Fun 12u game last night...

[James Walker]

Had a fun and real interesting game last night. Had an IFF and a bunch of balks.

Bottom 2, no outs, R1 and R2. Signal IFF, partners on the same page. Pop up to F6, he settles under it and I call the out. He drops it and everybody's moving. F6 picks up the balk throws it to third thinking force play, never attempts a tag. Partner gives safe sign, DHC calls time and comes to talk to me.

Me: what's up coach?

Him: blue that's a force at third.

Me: nope, iff, batter was out.

Him: but... Wait, we got an out on that play?

Me: Yeap the batter...

Him: okay, well I guess I need to read the rule book.

Me: we good here? Okay let's play...

Later in the game, batter had two strikes and foul tips. I give foul tip and hammer the out. Fans don't understand why he's out. I hear blue, he tipped it. BLUE! HE TIPPED IT!.. coming from the stands. I try to ignore it, but this lady won't shut up till I explain it.

Me: he tipped it, catcher caught it, batters out.

Her: oh... Never mind.

Bottom 6, home team needs two to run rule. First kid up walks, steals second. F1 goes starts in wind up and with out stepping off goes to stretch. Balk!. Runner moves to third and coach come to talk to the pitcher. Next pitch, he plunks the batter. So now we have R1 and R3. And he balks again, same thing. Now we just need one more run and were done. And he does the same thing two more times and balks in the winning run.

All in all, it was a pretty good game til the end. And the first game I've balked in the winning run.

[Thunderheads]

now THAT is a chicken-fest!

[stl_ump]

Personally... I love those kind of games.

[Stan W.]

Ive been away from Kid ball too long........afraid that would make my head spin......

[bam]

I would have "missed" the first balk and tried to get the coach to go out to talk to the kid.  12U?  C'mon.  What kind of advantage is he gaining?  Now if he keeps doing it, I guess you've got no choice. 

 

That's why I don't do that level anymore. 

[Thunderheads]

I would have "missed" the first balk and tried to get the coach to go out to talk to the kid.  12U?  C'mon.  What kind of advantage is he gaining?  Now if he keeps doing it, I guess you've got no choice. 

 

That's why I don't do that level anymore. 

While I tend to agree with your first statement, ..... your second: "doing that level anymore" really isn't relavent ....

 

If I'm getting $50 cash on the field for 12u, ...I'm doing that game!

[James Walker]

I would have "missed" the first balk and tried to get the coach to go out to talk to the kid.  12U?  C'mon.  What kind of advantage is he gaining?  Now if he keeps doing it, I guess you've got no choice. 

 

That's why I don't do that level anymore.

I did "miss" it, twice. After my partner "kicked" some dirt off the rubber and the coach told him to disengage, I figured it was time to call it.

[LMSANS]

I would have "missed" the first balk and tried to get the coach to go out to talk to the kid. 12U? C'mon. What kind of advantage is he gaining? Now if he keeps doing it, I guess you've got no choice.

That's why I don't do that level anymore.

While I tend to agree with your first statement, ..... your second: "doing that level anymore" really isn't relavent ....

If I'm getting $50 cash on the field for 12u, ...I'm doing that game!

So you're doing it for the money?😉😜

Larry Sansevere

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BigUmpire]

 

 

I would have "missed" the first balk and tried to get the coach to go out to talk to the kid. 12U? C'mon. What kind of advantage is he gaining? Now if he keeps doing it, I guess you've got no choice.

That's why I don't do that level anymore.

 

While I tend to agree with your first statement, ..... your second: "doing that level anymore" really isn't relavent ....

If I'm getting $50 cash on the field for 12u, ...I'm doing that game!

So you're doing it for the money?

Larry Sansevere

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Some guys suplement their income calling. Nothing wrong with that.

[sdix00]

Nothing wrong with getting a great game fee for 12U.    Having you on the field means they get the game called right.    PONY around here advertises "Real Baseball with Real Umpires".    Not so subtle dig at LL and the message lands.     There comes a point where parents get tired of seeing dudes in jeans and pillows calling their kids games. 

 

Yes there are good volunteers, but they are absolutely the exception to the rule. 

 

The more 12U games we call, the better the 13U games will be next year. 

[ScubaUmp]

But he's only 9, 10, 11, 12, .....17. There was no intent to deceive. But we don't teach them to use the running lane. They don't have to come set if they do it the same way every time. He was just trying to help, when he picked up the live ball.

 

You can tell your child to stay away from the mouse traps at Grandpa's farm all you want. It's not until they come walking in the room crying and the trap is clamped to their little fingers................

 

Every time my daughter saw one after that, "Don't Touch That It Will Get You"

 

Inconsistency Is The Umpire Corps Biggest Problem!

[mstaylor]

I always tell umpires that pitchers learn nothing from warnings, they learn when they see runners moving up because they insist on doing something stupid. 

[bam]

a "fun 12U game" is in the same category as Loch Ness monster and bigfoot.  People claim to have seen one but they really don't exist. 

[BigUmpire]

But he's only 9, 10, 11, 12, .....17. There was no intent to deceive. But we don't teach them to use the running lane. They don't have to come set if they do it the same way every time. He was just trying to help, when he picked up the live ball.

 

You can tell your child to stay away from the mouse traps at Grandpa's farm all you want. It's not until they come walking in the room crying and the trap is clamped to their little fingers................

 

Every time my daughter saw one after that, "Don't Touch That It Will Get You"

 

Inconsistency Is The Umpire Corps Biggest Problem!

Best post I have ever seen on this site!

[James Walker]

a "fun 12U game" is in the same category as Loch Ness monster and bigfoot.  People claim to have seen one but they really don't exist.

These have been the majority of my games this year. Most have been close (3-2, 7-5) and contested. Even had two walk off hits. Yeah, this one was a laugher, but a majority aren't. I enjoy it, I'm compensated well, the kids get quality umpires, so everyone's happy.

[mstaylor]

a "fun 12U game" is in the same category as Loch Ness monster and bigfoot.  People claim to have seen one but they really don't exist. 

Your opinion, I happen to have fun working them. Stupid coaches don't bother me, I explain to them what's going to happen. Parents I laugh at, they are funny. 

[bam]

I realize that competitiveness varies from area to area, and I would dearly love to get a good game fee for a good game, but it doesn't exist around here. 12s are too big for the small field and too small for the big one. We don't have the in-between - I don't even know what the distances on those fields are because I've never seen one.

[mstaylor]

12s play 60,70 and 90 ft in LL. 

[scrounge]

Just one year older, but I had a great 13U game this weekend. It was a high level travel team, I guess kind of like an AAU team, since these kids are generally old enough to play for their school's 7th grade teams but for whatever reason are not. While I'm not a fan of throwing breaking stuff till you're 14, both starting pitchers had good curves. And one had an honest to goodness slider - the only one I've seen all year, incl high school. It was better than most of the JV I've seen all year. The difference was depth - after the 2nd pitcher (and yes, it was a DH) it went downhill after that. But it was still ok.

[CentralOhioUmp30]

Just one year older, but I had a great 13U game this weekend. It was a high level travel team, I guess kind of like an AAU team, since these kids are generally old enough to play for their school's 7th grade teams but for whatever reason are not. While I'm not a fan of throwing breaking stuff till you're 14, both starting pitchers had good curves. And one had an honest to goodness slider - the only one I've seen all year, incl high school. It was better than most of the JV I've seen all year. The difference was depth - after the 2nd pitcher (and yes, it was a DH) it went downhill after that. But it was still ok.

 

Did a DH for an Elite Division 13U team from Westerville a week and a half ago.  Started at 12:05 and out of there at 3:15.  Quality baseball and the easiest $100 I've ever made in my relatively short life.

 

As far as your comment about being old enough for 7th grade, the competition for upper-level travel baseball is much better and beneficial IMO than anything MS baseball can offer.  Especially since those are the type of kids who may have a future past high school as far as baseball is concerned.