybody else misses it too, but I still beat myself up knowing I missed it. I know my game management is not at a high level yet - again, it's adequate for most situation and with the exception of some very early games, I've never had a major problem - but I certainly wouldn't put myself in the upper echelon. Now a lot of that is just my personality - it's going to take more work for me then it will some other people - but for everyone, that takes time.

My point in all this is, most people outside of umpiring think calling balls and strikes is the hard part. But really, it's not that hard to get good at; for one thing, you get more practice with that then anything else. In a relatively short time, you can look really good behind the plate. Heck last year, I had a former AAA umpire ask me if I'd gone to pro school. But watch my footwork on the bases; watch me struggle to get the right steps on a pickoff; listen to me stutter on a explanation to a coach - then you know I never went anywhere... I'm a decent umpire, but I've got a ways to go and time's the only thing that's going to get me there.

I did one JuCo game in the spring last year - I was kind of a fill-in when no one else was available. I was way over my head and it showed. While I know I've gotten a lot better since then and am sure I would be more comfortable now, I still think there's a lot of value in putting in your time and working your way up the system. There's a lot to be said for working from the ground up. Umped, understand I'm not knocking on you and this isn't sour grapes - if I had the opportunity to start at the college level I'd probably jump on it too.

How many games (roughly) do you have in, in all your career? And just to make sure you're clear on this, this isn't my first year and jumping right into college, it's my third. I know, I know..... that's still too soon. I thought last year I was moving up too quickly. I told my wife that I'm missing out on valuable experience by moving up so soon but I didn't want to tell them to keep me down, I took it and ran with it. I know I'm gonna get my nose bloodied but I have to get up, learn from it and keep moving forward. I use sites like this to gain knowledge and use other umpires experiences with handling situations. There's not a day that goes by that Im not in some book on situations, you make the call, case books, manuals, etc and role play through those situations. I'm trying to prepare myself the best I can without actually going through the situation.

I try to be over confident (not cocky) to make up for my lack of experience at that level. I hope to exude that confidence while I'm out there. I'm sure before long, I'll have another experience that I'll be posting on here to learn more from.

I understand that game experience is the best practice but being mentally prepared doesn't hurt.

[umped up]

Game management is absolutely the thing that will make or break you as you move up. The problem with getting better on the bases is it can very routine for several games and all of a sudden, something blows up and you have to figure out what happened. Is it a passed runner or a hit runner that is between fielders, did the second fielder have a play. All kinds of odd things happen and you have to dredge some obscure rule up from your memory and explain it to the coach like it happens every day. Not an easy thing.

I was in the locker room of an A ball game where the PU dumped the home manager. We had a local guy on the bases due to an injury. Bottom of the first, R1, the LH F1 picks to first which got by the F3. The R1 was very fast and went to third. The ball rolled down the line, hit the tarp and bounced out of play. The PU killed the ball and returned the runner to second. The HM lost his mind and argued that his runner should stay at third. The umpire was correct but didn't handle all that well so the manager protested. The runner scored so the protest became moot. The real mistake was the PU refused to withdraw the protest and went ahead and wrote it up. When he called it in his supervisor gave him a fit for not withdrawing it. The PU didn't because the manager pissed him off. That's the problem of a young guy working a pro game. He has the rules knowledge and the mechanics but game management drags behind.

Just curious here. What could the umpire have said to have the HM not understand that? If it's a rules thing, is this just a case where the manager didn't agree with the rule? You would think at that level, they would know that one. Or was it the PU attitude? Did you witness this?

[ukce1861]

How many games (roughly) do you have in, in all your career? And just to make sure you're clear on this, this isn't my first year and jumping right into college, it's my third.

255 games - 3rd year overall.

[mstaylor]

Game management is absolutely the thing that will make or break you as you move up. The problem with getting better on the bases is it can very routine for several games and all of a sudden, something blows up and you have to figure out what happened. Is it a passed runner or a hit runner that is between fielders, did the second fielder have a play. All kinds of odd things happen and you have to dredge some obscure rule up from your memory and explain it to the coach like it happens every day. Not an easy thing.

I was in the locker room of an A ball game where the PU dumped the home manager. We had a local guy on the bases due to an injury. Bottom of the first, R1, the LH F1 picks to first which got by the F3. The R1 was very fast and went to third. The ball rolled down the line, hit the tarp and bounced out of play. The PU killed the ball and returned the runner to second. The HM lost his mind and argued that his runner should stay at third. The umpire was correct but didn't handle all that well so the manager protested. The runner scored so the protest became moot. The real mistake was the PU refused to withdraw the protest and went ahead and wrote it up. When he called it in his supervisor gave him a fit for not withdrawing it. The PU didn't because the manager pissed him off. That's the problem of a young guy working a pro game. He has the rules knowledge and the mechanics but game management drags behind.

Just curious here. What could the umpire have said to have the HM not understand that? If it's a rules thing, is this just a case where the manager didn't agree with the rule? You would think at that level, they would know that one. Or was it the PU attitude? Did you witness this?

Yes I did witness it. It was a combination of an idiot manager that wouldn't listen and a young redass umpire. He explained it was one base from the rubber and then just insisted he had it. The manager just wouldn't listen. It was probably fine there but once the runner scored the protest makes no difference. Even if the umpire had been wrong, which he wasn't, the protest wouldn't cause a replay of the game. He should have just let the protest be withdrawn but the redass kicked in and he insisted it had to filed. He found out that was incorrect.

[umped up]

Game management is absolutely the thing that will make or break you as you move up. The problem with getting better on the bases is it can very routine for several games and all of a sudden, something blows up and you have to figure out what happened. Is it a passed runner or a hit runner that is between fielders, did the second fielder have a play. All kinds of odd things happen and you have to dredge some obscure rule up from your memory and explain it to the coach like it happens every day. Not an easy thing.

I was in the locker room of an A ball game where the PU dumped the home manager. We had a local guy on the bases due to an injury. Bottom of the first, R1, the LH F1 picks to first which got by the F3. The R1 was very fast and went to third. The ball rolled down the line, hit the tarp and bounced out of play. The PU killed the ball and returned the runner to second. The HM lost his mind and argued that his runner should stay at third. The umpire was correct but didn't handle all that well so the manager protested. The runner scored so the protest became moot. The real mistake was the PU refused to withdraw the protest and went ahead and wrote it up. When he called it in his supervisor gave him a fit for not withdrawing it. The PU didn't because the manager pissed him off. That's the problem of a young guy working a pro game. He has the rules knowledge and the mechanics but game management drags behind.

Just curious here. What could the umpire have said to have the HM not understand that? If it's a rules thing, is this just a case where the manager didn't agree with the rule? You would think at that level, they would know that one. Or was it the PU attitude? Did you witness this?

Yes I did witness it. It was a combination of an idiot manager that wouldn't listen and a young redass umpire. He explained it was one base from the rubber and then just insisted he had it. The manager just wouldn't listen. It was probably fine there but once the runner scored the protest makes no difference. Even if the umpire had been wrong, which he wasn't, the protest wouldn't cause a replay of the game. He should have just let the protest be withdrawn but the redass kicked in and he insisted it had to filed. He found out that was incorrect.

Let me ask you this. Does it make your case hold more water to these managers if you can state the rule and it's number? " It states in rule 7.08 © blah, blah, blah. " I just threw a numer out there, I have no idea what it even is.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I hate to pile on, but this needs to be addressed: Your quote: "... I then extended my hand and asked, 'What was your name again?'"

At the plate meeting, you exchanged names. You are to remember head coaches' names. (They're not managers, by the way.) It is unprofessional to forget the haed coach's name. It is even somewhat unprofessional to merely call him, "Coach." If you need to write it down, then do so. If you need to call him by it a couple of times in order to remember it, then do so. But to go through two games and then tell a coach that you don't know his name is really unacceptable.

You are obviously a passionate and driven umpire. I admire you for your rapid ascent and your extreme level of interest. But you have been cheated a bit by being rushed to the JUCO ranks before knowing basic game management and post-game etiquette. Some of the things that you did, including what I mentioned, must be worked out of your game as of yesterday.

I know it sounds negative, but umpiring has the longest list of "don'ts" of anything I have ever done in life. Learn what they are very soon. There are a host of umpires and coaches that would rather see you fail than succeed. Most of us here are in the other camp, or we probably wouldn't take the time to be here. You will succeed if you carry yourself like the over-standard umpire that you need to be to succeed at the collegiate level.

Stay at it, stay with us, and good luck!

[umped up]

I hate to pile on, but this needs to be addressed: Your quote: "... I then extended my hand and asked, 'What was your name again?'"

At the plate meeting, you exchanged names. You are to remember head coaches' names. (They're not managers, by the way.) It is unprofessional to forget the haed coach's name. It is even somewhat unprofessional to merely call him, "Coach." If you need to write it down, then do so. If you need to call him by it a couple of times in order to remember it, then do so. But to go through two games and then tell a coach that you don't know his name is really unacceptable.

You are obviously a passionate and driven umpire. I admire you for your rapid ascent and your extreme level of interest. But you have been cheated a bit by being rushed to the JUCO ranks before knowing basic game management and post-game etiquette. Some of the things that you did, including what I mentioned, must be worked out of your game as of yesterday.

I know it sounds negative, but umpiring has the longest list of "don'ts" of anything I have ever done in life. Learn what they are very soon. There are a host of umpires and coaches that would rather see you fail than succeed. Most of us here are in the other camp, or we probably wouldn't take the time to be here. You will succeed if you carry yourself like the over-standard umpire that you need to be to succeed at the collegiate level.

Stay at it, stay with us, and good luck!

I'm just waiting for someone to say something to me that I can disagree with. Your absolutely right! I like what you said, " you will succeed if you carry yourself like the over-standard umpire that you need to be to succeed at the collegiate level." I know this isn't a cure all but the mangers won't be able to tell as easily until of course something blows up and then you act clueless. I had another umpire tell me that same thing. He did AA ball and now does D-1. He says walk out there like you know wtf is going on and carry yourself like you own this damn field. Confidence not cockiness. Thanks for your input. You've all been extremely helpful in this spanking in which I deserve. :D