Calling a game solo by standing behind the mound

[benrosen]

Has anybody done this? What has been your experience compared to being solo behind the plate?

[MPLSMatt]

I know that the FED book explicitly allows it, but I can't say I've ever seen it or would have the courage to do it. Got to imagine it's a sh*t storm before the first pitch is even thrown.

[spiritumpa]

how can you tell fair/foul on a ball down the line???

[1dumbquestion]

8u maybe 10U scrimmage type game fine. anything else no way. 1

[benrosen]

Last year when I was playing 18u we had it happen on two occasions but it was only because the umpires didn't have their equipment with them (I guess they assumed they would have a partner do the plate and they no-showed).

In a 13u tournament I worked earlier in the year one of the teams came down from buffalo and told me that in their travel league they only get 1 umpire per game and the umpires always work from behind the mound:crazy:

[JaxRolo]

The only time I work behind the mound is on a 8u pitching mahine game where we don't have to call balls and strikes. Even then I don't like it. Like spiritumpa said you can really see the ball down the line to well.

[Stan W.]

Absent not having gear....(That excuse I will never understand as if I am at a game, I have my gear).....Only the lazy umpire works behind the mound. Fair/foul, balls/strikes are called from the plate....and you can bust out and get an angle on plays on the bases.......

[Ros@]

Absent not having gear....(That excuse I will never understand as if I am at a game, I have my gear).....Only the lazy umpire works behind the mound. Fair/foul, balls/strikes are called from the plate....and you can bust out and get an angle on plays on the bases.......

================================================

I disagree Stan.

I for instance am an Ump that after 5 years of ump still do not have my complete outfit. Why you would ask? Simple. I have not have a proper job for over the past 6 years. Always having a temp. job or projects for 3months or so. As a single mother of 2 children (14 & 10) a complete outfit, which costs over $500.00 is not on my priority list. And unfortunately I will not buy things to use till I have the money to buy the ones I would like, nor do I borrow outfits from my colleagues umpires.

Ump LL games, it's all voluntarly and no pay. That made me move up to the higher levels A and AA to receive payment in order to buy my outfit, but still, it was not on my priority list. So today- almost 6 years later- I have my gear, counter, brush, belt, ball bag, shirts, pants, hat and the chest protector.

However I still need the knee protector, protecting bra & cups, proper plate shoes and so on.

So I take a game if necesary from the mount if solo and on bases when more than 1 ump. It's true that lot's of the line calls CAN be tricky but he, when in a 2-man or 3-man system and you are in the 2nd or 3rd hole, you have to call them as well. Same goes for check-swings, etc. I found my strike zone to be more accurate when on the mount but that's because I do not chief on a regular bases from behind the plate so I need the practise in order to realy opinion which one I would prefer, although I can not imagine a ump saying he would prefer to call the balls from a mount. That's not baseball to me.

Regardless of having the proper outfit, not 1 game of mine has been posponed whatsoever, cause I am a commited umpire. I ump 2 to 3 times a week on a regular season and will always reach the stadium 30 min before scheduled time. I am at the stadium almost 3 times a week just to watch and discussed a game with my mentor or fellow umpires. I mantain a house with 2 children and if I'm lazy it won't be for umpiring a baseball game (I do not do softball) from on the mount.

I love the game and am very sory I got my certification when I was well passed 35. If I could do this all over again, I would have started when 18 as that's the minimum age accepted here on the island for being a certified umpire.

If this was a payed job.... I would never retired... most probably would I be carried away after a heart-attack or something...whahaha... lol.

I just love the game!

:rose:

[Stan W.]

================================================

I disagree Stan.

I for instance am an Ump that after 5 years of ump still do not have my complete outfit. I just love the game

Not having gear is the one excuse I do except.....it is those who have the proper gear and choose not to umpire the game from the best position or those who have the gear and fail to bring it to a scheduled game that gets my lazy umpire tag....

we are glad to have you in the umpire ranks.......

[semper_fi_72]

Ros@

You have very valid points and we are glad to have you in the umpire ranks.

Volunteering to work Little League is great.

I believe Stan is talking about those guys who always seem to not have their gear with them. They are taking good pay to work games, yet do not invest it in gear as they should.

They are LAZY and only want to go out there only to make some money.

When I played ball in NY back in the late 60's all our umpires worked single man from behind the mound.

I have done a couple of innings from behind the mound for a Little League Jr game.

I had finished my games and took off my gear and was about to pull out of the parking lot.

The umpire for the next game was running late and they grabbed me at the last minute. To get the game moving I worked from behind the mound till he showed up.

Not to hard to call balls and strikes and you just have to be ready to move for the calls on the lines.

As with working 1 man from behind the plate, you just get the best angle and distance you can and make the call.

I would not want to do it on any regular basis.

[Mr Umpire]

I have done 1 game from behind the mound.

It was a PONY (13/14) game. One team forfeited and my partner left. They still wanted to play with an umpire. I decided that I wasn't getting hit for no reason at this point. I already got paid and should be off the field.

So, I took my uniform shirt and equipment off and did it from behind the mound in a t-shirt. I was also 15 at the time too.

[HokieUmp]

Only the lazy umpire works behind the mound.

Not true. An umpire that's been directed there by the league and/or assignor also works solo from the mound. I take exception (as one who has done at least three games like that this year) to being called a lazy umpire.

That said, I hate doing it that way. If not told otherwise, I'd rather get the gear on and get behind the plate. Weather might also play a factor, too, but I'd prefer behind the plate.

My only EJ this year was thanks to that. Think I've told it here, but two tough-ish calls down the 3B line. I get them both foul. They happen about three innings apart, and when the 2nd one happens, I'm told "That's two, Blue!"

Whoosh.

I was asked later if there was anything else I could have done. The other option, which I rejected immediately, was to say to the coach "Pay for a second umpire, you cheap f---er, and that might work out differently for you!" Note that I did, in fact, reject that option. Not that it wasn't correct, it just wasn't the thing to say.

[jim knight]

Has anybody done this? What has been your experience compared to being solo behind the plate?

I have done it... I do not consider myself lazy.

Had no problems.

Same basics are important...

[PeteBooth]

================================================

Always having a temp. job or projects for 3months or so. As a single mother of 2 children (14 & 10) a complete outfit, which costs over $500.00 is not on my priority list. And unfortunately I will not buy things to use till I have the money to buy the ones I would like, nor do I borrow outfits from my colleagues umpires.

Ump LL games, it's all voluntarly and no pay.

Since you mentioned Priority List

Why did you umpire LL games for nothing?

While I admire your devotion to LL, if you are going to Prioritise then you should have looked for other venues that pay. IMO you cannot have it both ways meaning LL games should NOT have been at the top of your Priority list just like buying your equipment wasn't.

I was a single father of 4 and made that choice. My kids are now grown. I was NOT going to umpire for free as at that time in my life I couldn't afford to.

Do not know what kind of part time jobs you had etc. BUT you could have became HS certified instead of doing LL games.

HS Fees in most areas are pretty good.

Also, even if you could NOT do HS games because of your job you could do summer / fall travel leagues.

Let's say you put 75-80% of the fee back into the household and saved 20-25% of the fee for equipment or some combination there-of.

Also, while it can cost in the neigborhood of $500.00 for equipment you can get starter packages for around $200.00 or so. When I started out I bought a Starter package (Vest / Shin-guards / mask and accesories) from Honigs for about $200.00. Until I moved up the vest afforded me good enough protection. As I started to advance and do more and more games I THEN bought the top of the line stuff.

You can also visit many Umpire sites and guys / gals that are retiring etc. offer up their equipment for an affordable price. Today there are many venues in which to search for equipment that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

In Summary, it appears you are a dedicated umpire BUT made a wrong choice in umpiring LL games for free. You prioritised in one area but NOT the other. Also, until you have extra money "tailor your needs on equipment" meaning if you have to buy used so be it.

Pete Booth

[ukce1861]

Do not know what kind of part time jobs you had etc. BUT you could have became HS certified instead of doing LL games.

HS Fees in most areas are pretty good.

Also, even if you could NOT do HS games because of your job you could do summer / fall travel leagues.

You know she's in Curacao, right? I'm guessing her options to umpire are a bit different than ours...

Edited July 30, 2010 by ukce1861

[ump7tony]

Hey Pete, give her a break. We're all different and live in different communities. And we all make personal decisions we feel are best for our families. Your mileage may be different than hers.

Ros@...glad to call you a fellow umpire! I hope you continue to progress in the sport and find a way to make some money while having fun and helping provide a venue for kids to play baseball.

[Ros@]

Whahahaha.... I like this site....

@PeteBooth, when I started umpiring I was working a full time job (nearly 50 hours a week) being a compliance officer at a well known offshore bank. Here I have worked for 10 years. I got divorced just the same time my kids started playing BB and during the season my kid's game got suspended due to no show of the umpire(s).

This happened more than once during the season and I remember that SEDREKO who is in charge for the Ump-organisation of LL was explaining the reason why there was a lack of ump for all the games. Here on the island we only play in weekends. But they announced that the next week they will be starting an umpire course which will be for 3 months. So I decided then that the best way to help my child in order not to have him dressed up for a game and then returning back home disapointed was to start umpiring and so I went to the course and got my certification in 2004. For me it was not a back-up plan or something for money. I did not need the money at that time.

6 month later, FEBEKO (the ump-organisation for higher level: Big League, A and AA, announced they had an international umpire of Copabe coming over to start a course for those levels. A rookie as I was decided that I had to grab this chance as you will never know when we will have such a chance ever again. So I gained my international certification of IBAF. For me umpiring became a sport I used to get un-stressed from my divorce procedures and battles. A while after, my son was having problems at school because of the divorse and I decided to stop working full time and devote my time to pick up with my child.

I started working part time at a school. For my eldest soon, baseball was one of the things that hold him on track of life. So I made every effort to keep him playing eventhough he was not on of the best players. Nevertheless he always ended up on the starting roster. (by his own doing) After a while the school I worked at closed his library and I started working on partime jobs and projects.

I never stopped umpiring LL not even after both my childeren desided to stop playing BB.

Here on the island we are being paid aprox. $12.00 a game for the A and AA leagues. Big League still is voluntarly basis. Our seasons runs through each other so I will always start ump the LL season first and when that's finished in July I start with the upper levels till around Oct/Nov. of each year. So in the higher levels I may ump 10 games a year. In BL a few that are not paying paid for. So I can not put anything apart to buy my equipment as at this moment (since I lost my full time job) this is not on my priority list as mentioned before.

As we have to import every little thing here into the island, a starters kit for a new umpire that in the USA costs around $200 as you mentioned, will cost me around $450.00. And to sell it afterwards second hand will almost be impossible. That's the reason I am buying the stuff I want for real.

That's why I am buying the things I need by priority and as I can. I first bought the red flag, then the base shoe, then counter and brush, then the ball bag, I got my gear, my chestprotector and now I'm heading for my knee protector. For the next season I will be a full umpire...whahaha...

My fellow ump told my UIC that when he put me on for my first game behind plate to inform them all so they can come and cheer the game.... They have been waiting for this almost 6 years now... whahaha lol.

@ the rest : Thanks for taking it up for me guys. But I believe PeteBooth now understands the reasons why...whahhaha

Still love this site!

[yawetag]

It's true that lot's of the line calls CAN be tricky but he, when in a 2-man or 3-man system and you are in the 2nd or 3rd hole, you have to call them as well.

I'm confused on this. What is the "2nd or 3rd hole"? If you're referring to B or C (which are between the mound and 2nd base on either side of the mound), why would you be calling fair/foul from there in a 2-man (or more) game?

[Ros@]

I'm confused on this. What is the "2nd or 3rd hole"? If you're referring to B or C (which are between the mound and 2nd base on either side of the mound), why would you be calling fair/foul from there in a 2-man (or more) game?

========================

Oeps my mistake, I meant the 1st or 2nd hole and yes (now I 've learned) you call it B or C. I suposse B being hole 1 (between 1&2 base) and C being hole 2 (between 2&3 base).

We call the fouls out load when there are runners on bases in order to avoid them being hurt when trying to steel the next base. So they don't have to keep on running and maybe colide with the Fielder.

[Ros@]

The moment the CU calls out foul, the BU's will reinforse his call..

[tommy]

last year I was working the snack bar at our local babe ruth field and the umpire did not show up. I had no gear at all with me but like most of us I always have a couple of shirts and a pair of pants in my truck. So I changed out and had to call the game from behind the mound and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. dont shoot me for this one but at the plate meeting I explained what was happening and asked the coaches if they agreed to help out with the fair/foul calls and they did and we had no problems. not the best case scenario but what the heck, sometimes we have to think outside the box.

Rose good for you for doing what your doing, keep up the good work.

Edited August 2, 2010 by Stan W.

[yawetag]

Oeps my mistake, I meant the 1st or 2nd hole and yes (now I 've learned) you call it B or C. I suposse B being hole 1 (between 1&2 base) and C being hole 2 (between 2&3 base).

That should help you in determining what B and C are. It's possible that you're actually set up BEHIND the bases for lower-level (i.e., no stealing) Little League.

We call the fouls out load when there are runners on bases in order to avoid them being hurt when trying to steel the next base. So they don't have to keep on running and maybe colide with the Fielder.

So you're just echoing the foul ball called by the PU? That makes more sense. I took the original quote as you stating you call fair and foul from these positions, even when there is a PU.

Since you seem to work a lot of games behind the mound, how do you determine fair/foul on those screamers down the line?

[Ros@]

He thanks Yawetag! And yeps, it helps... hahaha

Sometimes you echo sometimes you don't if it's a sure call f.e.

I do not work a lot of games from the mound, only those where my partner did not show up or those where I know he's on his way to the game I will start on time.

And I always call what I have seen, and you know what, the managers and coaches most of the times there is a one-man system does not become a p.i.t.a. for any "strange" call.

I remember one time in minor league that I had a call on first which was a bang-bang. This was a 2-man system. My apreciation was, that the throw had beaten the runner so I called "out" very loud.

In a split second the manager on third requested time and was heading to were I was standing. I met him halfway and he started to swing his arms al around his body while wispering just in front of me for me to hear: " Ump, I know you got this right, but today I have a very difficult parent in the stand and if I don't make these motions, I will have a rot day whole week, so please do not EJ me this time and I will talk to my players about never arguing with a Ump again" I tried the best I could not to smile and when he was finished, I replied out load: "You ought to know better regarding disputing on a judment call, this is your first and last warning,next one and you will be out of this game" In one motion I turned 180 degrees and went back to where I was.

After the game the manager came back to me. "Oeff, that was a close one. You know I knew I shouldn't have done that in the first place and I very much appreciate you have not ejected me, as you should have. You know what, next time I will have to take the chance to deal with the parent cause after your warning, I wouldn't dare to protest anything not to give you the chance to throw me out. I smiled and replied: Sometimes you just have to deal with your problems otherwise they just might get bigger for you to handle...

This manager is one who really knows the game's rules. He knows what can or can not be allowed/permitted in a game. He is for most of the other managers a role model. So needles to say that I also heard him when talking to his players after the game in the doug-out: "Listen guys, today I made a huge mistake. I should not have gone arguing on the out before. I was wrong in doing so and I want you to know that the Ump was realy kind enough not to have trown me out of the game right away as she could have. It was in her right to do so. I instruct you all from now on, never to question any ump on any judgment call, and if you guys have any doubt, please ask me. Bye the way, the only person who in this team is allowed to adress the Ump regarding anything is me, ok?"

Till this day, whenever I see this manager I smile.

[Aging_Arbiter]

Well, Semper Fi ! The league that I am currently affiliated with had 3 regular umpires and contracted the rest of the games out (when we couldn't cover) when I started with them about 11 years ago. This was a "one game - one umpire" league as far back as anyone can remember. After being this leagues UIC for the last 10 years, I am stepping down since I now have a child entering the program and will spend more time <gulp> coaching...... During this last 10 years, we have expanded our junior umpire program as well as adult umpires and were at 22 umpires this year. Unfortunately, we were still not able to put 2 umpires on a field every night. Now bare with me during the next ramble.

1 umpire was retired, but you can only abuse old folks so much <no offense to you old guys n gals>

2 were over the road truck drivers and one was generally on the call board

2 were managers/coaches in the Majors, so they only did games w/JR umps in the minors

4 played HS ball and town ball (2 different schedules to balance)

3 of those played travel ball as well.

1 had some recurring health issues, and worked games as he could

1 started a new job just as season kicked off, and his schedule flexed

1 was a salesman and traveled a bit

1 was on the HS track team

1 was a college kid working while at home

and I tried to stay as available as possible so I ould cover if something came up <see above>. With all of the schedule juggling, LL saying that junior umps had to have an adult partner, and these volunteers giving what time they could, we STILL could not put 2 umpires on a field for every game.

I must say though, with over 176 games this year, we managed to get at least ONE umpire to cover the games. Not everyone belongs to a paying organization. Besides, the organization around here.......well.......I'll save that rant for another post. BUT, our league provides equipment to the junior umps and even the solo ump......is behind the plate.

Thanks for doing what you can, when you can Ros@!

Edited August 2, 2010 by Aging_Arbiter

[Ros@]

You're most welcome Aging Arbiter. xoxo