It's All Part of the Game

[ElkOil]

I popped my cherry today and ejected a player (MSBL/MABL) for shouting some profanity at me from his dugout after I rang him up (their chapter has a no-tolerance policy and we've been asked by their president to bounce them when this happens).  I even gave him a warning as he walked back to the dugout telling him to stop arguing balls and strikes, but that didn't help.  Once I tossed him, in good ol' Billy Martin fashion, he charged me, and I just turned and walked away, letting his teammates restrain him and take him back to the dugout as he carried on like I was now personally responsible for some travesty because he struck out.  He left immediately afterwards.

That was in the third inning, and things seemed fine for a while afterwards.  I felt locked in my zone and was feeling pretty good, despite dumping a player.  Even though he really EJ'd himself, it didn't make me happy.  At any rate, the game went along and after a few more innings, I began to hear some grumbling about my strike zone.  From both teams.  Nothing overt, but just under-the-breath stuff, eye-rolling from the pitchers and head shakes from the players.  Between innings I asked my partner what he saw and he told me I was being consistent.  Good, because I really felt like my zone was good.  These guys were 18-35 years old, former collegiate and even some AAA players who expect a tight, consistent zone.  I was satisfied that I was calling things properly, but obviously they weren't, and some remarked that my zone was all over the place.  And of course, being an introspective guy who wants to continually improve, I ask myself if there's merit to their complaints.  God as my witness, I don't see any.  But when I'm in the clear minority and both teams have the same complaints, it's making me wonder.

I suppose the answer to my question is obvious, the question being what should I do?  My own answer is have a good post-game, which we did, and my partner seemed very honest when he told me he thought my zone was consistent.  He thought it was a little generous on the low side, but I had called the low strike all day.  Fair enough.  My answer also includes go over things in my mind with complete honesty and see where I can improve.  I've been doing that all day.  And finally, I'd tell myself to move past it and get right back in it on my next game, which is Tuesday night... which includes one of these teams again.

And the bottom line is, right, wrong, good or bad, what happened today is part of the game and always has been.

Thanks for letting my vent.  If you have any suggestions in additions to the ones I've already given myself, please let me have it.

 

[LittleBlue]

The ejection seems pretty textbook to me. He argued balls and strikes, you warned him and he punched his ticket.

As for questioning your own zone, I know when I start hearing things from both sides about my zone I start thinking about if I'm missing a lot of pitches. The best cure for me is to lock in and make sure I'm watching the ball all the way to the glove and making sure I saw the entire pitch. If your partner said that you were consistant, you probably were and you may have been overly critical of yourself.

The best advice I can offer is to have confidence in your ability to call balls and strikes. Don't let the ejection and grumbling change yor zone, that's what they want! 

[afaber12]

Sometimes one guy in a dugout will get to thinking that it was your zone that was wrong rather than his eye, and will voice this opinion in the dugout in a way that gets everyone else wondering as well. That you'd ejected someone for having that same thought - which seems to be reasonable - will sometimes reinforce the idea with these malcontents: "Not only was the umpire wrong about that ball/strike call, but he ejected him because he was embarrassed about it and being called out on it." (If the players were known for their logical and rational thinking, they'd perhaps be more likely playing chess than baseball.)

How you handle that part of it is always going to be HTBT. Sounds like after the ejection no one did anything big enough on their own to warrant any action. You might have a word with the manager(s), but that could just add fuel to the fire. You'd already ejected someone, in my book that serves as a warning to everyone else in the game to not cross the line.

As far as the consistency of your zone, sounds like you took all the steps you could. (I'm assuming you didn't have access to some kind of pitch-tracking software hooked up to multiple fixed cameras to judge your consistency and accuracy for you.) Just be aware - more in general than in this particular case, given you said you had a good post-game - that some partners will just tell you your zone looked good or that they thought you had a good game because they think that's what you wanted to hear, or because they weren't paying attention to your calls that much, or any number of other reasons.

Goodonya (Oz for: "good on ya", or "well done") for looking for ways to improve. Never hurts to be better at what you do!

[HokieUmp]

Couple things, from reading your post:

1.  I would strongly advise that you NEVER turn your back on a player that you just ejected.  And given that you've already said he charged you, I would change that to "STRONGLY advise."  How do you know his teammates won't just let him go?  We're talking about adult babysitting here.

2.  From that last sentence:  don't beat yourself up over it too badly, if your recon tells you you're being consistent.  These are grown-ups that we babysit while they live the fantasy that someone's going to give them one more shot at The Show, if they have a great game on a Sunday at [Insert Your Location Here].

3.  But good for you, trying to make sure you're on your game.  (But look at it this way - if both sides are pissed off, you're being consistent.)

[ElkOil]

But look at it this way - if both sides are pissed off, you're being consistent.

​Here's what struck me the most about this.  As I was leaving the field some of the players came up to me to chat -- I know what you're going to say, but unfortunately, we all park in the same place, so there's some proximity, even if we're not a willing audience.  One guy griped about another umpiring crew from the week before, another said they were mad because they didn't play well, and another said he was upset because "I got nothing from you emotionally."  Um, what now?

Actually, now that I type this, I think I see an interesting pattern unfold.  This post has been more enlightening and therapeutic than I though it would be.

[woodiemiller]

Remember, its easy to be consistent calling a tight zone as there is less borderline area. The bigger the zone, the more borderline pitches you have to call. In other words, the bigger the zone the harder it is to be consistent but it can be achieved.

[kstrunk]

I think another thing to examine here, beyond the strike zone you're calling, is HOW you're calling balls and strikes. Do your mechanics (verbally and physically), and posture, lend to confidence and certainty? I see some guys behind the dish (I watch as many umpires as I can at various levels) who shake their heads after a call, who explain every single pitch as if they're trying to convince themselves, delaying beyond what is considered good timing because they just aren't sure, etc... So while  our 'zone' may be consistent, or even text book, our mechanics can cause us grief. 

Of course, I've never seen you call a game, so this is no indictment, just something for all of us to think about.

[maineump]

Remember, its easy to be consistent calling a tight zone as there is less borderline area. The bigger the zone, the more borderline pitches you have to call. In other words, the bigger the zone the harder it is to be consistent but it can be achieved.

​I disagree - the borderline pitches become strikes. Obviously way outside or up or whatever are balls, but your zone starts with the first batter. once the battery figure out the zone, they can make it easy to stay consistent. By calling a bigger zone, you get the pitchers throwing strike and the batters swinging.

The most common areas that may get a bigger zone are the outside corner and the top may be higher than the belt. If you call those pitches earlier and consistently then you should never get complaints.

[ElkOil]

​I disagree - the borderline pitches become strikes. Obviously way outside or up or whatever are balls, but your zone starts with the first batter. once the battery figure out the zone, they can make it easy to stay consistent. By calling a bigger zone, you get the pitchers throwing strike and the batters swinging.

The most common areas that may get a bigger zone are the outside corner and the top may be higher than the belt. If you call those pitches earlier and consistently then you should never get complaints.

​I've been told that by others, too, and even looking back on things now, I swear that's what I was doing.  My confusion lies in trying to reconcile all the griping with what I would swear was a good zone.  I've been off before, certainly, so I know what it's like.  This game, though, I know I was consistent, timely and crisp with my calls.  If these players were trying to get in my head, I'd say it worked, as evidenced by this whole post.  At some point, though, I just have to learn what I can, discard the rest and keep at it.

[kstrunk]

I know how you feel... as an inexperienced umpire (about 55 games), I'm often asking myself things like... "should I let that go?... does he need a warning?..." 

[woodiemiller]

​I disagree - the borderline pitches become strikes. Obviously way outside or up or whatever are balls, but your zone starts with the first batter. once the battery figure out the zone, they can make it easy to stay consistent. By calling a bigger zone, you get the pitchers throwing strike and the batters swinging.

The most common areas that may get a bigger zone are the outside corner and the top may be higher than the belt. If you call those pitches earlier and consistently then you should never get complaints.

​a smaller zone is easier to be consistent with. less area of strikes to call. its harder to be consistent with the bigger zones. I never said impossible. its common sense.

[MooseLoop]

Sometimes when one team is chirping, the other team will start chirping too to make sure they get an equal share of the appeasement close calls. This will occur regardless of your consistent zone.  You have to decide how much chirping you will accept, and what you'll do when they exceed your limit.

[Replacematt]

How were the catchers?

[ElkOil]

How were the catchers?

​Neither of them said anything to me about my zone.  One of them didn't like a call my partner made, but that was about it.

[Replacematt]

I meant how were they as catchers. Sometimes that makes a big difference in perception, especially if they are of disparate skills.

[ElkOil]

I meant how were they as catchers. Sometimes that makes a big difference in perception, especially if they are of disparate skills.

​Oh, sorry.  They're rather good.  One of them is a former AAA catcher.

[HokieUmp]

​One guy griped about another umpiring crew from the week before, another said they were mad because they didn't play well, and another said he was upset because "I got nothing from you emotionally."  Um, what now?

​The hell?  I think it would be hard for me NOT to say "hug it out, bro" to THAT guy.

[ElkOil]

​The hell?  I think it would be hard for me NOT to say "hug it out, bro" to THAT guy.

​You have no idea how much effort I put into holding that response back.