Funny thing happened today

[umpire_scott]

I umpired with a partner I had not previously worked with before. He umpires both high school baseball and softball. He had the first few games on the dish while I was in the field. Then later another guy joined us to do a couple of plates and we ran 3-man, so that neither of us would have to do 3 plates (we had 6 total games). So in the first game that then new guy had the plate me and my partner were on the bases in 3-man. I of course have stopped bringing my brush with me and have also tried to do my best to not worry about the bases at all. Middle of the first inning I look and there is my partner cleaning 2nd base and then 3rd base with his plate brush.

I had to laugh. So should I just watch him do it and let him think I'm just a lazy asshole?

[RichMSN]

I umpired with a partner I had not previously worked with before. He umpires both high school baseball and softball. He had the first few games on the dish while I was in the field. Then later another guy joined us to do a couple of plates and we ran 3-man, so that neither of us would have to do 3 plates (we had 6 total games). So in the first game that then new guy had the plate me and my partner were on the bases in 3-man. I of course have stopped bringing my brush with me and have also tried to do my best to not worry about the bases at all. Middle of the first inning I look and there is my partner cleaning 2nd base and then 3rd base with his plate brush.

I had to laugh. So should I just watch him do it and let him think I'm just a lazy asshole?

I worked an adult game today. 2:09 for 9 innings. Worked the bases. Not once did I touch a base or a baseball.

Do what you want to do. You will anyway.

[Jocko]

I would politely remind him it's baseballl, but only once, and tell him do whatever he feels is appropriate for the games.

[scrounge]

In over 200 games in just the past 2 years (and there are plenty of people on this site who do that in just ONE year), I have never once seen anyone have a brush as base umpire or ever clean a base. New guys, old guys, college guys, former pro guys, you name it. Not one.

But as is evident by the other 45 threads on this subject, that's apparently immaterial and you'll do what you want.

[JamesC]

Why are people cleaning bases? Are they frequently moving throughout the game and hard to find? Hell, we all know that our calls are based on whether or not the ball beat the runner. We don't care if the runner was actually on the bag or not, right? lol

[umpire_scott]

In over 200 games in just the past 2 years (and there are plenty of people on this site who do that in just ONE year), I have never once seen anyone have a brush as base umpire or ever clean a base. New guys, old guys, college guys, former pro guys, you name it. Not one.

But as is evident by the other 45 threads on this subject, that's apparently immaterial and you'll do what you want.

I'm not arguing it's merits. I just thought it was ironic and funny that after this happens, and I take the advice, that's when I end up working with someone that carries one.

[Stan W.]

Id mention it to him, as its a mechanic that draws criticism. But as suggested above only once.......personally I am not a groundskeeper,

[MPLSMatt]

Personally, I bring a little Armorall, brush and shining cloth. By the end of the game, you could blind a man with the glare off of those bastards.

[Jocko]

Murphy's oil soap works well on bases, too! After it's dry, a little hair spray.

[grayhawk]

Missouri: Leading the nation in meth labs and cleaning bases. Coincidence? I think not.

[Welpe]

Murphy's oil soap works well on bases, too! After it's dry, a little hair spray.

That's lazy. Get down there and spit shine em!

[love2ump]

Ive been around baseball my whole life all over the country and have NEVER seen a baseball umpire clean a base or rubber with a brush. I have a friend who does high school softball and wanted to go watch him he said "just be ready we do alot of weird mechanics and things in softball" and he wasnt kidding. The first time i saw him clean the bases i couldnt stop laughing it looks rediculous.

[umpire_scott]

Ive been around baseball my whole life all over the country and have NEVER seen a baseball umpire clean a base or rubber with a brush. I have a friend who does high school softball and wanted to go watch him he said "just be ready we do alot of weird mechanics and things in softball" and he wasnt kidding. The first time i saw him clean the bases i couldnt stop laughing it looks rediculous.

I guess I just can't understand how a BU cleaning a base can look ridiculous, when a PU does THE EXACT SAME THING all the time. Please explain to me how that is possible?

[Welpe]

Ive been around baseball my whole life all over the country and have NEVER seen a baseball umpire clean a base or rubber with a brush. I have a friend who does high school softball and wanted to go watch him he said "just be ready we do alot of weird mechanics and things in softball" and he wasnt kidding. The first time i saw him clean the bases i couldnt stop laughing it looks rediculous.

I guess I just can't understand how a BU cleaning a base can look ridiculous, when a PU does THE EXACT SAME THING all the time. Please explain to me how that is possible?

I am not being patronizing when I ask this. You do understand the functional difference between the plate and the bases, right?

[scrounge]

Ive been around baseball my whole life all over the country and have NEVER seen a baseball umpire clean a base or rubber with a brush. I have a friend who does high school softball and wanted to go watch him he said "just be ready we do alot of weird mechanics and things in softball" and he wasnt kidding. The first time i saw him clean the bases i couldnt stop laughing it looks rediculous.

I guess I just can't understand how a BU cleaning a base can look ridiculous, when a PU does THE EXACT SAME THING all the time. Please explain to me how that is possible?

I don't mean this in a mean way or to be an ass, but just exactly how many times does this need to be explained. This equine is long past deceased.

[umpire_scott]

Ive been around baseball my whole life all over the country and have NEVER seen a baseball umpire clean a base or rubber with a brush. I have a friend who does high school softball and wanted to go watch him he said "just be ready we do alot of weird mechanics and things in softball" and he wasnt kidding. The first time i saw him clean the bases i couldnt stop laughing it looks rediculous.

I guess I just can't understand how a BU cleaning a base can look ridiculous, when a PU does THE EXACT SAME THING all the time. Please explain to me how that is possible?

I am not being patronizing when I ask this. You do understand the functional difference between the plate and the bases, right?

Yes I do understand the functional difference. I would never even question whether a PU should carry a brush or not, but I'm talking specifically about the "looking ridiculous" part. Looking ridiculous implies that the action in and of itself looks ridiculous. Well the actual action of sweeping something clean looks the same whether it's a plate or a base. This has nothing to do with one needing to be clean more. So talking about the functional difference is changing the subject. He said it "looked ridiculous". Not to mention the act of sweeping the base usually happens between innings when no one is paying attention to the umpires anyway.

Look, the real issue is how all these experienced umpires refuse to admit that there is no real reason to not clean the bases except it historically has not been done. I think this is mainly a function of the well maintained baseball fields not requiring it nearly as much as even well maintained softball fields. I also think that baseball umpires have a sort of irrational aversion to softball. Thy make fun of softball mechanics or procedures even if they are actually a good idea.

To me part of being a credible debater is to acknowledge factual statements. I'm amazed at umpires that actually try to argue that cleaning the bases in no way helps you to make calls. On poorly maintained fields it is not even arguable that having a base that is covered with dirt can cause issues. The player running to a base or covering the base may not see it. The umpire may not pick it up right away.

A simple acknowledgment of, it would be a good idea to clean the bases off when the condition of the field causes them to get covered in dirt, but in baseball the BU does not historically clean bases, so I'm not going to do it is fine. I have no issues with those that have said they ask the players to do it. But there should also be no ridicule of a BU that kick cleans the bases when he sees them getting too dirty.

I admit that when no one does it, it can create a problem if a few BU are out their with their brushes. There should be a standard and it should be followed. That is why I make a point now to not carry a brush on the field. But these guys that make statements that make no sense like "it looks ridiculous", or "there is no benefit to the base not being covered in dirt" just rile me up.

[Jocko]

OH MY GOD!!! LET IT GO! It's ridiculous because it's a SOFTBALL mechanic on a BASEBALL field. It's not done in BASEBALL because it's just not. Who gives a s**t why?

You are grounded for life from ever discussing this again. The equine is not only deceased, but has been processed, manufactured at alpo, eaten by my dog, digested, and deposited in my neighbor's yard. Enough already.

[umpire_scott]

OH MY GOD!!! LET IT GO! It's ridiculous because it's a SOFTBALL mechanic on a BASEBALL field. It's not done in BASEBALL because it's just not. Who gives a s**t why?

You are grounded for life from ever discussing this again. The equine is not only deceased, but has been processed, manufactured at alpo, eaten by my dog, digested, and deposited in my neighbor's yard. Enough already.

Look I had stopped discussing this. This OP was about the irony of me working with an umpire that did clean them after the previous thread, hence the title "A funny thing happened today". It was not intended to revive the equine, or beat him any further. Others posted comments on here doing that not me. I posted the original post. Then when someone tried to revive the argument I even reiterated that I was not "arguing the merits" just pointing out the irony. After that 6 posters posted comments about it. How is this ME beating the dead horse?

[Jocko]

Grounded. Now go to your room.

[stl_ump]

Missouri: Leading the nation in meth labs and cleaning bases. Coincidence? I think not.

Hey!!! We do NOT lead the nation in cleaning bases!

[Jocko]

Missouri: Leading the nation in meth labs and cleaning bases. Coincidence? I think not.

Hey!!! We do NOT lead the nation in cleaning bases!

ahh... I thought from the context clue from your avatar stl was Seattle.

[grayhawk]

Scott, I have followed both threads with passive interest (though I did respond to why cleaning the rubber is a bad idea), and I have to think one of two things is going on:

1. The fields you work were installed in quicksand.

2. You are OCD and can't stand a speck of dirt on a base.

I've been umpiring for about 4 years now, and I can honestly say that the number of times a base was so covered in dirt that I felt something had to be done about it is probably less than 5. When that happened, either a player cleaned it off, or I kicked some dirt off. What I don't need is a shiny white base to get my calls right. It just isn't an issue, at all.

[umpire_scott]

Scott, I have followed both threads with passive interest (though I did respond to why cleaning the rubber is a bad idea), and I have to think one of two things is going on:

1. The fields you work were installed in quicksand.

2. You are OCD and can't stand a speck of dirt on a base.

I've been umpiring for about 4 years now, and I can honestly say that the number of times a base was so covered in dirt that I felt something had to be done about it is probably less than 5. When that happened, either a player cleaned it off, or I kicked some dirt off. What I don't need is a shiny white base to get my calls right. It just isn't an issue, at all.

It's clearly closer to #1 than #2. I have worked on many fields where while the bases got some dirt on them it was still clear enough to not be an issue. I will admit I do prefer a clean base, just as I prefer a field that has the dirt properly watered, and green grass. It just gives a sense of closer to how the pros play. I don't like doing baseball games where the entire infield is dirt either. While quicksand is an exaggeration I have played on fields where the combination of the bases being probably more than 10 years old (so they are almost the same color as the dirt to begin with), and the amount of loose dirt is enough to bury the dead without a shovel, that without some sort of cleaning (either players sweeping it with their glove or the umpire kicking it clean), there would be visibility issues regarding the bases.

I don't need a shiny white base either. But if I am going to go over and kick the dirt off, I'm going to get as much off as possible and get it as close to white as possible. Hopefully this limits the times I will need to go over there.

And it does have a ton to do with doing a lot of softball. In softball you will absolutely be considered lazy and not doing your job if the bases do not get cleaned with some regularity. So it is pretty hard to adjust and have he attitude that it's pointless in one sport and required in another. When in reality those parts about the sports are identical. The bases in both sports serve the same purpose (the pitching plate is different, but I have seldom if ever cleaned a rubber in baseball). So for some reason baseball people have decided clean bases serve no purpose, and softball people have decided it's imperative. That statement alone is intriguing to me.

[umpire_scott]

Sorry Trout, what is the punishment when I break my grounding? :unsure:

[scrounge]