First Varsity game sniper

[hill2933]

Got my first varsity assignment recently. Got a text from assigner at 2AM saying he needed me to pick up a game later that afternoon. I had been assigned a JV game that was canceled so I figured it was another Freshman or JV game. Arbiter was down most of the night so I did not find out it was varsity until i woke up later in the afternoon. Probably a good thing so I did not stress over it too much. It was actually two of the better varsity teams around here too. I had the bases working with one of our senior guys who just got done with a D1 series. Everything was going smooth through first six innings. Home team was up by a couple runs and I don't think I had missed anything yet. VT wanted a balk on a couple pitched but all in all felt better than I expected.

 

Top sixth two out and I am in A. F3 has been playing deep all day and backed up more with two strikes so I am at the edge of the grass which has a pronounced lip around it. Batter bloops a foul ball to short right. F3 turns and is coming right at me. I backed up a step to avoid F3 and caught the lip of the grass. Ended up flat on my back with F3 jumping over me trying not to step on me (thankfully). F3 was good about it and didn't change the game but not the footwork I had planned on using. Finished the rest of the game without incident. Got some good tips from partner and felt pretty relieved to have gotten the first one out of the way.

[th3]

Congrats

Sent from my BNTV400 using Tapatalk

[Mike Prince]

Ahh..no man's land.  So next time you will take the extra step back and get on the grass, right?

[bam]

Had the exact same thing happen to me last year (sans the crash).  Thought about what I could have done differently.  Came to the conclusion it wouldn't happen again for a very long time.  "Very long time" was exactly 6 outs later.  Took two steps in to let F3 pass and grabbed the line.  Worked like a charm.  Just be careful of the BR, who may be running hard if the ball is close to the line.     

[Stan W.]

In any umpiring career, you are going to find yourself on your backside.......

 

this one is funny now, not so when it happened.......

 

I was an umpire for exactly one week.....right out of college....it was a single man 12-u game using a league owned mask and balloon. Ground ball to F4, off  with the mask, I cleared the catcher, tripped over the balloon strap and face-planted myself in the Georgia red dirt dust bowl of an infield.....I came up looking like a sugar doughnut....of course I saw nothing of the play at first....never been so embarrassed in my life....

 

and then this one...

 

First D3 level game, batter hits what I read is a sure triple off the bat, and I'm off like a shot..(for me that is).....somewhere after second runner decides he doesn't have the gas to make it third, puts on the brakes and starts retreating to 2nd..............I  stop quickly on the damp grass and all I see is my shoestrings and Mizuno's as I am laying on my back...........

 

stuff happens....

Edited April 4, 2014 by Stan W.
usual suspects, spelling and clarity

[JaxRolo]

In any umpiring career, you are going to find yourself on your backside.......

this one is funny now, not so when it happened.......

I was an umpire for exactly one week.....right out of college....it was a single man 12-u game using a league owned mask and balloon. Ground ball to F4, off with the mask, I cleared the catcher, tripped over the balloon strap and face-planted myself in the Georgia red dirt dust bowl of an infield.....I came up looking like a sugar doughnut....of course I saw nothing of the play at first....never been so embarrassed in my life....

and then this one...

First D3 level game, batter hits what I read is a sure triple off the bat, and I'm off like a shot..(for me that is).....somewhere after second runner decides he doesn't have the gas to make it third, puts on the brakes and starts retreating to 2nd..............I stop quickly on the damp grass and all I see is my shoestrings and Mizuno's as I am laying on my back...........

stuff happens....

We want a video!!

[Stan W.]

 

In any umpiring career, you are going to find yourself on your backside.......

this one is funny now, not so when it happened.......

I was an umpire for exactly one week.....right out of college....it was a single man 12-u game using a league owned mask and balloon. Ground ball to F4, off with the mask, I cleared the catcher, tripped over the balloon strap and face-planted myself in the Georgia red dirt dust bowl of an infield.....I came up looking like a sugar doughnut....of course I saw nothing of the play at first....never been so embarrassed in my life....

and then this one...

First D3 level game, batter hits what I read is a sure triple off the bat, and I'm off like a shot..(for me that is).....somewhere after second runner decides he doesn't have the gas to make it third, puts on the brakes and starts retreating to 2nd..............I stop quickly on the damp grass and all I see is my shoestrings and Mizuno's as I am laying on my back...........

stuff happens....

We want a video!!

 

 

Ha! the first one was in 1982......not a chance there is any video of that one........(thank you Jesus!)..............the other unfortunately, was well into the cell phone camera age, so it may well have been caught by someone, but I jumped up as fast as I could........

[mrumpiresir]

I've got the dish in an American Legion game when F2 throws down to pick off R1.  R1 was well off the base and is now caught in a rundown.  I start down to cover the first base end of the rundown when F2 who is also heading to cover first base tosses his hockey style helmet down in front of me.  My right foot steps square into the open end of the helmet and I go flying  doing a pretty good face plant.  Worst i got out of it were huge grass stains on my knees.  Must have looked ridiculous to the crowd.

[Lala]

Something like this is bound to happen. I wiped out trying to get in position on a steal of third when the grass was covered in dew. Fun times...

[hill2933]

Ahh..no man's land.  So next time you will take the extra step back and get on the grass, right?

This is one of those fields that has a big drop off from the dirt to the grass. It is probably 6-8 inches below the dirt. I am not sure backing up would have been good. Coming in to pivot would have probably caused the same issue if I had.

[Radwaste50]

I had one where a wrinkle in the carpet of the turf field caught me and went down hard coming in from third.  Finished the game but did have to have the knee drained a couple of weeks later.

 

On the other hand in reference to the title, and I've told this to the players on the field when they yell sniper.  No one I ever shot in my previous occupation ever got up!