Why would you do that???

[hill2933]

I have seen it on here several times but never thought i would see it in real life. Field umpire in my sons game the other day swept bases between every half inning. Actually used "plate" brush to clean them. I thought this was like the yeti or the easter bunny but I saw it with me own eyes! To make things worse he called time after every slide into a base to kick the dirt off them. This was a 12U travel league and there are always pick offs and "trick" plays to be alert for and he spent more time cleaning up than watching what was going on. It was bad enough that my wife asked why he was doing it. Is this taught somewhere or is this just some wierd form of umpire OCD?

[dumbdumb]

I have seen it on here several times but never thought i would see it in real life. Field umpire in my sons game the other day swept bases between every half inning. Actually used "plate" brush to clean them. I thought this was like the yeti or the easter bunny but I saw it with me own eyes! To make things worse he called time after every slide into a base to kick the dirt off them. This was a 12U travel league and there are always pick offs and "trick" plays to be alert for and he spent more time cleaning up than watching what was going on. It was bad enough that my wife asked why he was doing it. Is this taught somewhere or is this just some wierd form of umpire OCD?

Women's softball, every 1/2 inning, you just don't see it because it is done during the commercials. Pitcher's plate and bases. IMHO makes the umpires, guys and girls look sissified, and that each belongs in the kitchen (yeah that rotten term that I personally don't believe in), but that's just me.

[BigUmpire]

Why are softball umpires asked to do this?

[basejester]

How is this different than cleaning the plate? It's just one is traditional and the other is not.

[Mike Prince]

To each their own, I wouldn't do it but that's me and if my partner wanted to do it I wouldn't care.  At the level I umpire (daddy ball) I see the base coaches kicking dirt off the bases all the time.  One told me he did it so that I could have a better look LOL.

[VAUmp]

I worked with a softball guy in a babe ruth baseball game recently.  Right before the game he said "I forgot my brush".  Since he was on the bases, I didn't know why he would need one, but I said he could borrow mine.  He then said "Well, you'll need yours to clean the plate won't you?"  After that, I was really confused.  He ran to his car (delaying the plate meeting) and grabbed his brush.  After the plate meeting, he cleaned off the pitchers plate with his brush (and repeated it every half inning).  I overheard a couple of parents talking about it stating:  "Why is he doing that?"  I chuckled.  

 

He was a great umpire though.  Crisp movements, good rotations, made all the bangers correctly.  

[3rdGENump]

Why are softball umpires asked to do this?

 

The pitching plate is swept so the base umpire can watch to make sure the pitcher is in contact with the rubber and not committing an illegal pitch.  The bases are swept for a similar reason, as base runners cannot leave the base until the ball has left the pitchers hand.  It makes it a lot easier to see these violations when the plate/bases are clean. 

[Dragon29]

It makes it a lot easier to see these violations when the plate/bases are clean. 

 

I don't know - I've done a lot of lower level (read: closed bases) LL over the years and only occasionally felt like I needed to clean a base to be able to see anything better, and that's only when there's been a slide or similar activity that has mounded dirt over it. I never needed a brush; you just stomp on it once or twice and you can see it fine.

 

Other than how long it may take, there's really no reason to not do it but if the league/group/TD decide they need the bases and pitcher's plate thoroughly cleaned 12-14 times a game, don't make the umpires do it - we're busy!  (I know, I know - there's no other impartial personnel involved, so it falls to the umpires - still looks weird)

[mstaylor]

It is a softball thing and completely normal there. In a baseball game I tell players to  do it. Runner slides into second and dislodges it, he gets to reset it. He covers it with dirt, he gets to kick it off. 

[grayhawk]

Baseball umpires like dirty rubbers.

 

Put THAT on a bumper sticker...

[IABlue]

Why are softball umpires asked to do this?

How are you supposed to call the game if you can't see the bases?

[IABlue]

 

Why are softball umpires asked to do this?

 

The pitching plate is swept so the base umpire can watch to make sure the pitcher is in contact with the rubber and not committing an illegal pitch.  The bases are swept for a similar reason, as base runners cannot leave the base until the ball has left the pitchers hand.  It makes it a lot easier to see these violations when the plate/bases are clean. 

 

I've worked a lot of softball, and cleaning a bases has nothing at all to do with watching runners leaving early.  It has everything to do with being able to see the base when the next play is made there (force or tag).  And yes, softball umpires tend to do this WAAAAAAY too often.

[mstaylor]

You tell the runner or fielder to do it. 

[blue23ll]

I umpired HS softball for a few years and never once did I ever clean a pitcher's plate or a base, nor do I recall a partner of mine ever doing it. I think this is a ASA hang up. I am sure they keep the ASA officials here can answer that.

[IABlue]

I umpired HS softball for a few years and never once did I ever clean a pitcher's plate or a base, nor do I recall a partner of mine ever doing it. I think this is a ASA hang up. I am sure they keep the ASA officials here can answer that.

Definitely taught by ASA (as well as NCAA), and I have never seen a softball umpire worth a crap that didn't start out working ASA, so basically any softball umpire than has a clue what they are doing will be brushing bases and rubbers frequently (usually the bases too often, but the rubber should be done every inning or so).

[LMSANS]

Our mechanics call for the pitcher's plate to be brushed at the end of each half inning. No mention of bases. This is for HS. As I remember its the same for ASA.

 

This is softball only.  A baseball umpire attempting to clean the rubber or bases would be in danger of losing their hand.

 

Larry Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

Edited June 9, 2013 by LMSANS
add softball only comment

[MadMax]

Pitcher's plate is the higher concern than bases, mostly regarding pick off moves and legal pitches. At U11, the pitchers are just starting to be required to go from the stretch, and there are all these questions as to whether or not s/he is in contact with the rubber or not, or if s/he contacted it twice while stepping off to throw over, etc. And when the entire infield is a sea of monotone crushed stone or dirt, that rubber usually disappears.

Bases usually aren't a concern, except 2B which gets mounded over by kids sliding with the force of a quarry excavator (down, not at). The only thing I do is, if warranted, is sweep my foot across the two base path edges of the bag, just so I (and the BR's) can see the white of the bag better, again amongst a sea of monotone dirt.

To treat it like a Bonzai Bag, and prune/sweep it every half-inning, that's a bit over the top.

[JHSump]

Pitcher's plate is the higher concern than bases, mostly regarding pick off moves and legal pitches. At U11, the pitchers are just starting to be required to go from the stretch, and there are all these questions as to whether or not s/he is in contact with the rubber or not, or if s/he contacted it twice while stepping off to throw over, etc. And when the entire infield is a sea of monotone crushed stone or dirt, that rubber usually disappears.

Bases usually aren't a concern, except 2B which gets mounded over by kids sliding with the force of a quarry excavator (down, not at). The only thing I do is, if warranted, is sweep my foot across the two base path edges of the bag, just so I (and the BR's) can see the white of the bag better, again amongst a sea of monotone dirt.

To treat it like a Bonzai Bag, and prune/sweep it every half-inning, that's a bit over the top.

I don't understand the underlined part.  I must be missing something.  Why is this a problem?  The pitcher does not have to step off to throw over.  

[MadMax]

Pitcher's plate is the higher concern than bases, mostly regarding pick off moves and legal pitches. At U11, the pitchers are just starting to be required to go from the stretch, and there are all these questions as to whether or not s/he is in contact with the rubber or not, or if s/he contacted it twice while stepping off to throw over, etc. And when the entire infield is a sea of monotone crushed stone or dirt, that rubber usually disappears.

I don't understand the underlined part. I must be missing something. Why is this a problem? The pitcher does not have to step off to throw over. Ah, here's an incident burned in my memory. It was at CDP, and during Wednesday and Thursday's elimination games, I had taken a game off from my field and was watching a team that I had connections with (from NC) play an academy team from Florida. The FL team had pulled a fake-ball trick several times earlier in the week where their pitcher would step off, wheel, and fake dramatically towards the R2 at 2B. The covering F6 would make a wild lunge, and the F8 would go scurrying after what would appear to be an errant throw to centerfield. All they were looking for was that moment of panic in a BR when they react to the activity, and get back up to get separation from the bag... Then F1 calmly tosses the ball to F4 and tag, R2's out. They were the ire of several teams who it befell.

Well, in this NC vs. FL game, I knew the guys in that working umpire crew, and when NC put a BR on 2B in the 5th inning, it set the stage for FL to pull that trick again. So they did it, but this time, it was called a balk by the 3BU, and the explanation he gave the irate FL coach was that this time, after legally stepping off the rubber to initiate the fake, F1 made the fake and then planted his right foot smack dab on the rubber, and then threw to to his F4 to apply the tag. I saw everything he saw, and he summed it up as "second contact of the rubber... illegal... Balk". The resoluteness of his call struck me, and I remember it ever since.

Was that call made in error?

[noumpere]

 

Was that call made in error?

 

 

It was contrary to the rules but it might not have been in error.

 

[Magic]

I used to do it when I first started umpiring. A partner of mine said I needed to do it(20 years ago) then a few months later I worked with a veteran guy who had been umpiring since before I was born, and I went to clean one of the bases, and he walked out to me. He said "Can I see your brush please?" I said sure. He took it and never gave it back. I learned to never do that again.

[umpire_scott]

Yes it is a practiced mechanic in softball and I will never understand why it's not at least acceptable in baseball.  In most baseball fields (high school and higher) it will never be an issue because the bases will simply never get covered in dirt.  Pretty much any instance where there is a grass infield the need to brush the bases does not exist.  But in many of these multi-use fields where there is an artifical mound and the enrtire infield is dirt, the bases definitely get covered in dirt.  Just like I would never ask the catcher to brush the plate, I'm not going to ask a fielder to clean a base.  If it needs to be cleaned I'm going to clean it.  Now in baseball I simply do it with my foot, as too many baseball umpires have this attitude about using a brush on the bases.

[NCAAump2]

At upper levels of baseball (JUCO and above) (as far as I have been taught) you would be laughed off the field if you, as the base umpire, went to brush off the bases.  In baseball, its just simply not done.  

[BigUmpire]

At upper levels of baseball (JUCO and above) (as far as I have been taught) you would be laughed off the field if you, as the base umpire, went to brush off the bases.  In baseball, its just simply not done.  

I always struggle with "its just simply not done"

As my family has always " He sure asks why a lot"

[NCAAump2]

I guess the only logical thing I can think of is that the umpires a much closer to the bases in softball than in baseball, so they might as well clean them off as they go by.  In baseball, the umpires are typically inside on the grass and its easier to just have a player swipe it off with his glove.