Can I Vent

[umpire78]

This particular assignor is bowing to this program as she has lost her huge following of leagues and umpires. I think she just lost one more.

Soapbox - "POLITICS" infects just about every aspect of our lives, and sadly even baseball/softball or any other recreational sport. So and so knows so and so, whatshisface knows whatsherface, etc. I've always told the various associations I've been in that anyone can come watch me umpire at any time and ask me any questions about why I did "this" or why I did "that." I WELCOME scrutiny on my performance. I stopped a men's SP game one time because of lightning. Ten minutes in to the delay, one player meets me behind the fence and asks: "Are you an umpire or a F***ING weatherman?" Gritting my teeth, I said: "I'm an umpire who is responsible for YOUR safety and as long as there is lightning in the area, WE ARE NOT PLAYING." I must admit I did get a little loud. This IDIOT wanted to play with lightning in the area.

[umpire78]

"Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig."

ROFL. Gotta remember that one. :nod:

[mstaylor]

I had a similar experience the other night. A couple of weeks ago I was going out to watch some of our men's league game. I am a commissioner so I go out regularly. I am also manager for the complex that they play in. It includes the baseball field, four soccer fields and four softball fields. As I was riding by field two softball I see a huge knot of angry players around the SP softball umpire. Knowing the site supervisor on that night, nice retired guy, I thought I better stop. The umpire disengaged himself for the mess and asked that I stay for the rest of the game. Personally I would have dumped the VM for running his mouth but not my call. Game gets over but the problems spilled over behind the pressbox. I stepped between the guys and sent them to the parking lot. It wasn't quiet and it wasn't without language, plus a threat to call the police.

Fast forward to Tuesday night, they are playing each other again,the manager of one of the teams asked I be there just in case. Unfortunately the umpire was not as strong as the previous one, but one that will take care of trouble. This is a long way to a point, but on at three occasions I saw and heard the manager point at me and tell players I was a douchebag. I ignored him but I did stick for the whole game. After the game he threatened the umpire. I reported the problem to the league director and league UIC.

[renegadewolf]

I'm not trying to be mean here.... but the stupid, it burns. Walk away, wash your hands and don't look back. You won't fix him, your assigner or the situation in that league. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" Proverb. I sincerely doubt you would put up with someone bringing up old games with you, so why is it ok for you to rehash? Expect respect and give it, even if they don't deserve it. My buck fifty

[Jocko]

Our head TD is learning a hard lesson. If he doesn't actually witness it himself, the coach is more than likely imbellishing. Case in point : last weekend 14u. HP and I call balk. AC (technically he's the HC, but he wasn't at the plate meeting, so....) From his bucket at the opening of the dugout yells. "Tell him what he did!" No response from either of us. "Tell him what he did, Blue!" HP looks at him and says "He double set." AC - "Don't tell me, tell HIM!" HP - "it's not my job to caoch your players." Coach starts bitching. Mom in the stands starts bitching. Play on. Between innings HP tells HC (the one at the plate meeting) "if you want to ask me about a balk, call time and come to me. I'll be glad to explain, and I'll even let you talk to F1 w/o charging a conference." Fast forward to next day. TD asks me why HP warned HC (not at the plate meeting) that if he didn't get fans under control he'd be EJed. after I explained the HC/plate meeting rule, I told him it never happened. He said I knowthis guy and he wouldn't lie to me. I said sorry, but that didnt happen and told him what ACTUALLY went down. He couldn't believe it. For whatever reason, this coach completely fabricated this yarn. TD is learning that we, who have no stake in the outcome, really don't give a rat's a$$ how it plays out, and will give him the straight skinny. Coaches will twist words, scenarios, situations, and even outright lie to.... Who the hell knows why they do it?

[JHSump]

TD is learning that we, who have no stake in the outcome, really don't give a rat's a$$ how it plays out, and will give him the straight skinny. Coaches will twist words, scenarios, situations, and even outright lie to.... Who the hell knows why they do it?

Isn't that the truth! It applies to almost everything we deal with in baseball, before the game, during the game, after the game. It's not that the coaches/players/fans are "bad" people --- it's just that they are too emotionally involved in the events. We, on the other hand, can see things from a reasonable vantage point, precisely because we are not emotionally involved in the outcome. Actually, that's our whole purpose, and has been our whole purpose ever since Alexander Cartwright wrote the first rules for that first game of the "Knickerbocker Base Ball Club" (see http://www.19cbaseball.com/image-knickerbocker-baseball-rules.html).

We are the "honored gentleman" selected to oversee the game, make rulings, settle disputes, and "fine" those that act in an unsportsmanlike nature. There is such a person (the umpire) precisely because emotionally involved humans (even members of a "gentleman's club") can't be counted on to be totally reasonable in the face of competition. It's just the nature of the beast.

[mstaylor]

Coaches tend to either embellish or deny all actions by them. Long story short I was handling two problems coaches in a soccer game. It was over a call made, correctly, by my partner. When he cussed me I dumped him. My assigner was at the complex at the time and he went directly to him to complain he got dumped for no reason. The assigner came to me at the half and asked what he said. I told him, he said OK, to the parking lot he goes. He said the coach said he never said anything and my assigner told him he had to have said something or I wouldn't have booted him.

[SoCal Lurker]

I'm not trying to be mean here.... but the stupid, it burns. Walk away, wash your hands and don't look back. You won't fix him, your assigner or the situation in that league. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" Proverb. I sincerely doubt you would put up with someone bringing up old games with you, so why is it ok for you to rehash? Expect respect and give it, even if they don't deserve it. My buck fifty

IMO, this is great advice for coaches and umpires and players. . . . heck, it's great advice for life for that matter . . .

[umpire_scott]

Yawetag, I have no problem with your criticism. I questioned myself what good could come from it. The reality was, if he thought I sucked, so be it. I'll live with his opinion. But when you call an assigner and tell them I'm unprofessional when that clearly was not the case, you are spreading something that could impact me in areas that could have an effect. The guy is a bad guy, and if I had spare time, I might just record his antics and post on this site. Since I work just about every night, and I'm not into throwing him under the bus, I'll take the high road and move on. And for the record, the zone was perfect, as written in our rule books, specifically for 10U Girls FP.

Initially I thought you were simply at the park as a spectator. In that case I would have no problem with approaching him. The fact that you were calling games at that complex that day I would suggest avoiding it. I won't say I would have avoided it, but I know that I should have.