Base Umpires

[JaxRolo]

I worked a 12U Travel game today. I was PU. Game went great. BU did a great job but:

This is one of my Pet Peeves!!!!!! Guys when you are BU please please please don't be telling the catcher when to throw it down to start an inning that is PU's job!!!

I can not stand that!!!! So please stop it!!!

I feel better!

[spiritumpa]

what is the plate ump doing in the infield--he should be in the outfield behind the f4 when f1 is warming up

[AllanA]

If BU is in his position in shallow right field, does he yell from there "Balls In?"

O me or does he come down to the baseline to talk to you? Either way its a no no.

The only time I come to the baseline to talk is when I have a rookie that I am training.

And the games are sub V. so no big deal.

Yikes.

[AllanA]

what is the plate ump doing in the infield--he should be in the outfield behind the f4 when f1 is warming up

Hee Hee you mean Base Ump.....I hope.

Don't worry I do the same thing when I don't have my glasses on hee hee hee

[JaxRolo]

Hes a chatter kept coming in to chat with coaches or get a drink. I kept going to the 3rd baseline to get away from him. He had the worst looking hat ever. All faded and discolored.

[AllanA]

Well if he is a vet and not to hurt his feelings. I would tell him, politely, that I had the game management. If he doesn't get the hint then when he comes back between innings I would meet him halfway and walk him to his area. I would have a good post game with him. Thats about all you can do with out making a bad situation worse.

[Rich Ives]

Y'all do know that in pro ball one of the BU's has a stopwatch and times the between innings time - don't you?

[jjb]

Yeah, you just got a '"lonely" partner. After our plate meeting, we do the requisite "fist bump", followed by a "don't suck and I'll see you in a couple hours". Unless something comes up, we won't talk again until it's over..

[kylejt]

Umpires don't yell "Balls In!", players do. The PU will let the catcher know when it's time.

"Two and down, Boss"

or

"Last one, Catch", but just in a conversational tone. No yelling required, nor needed, please.

Older catchers just call out "Two!", when the pitcher is ready, or the umpire directs him it's time to get going.

But you'll run across umpires who like to take the spot light whenever they can, and bellow all sorts of goofy stuff like "BATTER!" , "FOUL" on shots to the backstop, and "BALLS IN, COMIN' DOWN!". Just try to avoid these guys.

[mstaylor]

I don't know about other areas but around here the PU shows two more pitches to the pitcher and on deck batter so everyone knows where they are on time. I agree with the OP, the BU has nothing to do with it.

[carolinablue]

The really good ones handle it themselves, you don't need to say a word.

How bout' the BU that stands at the mound with the ball and waits for the pitcher to come out.:givebeer:

[spiritumpa]

Hee Hee you mean Base Ump.....I hope.

Don't worry I do the same thing when I don't have my glasses on hee hee hee

no I had my glasses on--just sometimes I have shXX for brains

[AllanA]

no I had my glasses on--just sometimes I have shXX for brains

hee hee hee We all make mistakes. I knew what ya mean't. Just had to fun ya alil. hee hee hee

[mazzamouth]

Y'all do know that in pro ball one of the BU's has a stopwatch and times the between innings time - don't you?

And that is coming to college baseball this year.

[Ros@]

Here it's the PU' call to have the fielders throw the ball in by calling "Bala Afo" which means "get the ball out of the field" and then tells the cather "Segunda" after the next pitch which translated means "Second Base" but in reallity is used as a command to "next pitch will be thrown to second base".

However, the BU is there to assist that the play continues without hesitation so, f.e. if the PU is in conferrence with a manager, the BU takes over and get the fielders, batter and so one ready for whenever the PU feels like it, he resumes the game after calling "Play".

We here try to play as many innings as possibel within the time-limit frame.

That's why we also yell after each inning :" kore subi, kore baha" which means "run to take your place on the field; run to your doug-out".

We want to have the kids "running" on the field as much as possible. Like when they take turn on bat, when receiving a BB, the must be constantly in motion.

I personaly hate it when players wanders around to reach their playing spot on the field.

[tiger49]

Y'all do know that in pro ball one of the BU's has a stopwatch and times the between innings time - don't you?

At 1:40 the announcer should start by announcing who is coming to bat. This is the clue to the catcher to get things moving.

[JaxRolo]

At 1:40 the announcer should start by announcing who is coming to bat. This is the clue to the catcher to get things moving.

the announcer?

[Dragon29]

Well, I have a very different take on this issue.

First, I completely agree that this is the PU's responsibility. No question about that. Under normal circumstances the BU would have no need to involve himself in this aspect of game management.

That being said, . . . . .

In lower lever ball, such as LL, time between innings is not something the players, coaches or managers are even aware of. I've seen poorly supervised games go with 4-7 minutes per change-over. (I know! WTH are they doing?) So, we need to be in charge of this to keep the game moving.

While that is the PU's job, in this type of environment, it's not uncommon (even at the 'higher' levels) to have managers that don't know their mule from a well (you figure it out) and often come out with changes much later in the inning change-over than they should. This means there may (will!) be times when the PU is busy taking changes at approx. the same time F1 is done w/his warm-ups. Some of these guys even do it on purpose to try & get their F1 'extra' warm-ups. (Reminder: these guys are clueless)

So, in cases like these, we have the BU walk in to the infield grass from his outfield position and tell (no shouting) F1 & F2, "Two more." That's it. We don't hang around the mound; we don't handle the ball; we don't stand there and monitor them to make sure they only throw two. We just let 'em know and move on. It has the added effect of getting the fielders to throw the balls in w/o having to be told.

It does keep these lower level games moving in spite of their clueless managers. On average, it may be done once or twice per Junior division game and is quite unobtrusive.

OK - Flame away! I can take it!

[mstaylor]

I see no need to flame. It is the PU's job but sometimes he has duties to care of and the BU does it.

[Mr Umpire]

One thing I do have to add to the rant.

At the plate meeting, BUs should keep quiet. Don't try to be funny. Don't try to run the meeting. Stand there in silence.

I had one the other night do just that: Try to be funny. I'm standing there waiting until he is finished so I can have the meeting. The coaches don't find him funny and were slow to even give him a courtesy chuckle and smile. He looks at me finally and I think he noticed that I wasn't laughing and was mildly giving a smile just to say "Are you finished?" b/c he says "Anyway, let's go on" while pointing to me.

No one is at the plate meeting to hear the BU. I would slightly accept it if he held the meeting. But, he wasn't even doing that. He was joking around and trying to be funny. Don't do that.

Edited October 14, 2010 by Mr Umpire

[Dragon29]

At the plate meeting, BUs should keep quiet. Don't try to be funny. Don't try to run the meeting. Stand there in silence.

. . . and, if/when the PU, at the end of the meeting, asks, "Do you have anything to add?", say, "No."

He only asked you as a courtesy and to show the managers you're a team.

You don't have anything to add. Shut up.

[jnazz]

I had a situation this past summer in a Senior Mens game (open men's division in Canada). As I started to conduct the plate meeting the home team took the field. My BU saw that the pitcher was ready to warm up and tried to move the plate meeting up the first base line. "Lets let the pitcher warm up." he said. I quickly said, "Nope, we're doing it right here." And that was that. After the game I tried to set him straight, but you could tell the light wasn't coming on.