Tournament Fun!!!

[bluejerred]

This might be a little long so bear with me...

 

So there I was, working my first travel ball championship tournament.  I got 5 games, 4 behind the plate and one base.  Tournament has two playing sites, each with their own UIC.  I work the first 4 games at site A.  Site A UIC is awesome, partners are awesome, everything is going great, and I am loving the experience.  I'm taking in a lot of good advice from senior umpires and the UIC, listening, learning, and getting a lot of positive feedback.  Did I mention that the UIC for this site was awesome and let the umpires take care of their own business.  It was great!  :beerbangNow to the bad stuff....

 

Last game, I have to travel to a different site (Site B).  We get there and the inmates have completely taken over the asylum.  Coaches can't control themselves, parents are crappy.  You could walk in the complex and just feel the negative energy.  The Site B UIC was obliging any coach with any complaint and then going to the umpires about it and talking to them.  As I was scouting the fields, I actually witnessed the Site B UIC take 20 minutes to handle what should have been a simple lineup/numbering issue.  (Red flag)   Before my game, there was reports that an umpire was assaulted and I watched about 5 cops show up to find out the coach who assaulted the umpire bolted out of there  (HUGE RED FLAG!!!).  From my understanding, the malcontents had been going at it from the beginning of the day to the end.  

 

My game was no different:

 

Before the plate meeting, the coach for team A comes and talks to us.  Says the following things:

 

I don't criticize umpires, I'm an umpire myself:  Red Flag  (I'm finding this is rarely true or that they suck as umpires and don't know anything)

 

Right after saying that, starts criticizing umpires from a prior game in the tournament:  RED FLAG!

 

Goes into detail about everything they did wrong and how his players getting injured was the umpires fault:  RED FLAG!  RED FLAG!  RED FLAG!

 

I get through the plate meeting as quickly as possible so to avoid any more of this nonsense.  I tell my partner that I'm pretty sure we would have problems with this guy.

 

Sure enough, we have problems.  He argues rules that he is misinterpreting (probably getting rec ball rules and tournament rules mixed up).  I try helping him out but instead of listening and learning, he just walked away mad.  Oh well. 

 

I find out he went to complain to the Site B UIC about my interpretation.  Site B UIC obliges him and talks to me between innings.  I tell him what I got and the UIC told me I was wrong.  (I looked up the rule and found out I was right).  So he pretty much took my legs out from under me and he was wrong. 

 

Team B's AC's decide to leave their cages on a play and I get after them and send them back to the dugout.  I tell the HC that the next time that happens, I'm going to be sending people off.  I tell the HC if he wants to talk to the BU, then he needs to call and be granted time, then go talk to the BU. 

 

Later on, the Site B UIC is hanging around.  Team A coaches are still grumbling.  I go to him between innings with my partner and tell him that the coach from Team B is pretty much trying to pit my partner against me and that if it kept up, he wouldn't be around much longer.  UIC tells me, "DON'T TELL ME YOU ARE GOING TO THROW A COACH!!  DON'T TELL ME THAT!!"  After that, I told my partner, "f*** this, let's just get through this game and get out of here."  He agreed. 

 

Team A ended up losing by 13 runs.  Players and coaches on team A are being smart-asses but instead of getting rid of them, I let them stay there and suck for the rest of the game while the other team just keeps shelling them.  It's sad because they don't realize they are making complete asses of themselves and I'm just loving every second of it, no matter what they say to me.    I call run rule and then get out of there.  I have serious doubts that I'll work for 'B' UIC again.

 

I go to Site B UIC to get paid.  He asks me what happened over there and I fill him in on the score (blowout), the errors the losing team made (too many to count), how nothing was routine for them, how the coaches argued rules that didn't exist, how they argued judgment plays, etc.  He then asks me, "What makes your regional UIC think you are qualified for championship play?"  I told him that I wasn't going to speak for my UIC and that this was the only game I had an issue.  I told him I got great feedback from Site A UIC.  He continued with his air of arrogance, paid me my money, and had this "f*** you" attitude towards me the entire time.

 

As I'm getting undressed, Site A UIC comes up to me and says, "So what did you think?"  I told Site A UIC that my first 4 games were great, that my partners were great, that he was great, and that I would work for him in high heat any day.  I then told him that the last game was horrible, that the Site B UIC was horrible and a p****, and that I'll never work a tournament where he is the head UIC again.  Site A UIC laughed and told me that I wasn't the only one who didn't like him, that he himself had no respect for him, and that Site B UIC thinks he knows everything but he doesn't.    I laughed, shook his hand, and drove home.

 

Total length of day:  Left house at 5:30 AM, got home 12:30 AM next day.

 

Thanks for reading!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jocko]

Seeking advice or just sharing your experience?

[bluejerred]

Seeking advice or just sharing your experience?

A little of both.  First time I dealt with a UIC that didn't have my back and wasn't straight forward.  I know some of you guys have dealt with it before.  I guess it was bound to happen sometime.  I probably would have chucked somebody had it not been for the fact that I'm pretty sure I would have tire marks and a stab wound to the back if I did.  Just wondering if any of you guys have ever left a field in the middle of a game when you have a TD or UIC basically strip you of power in the middle of the game.

[BigUmpire]

USSSA tournament i will bet.

[Old Skool]

Tell the Site B  UIC to his face what you told the Site A UIC.  No need to talk about him behind his back.  If he's a p-s%! like you said you told the Site A guy then don't hold back.  Especially if you have no intention of working for his location again.  i too do USSSA ball and fortunately our UIC has our back always and has no problem putting coaches in their place when they are showing their ignorance or arrogance.  

[bluejerred]

@Old Skool.  That's fair enough.  Dare accepted; especially if I work something where he is around and he pulls the same s#!+.  In my defense, I asked him why umpires were getting assaulted as he was paying me.  He told me that the umpire had learned a big lesson and there was a lot to that.  Him not going into specifics was a red flag to me as we can all learn to avoid situations like that.  Then again, as a devil's advocate, maybe he was just burned out from appeasing coaches all day and didn't have the energy to back me.  Who knows?

[Jocko]

I don't criticize umpires, I'm an umpire myself:  Red Flag  (I'm finding this is rarely true or that they suck as umpires and don't know anything)

 

Right after saying that, starts criticizing umpires from a prior game in the tournament: RED FLAG!

 

Goes into detail about everything they did wrong and how his players getting injured was the umpires fault:  RED FLAG!  RED FLAG!  RED FLAG!

SHUT THIS DOWN IMMEDIATELY! !!!!!!!!

(Use his first name. If you don't know it, ask) jim, we're not going to discuss those things. We have a game to play.

[Jocko]

I try helping him out but instead of listening and learning, he just walked away mad.  Oh well. 

This isn't a rules clinic. Answer direct questions and give brief explanations.

[Jocko]

Site B UIC obliges him and talks to me between innings. 

(Use UICs name. If you dont know it, ask) Brett, he didn't file a protest. We'll discuss this after the game. I'm kinda busy right now.

[Jocko]

As for the difference in rules understanding, this is something I'd DEFINITELY address.

As for the question of qualifications... Why? You applying to be the assignor? ( Ima smartass. Can't help it)

And I think what you're referring to as 'UIC' is actually the Tournament Director (TD)

[bluejerred]

@Jocko.  Great points and great advice.  I will admit that my game management was sloppy on the last game; however, it was my first time working for the UIC so I didn't know what to expect from this guy.  Now I know and will act accordingly.  It was better earlier in the day when I was a little clearer.  I will say that eating apples like you suggested helped a lot and will continue to do that. 

 

As far as the UIC, he was actually the UIC and there was a lady who was the TD.  Believe it or not...

[immaculate1976]

I agree shut the manager down as soon as he starts talking about how bad the umpires were in the last game. We have to have each others backs and letting him run down a umpire in front of you is never accepted. 

 

I work as a UIC so I am sorry he acted like this to you. When I work as a UIC I am there to make sure all the umpires show up, watch the umpires and give them advice on things they are doing wrong and have there back. 

[umpcoachfather]

RAT

[conbo61]

"I don't criticize umpires, I'm an umpire myself:  Red Flag  (I'm finding this is rarely true or that they suck as umpires and don't know anything)

 

Right after saying that, starts criticizing umpires from a prior game in the tournament:  RED FLAG!"

 

Not only am I shutting it down as Jocko said, I am calling him out on his BS right then and there with "I thought you said you don't criticize umpires?"  

 

Sends a signal that he can't put anything past you.

[bluejerred]

 

"I don't criticize umpires, I'm an umpire myself:  Red Flag  (I'm finding this is rarely true or that they suck as umpires and don't know anything)

 

Right after saying that, starts criticizing umpires from a prior game in the tournament:  RED FLAG!"

 

Not only am I shutting it down as Jocko said, I am calling him out on his BS right then and there with "I thought you said you don't criticize umpires?"  

 

Sends a signal that he can't put anything past you.

 

Just as a side note - these comments were all made prior to the plate meeting as teams were finishing their warm ups.  Not during the plate meeting.  That being said, I still should have shut him down instead of just standing there and watching him make an idiot of himself. 

 

After thinking about the situation along with the posts here for a couple of days, there are some things that I wish I would have done different but I want you guys to let me know if I'm on the right track or not.

 

Please keep in mind that this was the first time I've had a UIC that I felt didn't have my back so I didn't know how to react to it at the time.

 

1)  When coach A/B came out to argue decisions or rules:  After my brief explanation, instead of trying to get them to understand my decision, tell them "let's play ball".  If they continue to argue, just ask them if they wish to file a protest at this time.  Yes or no, put a fork in the road.  If it's no, then tell them "play ball", if they continue, BOOM!

 

2)  If someone needs to go, then they need to go - regardless if the UIC has my back or not.  If they go and the UIC/TD reinstates them, take the balls and the lineup cards, hand them over, dust off your hands, go get undressed, and Miller Time!

 

3)  I'm tired of trying to help people who don't want the help.  With experience and great advice from here and good partners, I'm starting to understand how to spot participants who are knowledgeable and those who are going to be problems early.

 

4)  AC's get one strand of rope and that's depending on what they say.  They argue a call, "that's enough", they come out of the dugout to argue, "BOOM!"

 

One further question, how do you guys deal with catchers who are getting chippy or smart-assy with you?  What steps do you take and in what order?  Assume that the 3 P's were not violated.