Varsity Game - 3 Hours and 5 Minutes

[grayhawk]

Worked the bases for a small school varsity game yesterday that went 3:05.  Extra innings?  Nope.  The score wasn't even that high:  14-9 or something like that.  I think it was a combination of poor pitching, poor defense, and a partner that didn't move the game along very well.  A couple of interesting scenarios:

 

1.  R2 and R3 - the squeeze is on.  Batter bunts it straight down and it takes a bit of a funny bounce and rolls fair.  R3 scores, R2 to third and they throw out the BR at first.  In my view from C, I thought it hit the front of the plate which was why it took the odd bounce, but it's possible that it hit the batter's foot or something.  Since I was not sure, I didn't kill it.  After the play if over, the DC goes to my partner and it is clear that he is asking if the ball hit the batter.  Of course, we pregamed that if I don't kill it, then I don't have it hitting the batter.  Partner entertains the coach a little too long, and he (my partner) still ends up asking me - across the field - if I had the ball hitting the batter.  Now, I have two choices.  I can answer him, or I can walk in and speak with him privately.  I suppose the right thing to do is the latter, but I decided to give a one word answer, "No."  That was the end of it and we play on.  Told him after the game that even if the coach was insistent, do not come to me for help because we pregamed it and he KNEW I had nothing.

 

2.  No runners, so I am in A.  Batter bunts and starts running.  I see the ball bounce up and hit the BR's leg.  I give my partner a second to call it (as we pregamed) and I see him give the "time" mechanic, but then say "foul."  Now, from my perspective, I had the batter well out of the box when it hit him, but since it's his call, I do nothing.  DC comes out and claims it hit the BR while he was out of the box and my partner changes his call to interference and BR is out.  Now here comes OC and wants an explanation.  I watch this from my A position and this conversation takes at least two minutes!  Finally, OC walks back to the dugout and we play on.  After the game, I asked my partner what took so long and he said he explained it to the coach twice.  He also said that she should have given the "that's nothing" mechanic to "clear the play" (whatever that means).  I explain that giving the "time" mechanic was correct, but saying foul was not - but that part was correctable.  It's an immediate dead ball in both cases anyway, so simply tell the OC that you messed up by saying foul because the batter was clearly out of the box when the ball touched him in fair territory, and that is interference and the BR is out and that is the call.  Nothing more than that needs to be explained.

 

There were quite a few other things that my partner needs to work on, including counting warm up pitches better (one reliever got 10, and a couple of returning pitchers got 7 and 8 respectively.  He also gave a "safe" mechanic on a "no he didn't go", didn't swap out balls that went to the backstop, and poorly managed the number of baseballs in his ball bags (ran out a few times).  He also didn't keep the batters in the box when he should have.  All of this contributed to the length of the game.  The fans were on him a little bit about balls and strikes (he had trouble with the outside corner and with high and low pitches), but nothing too bad.

 

I don't want it to sound like he was horrible because he wasn't.  He wants to get better, listened to my feedback during post game, and hustled while working out there.  He just needs to refine several things and let the game slow down for him.

[UmpJM]

greyhawk,

 

And to think we get paid for having this much fun!

 

Hey, if a guy wants to get better and is willing to take constructive feedback, I'll work with him.

 

Once had a game where I was PU and had one of those "might it have hit the batter" sitches. (I had a good look at it and was confident it had not.) Coach comes out after the play and asked if I would check with my partner. I told him I already had. (Because we had pre-gamed that he would kill it if he saw it and I didn't call it - and he hadn't.)

 

Coach looked a little perplexed, but he went back to the dugout.

 

JM

[grayhawk]

greyhawk,

 

And to think we get paid for having this much fun!

 

Hey, if a guy wants to get better and is willing to take constructive feedback, I'll work with him.

 

Once had a game where I was PU and had one of those "might it have hit the batter" sitches. (I had a good look at it and was confident it had not.) Coach comes out after the play and asked if I would check with my partner. I told him I already had. (Because we had pre-gamed that he would kill it if he saw it and I didn't call it - and he hadn't.)

 

Coach looked a little perplexed, but he went back to the dugout.

 

JM

 

Same thing happened when I was PU on a game last week.  I simply told him that we pregamed that exact situation and if my partner saw the ball hit the batter, he would have called it.  Coach said okay and walked back to the dugout.

[Lala]

Out of curiosity, what all do you pregame? Is it just by experience that you know what to go over or do you actually pull out a list of things to talk about?

Thanks for sharing!

[grayhawk]

Our association uses Fed mechanics, and page 8 of the Fed Umpire Manual states:

 

The umpires are expected to have a pregame conference.  The discussion should be conducted from a printed form.  Conducting a pregame discussion from memory can lead to a breakdown of coverage.

 

I keep a folder in my car with my pregame checklist.  Some guys get theirs laminated.

[conbo61]

Our association uses Fed mechanics, and page 8 of the Fed Umpire Manual states:

The umpires are expected to have a pregame conference. The discussion should be conducted from a printed form. Conducting a pregame discussion from memory can lead to a breakdown of coverage.

I keep a folder in my car with my pregame checklist. Some guys get theirs laminated.

I used the TASO pre-game outline, customized it and took it to Staples and had it laminated. This year I also threw my old coaches clipboard with dry erase markers to go over things either pre or post game. Handy tool to have.

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[wingman3110]

Our association uses Fed mechanics, and page 8 of the Fed Umpire Manual states:

The umpires are expected to have a pregame conference. The discussion should be conducted from a printed form. Conducting a pregame discussion from memory can lead to a breakdown of coverage.

I keep a folder in my car with my pregame checklist. Some guys get theirs laminated.

I used the TASO pre-game outline, customized it and took it to Staples and had it laminated. This year I also threw my old coaches clipboard with dry erase markers to go over things either pre or post game. Handy tool to have.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

You pregame that whole outline with your partner every game?

[conbo61]

Our association uses Fed mechanics, and page 8 of the Fed Umpire Manual states:

The umpires are expected to have a pregame conference. The discussion should be conducted from a printed form. Conducting a pregame discussion from memory can lead to a breakdown of coverage.

I keep a folder in my car with my pregame checklist. Some guys get theirs laminated.

I used the TASO pre-game outline, customized it and took it to Staples and had it laminated. This year I also threw my old coaches clipboard with dry erase markers to go over things either pre or post game. Handy tool to have.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

You pregame that whole outline with your partner every game?

Not the ENTIRE outline. I give it a once over and pick up things I think should be reviewed. This is especially important with a new partner or one I have only worked with for a game or two.

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[ricka56]

Worked the bases for a small school varsity game yesterday that went 3:05.  

 

[refump10]

Not to pile on, but we had a V/JV DH last night (scheduled for 7 innings each).  V game went 10 innings in 2:20.  JV game went 7 in 1:05!  I was PU for the second game; gave my partner grief for letting his game go 10 , but we did keep 'em moving!  Both starters in the first game went 8 full innings and the relievers also threw the ball real well.

[James Walker]

^^^  This, my friends, is an outstanding example of kicking a man when he's down.

[catsbackr]

I disagree on point #1. Even if you pregamed the fact that if you didn't kill the play, you have nothing fact, the coaches don't know this and what is the harm in getting together briefly. Unless it is a play you have to OWN, what's the harm?

[ricka56]

I disagree on point #1. Even if you pregamed the fact that if you didn't kill the play, you have nothing fact, the coaches don't know this and what is the harm in getting together briefly. Unless it is a play you have to OWN, what's the harm?

I'm not much for call by committee, but I wouldn't have a problem with a brief/private discussion (even if I pre-gamed that BU will kill the play if he sees the ball touch B). Sometimes one of us thinks that he might have missed something (usually the only time I initiate a partner conference) and the other might be able to fill in the blanks.

 

I'm even much, much less a fan of discussing it across the field.

[grayhawk]

I disagree on point #1. Even if you pregamed the fact that if you didn't kill the play, you have nothing fact, the coaches don't know this and what is the harm in getting together briefly. Unless it is a play you have to OWN, what's the harm?

 

They will find out when PU tells them.  Is there a lot of harm in getting together?  Probably not, but it undermines PU's authority a little to go for help on something he already knows the answer to.  It also wastes time and as you can see from the thread title, the game was long enough as is.

 

Is it a catastrophe to get help anyway?  No, but if I am PU, I will be firm on not needing to ask my partner on this play because he would have already killed it if he had the ball hitting the batter.

[catsbackr]

We'll just agree to disagree then.

I truly believe you and your partner will come across as "hard asses" if you won't get together on a play you could get together on. And it's hardly undermining anyone's authority to get together on the play as described.

[RichMSN]

We'll just agree to disagree then.

I truly believe you and your partner will come across as "hard asses" if you won't get together on a play you could get together on. And it's hardly undermining anyone's authority to get together on the play as described.

If a coach asks me to get help, I'm going to patiently explain that a base umpire would kill it immediately if he saw it hit the batter.

Done right, no reason to be thought of as a hardass.

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[UmpJM]

I disagree on point #1. Even if you pregamed the fact that if you didn't kill the play, you have nothing fact, the coaches don't know this and what is the harm in getting together briefly. Unless it is a play you have to OWN, what's the harm?

 

catsbacker,

 

If you give a mouse a cookie.....

 

JM