When you know you suck tonight

[jjb]

OK, we've been there. We're having a Bad Day and we know it. It seems that every call we make is followed by a silent "Ah, Crap!". We're doing everything we can to fix it, but it's not working.

Check out the topic "Good EJ?" Forget about whether Cuzzi was right or wrong that night: for sake of this topic, let's assume he's wrong, and knows it. Now, what's supposed to happen?

1: Phil should be taking to the catcher: "Ah, crap, let's see that one again". Unless the catcher is 10, he gets it: you blew the call and know you blew it.

2. (When the pitcher comes down: - bad juju in any instance): the catcher should turn around and immediately tell the Umpire: " Time! No, Blue, I got this", and go out and hose his pitcher down. That Pitcher needs to stay in the game, and needs to know that the catcher is handling it.

3. /When the Manager starts chirping and simple "calm down, I got this" with his glove by the catcher may help keep him in the game. When the inning is over (and I never worked a game that eventually didn't end), the catcher can tell the Manager, "he's rough out there, and he knows it".

Instead, what we got (and get) are catcher's who shrug their shoulders, and the pitcher's get tossed (big thing) followed by Managers (not so big). The thing is, bitching is never going to get you a better zone....

[umpstu]

If I am off it really bothers me.  To let the catcher know  take it seriously I will start cussing at myself.  I've had them tell me not to get so down on myself.

[Umpire in Chief]

I've told catchers when I think I may have missed one depending on the situation. If I'm having a bad day I wouldn't say a thing to the catcher. When I'm having an off day I just want to be left alone so I can concentrate more and try to "force" my self to overcome it. 

Now when the excrement hits the rotary device, and I know I'm off players and coach will get a little extra rope, but when they cross the line they've got to go.

[ElkOil]

OK, we've been there. We're having a Bad Day and we know it. It seems that every call we make is followed by a silent "Ah, Crap!". We're doing everything we can to fix it, but it's not working.

Check out the topic "Good EJ?" Forget about whether Cuzzi was right or wrong that night: for sake of this topic, let's assume he's wrong, and knows it. Now, what's supposed to happen?

1: Phil should be taking to the catcher: "Ah, crap, let's see that one again". Unless the catcher is 10, he gets it: you blew the call and know you blew it.

2. (When the pitcher comes down: - bad juju in any instance): the catcher should turn around and immediately tell the Umpire: " Time! No, Blue, I got this", and go out and hose his pitcher down. That Pitcher needs to stay in the game, and needs to know that the catcher is handling it.

3. /When the Manager starts chirping and simple "calm down, I got this" with his glove by the catcher may help keep him in the game. When the inning is over (and I never worked a game that eventually didn't end), the catcher can tell the Manager, "he's rough out there, and he knows it".

Instead, what we got (and get) are catcher's who shrug their shoulders, and the pitcher's get tossed (big thing) followed by Managers (not so big). The thing is, bitching is never going to get you a better zone....

​I don't think I agree with placing so much of the onus on the catcher.  When I'm lousing it up, it's all mine and I have to own it.  Period.  Everyone gets a long leash when that happens, and I have no issue admitting when I pooched something.  To Warren's point, everyone has a choice.  They can either let me have my bad day or they can cross the line.  Crabbing at me doesn't make me better, but I get it that when I'm the source of everyone's frustration, I deservedly hear it.

In the OP, Cuzzi had a crap day, whether he was right or wrong.  God knows I've had bad days when my partner and I both swear things weren't nearly as bad as the teams or coaches would lead us to believe.  But when they want to find fault, they will and they do.  The things they'd normally overlook become sticking points.  And normal sticking points become issues.  It's the snowball effect, for sure.  Seeing Cuzzi go through it makes me feel better about the times it's happened to me because it clearly happens to the best of them.

[maineump]

You can't put it on the catcher to fix your bad day. If you miss some pitches, then so be it - play on. I am ok with admitting a mistake, but if you stay consistent with your zone, the catcher will know when you missed a pitch, you don't need to tell him. That is all part of the game.

The MLB guys are critiqued by a pitch box and computers, and they miss some - I am pretty sure we miss too.

Re-focus, take a deep breath, get back in there and go back to work.

[The Flush]

Question/comment from a parent/coach.

One of the umpires from our 11U tournament this weekend told me and some other parents that he had a bad strike zone during our last game.  It was way too tight for the age. He said he knew it was too tight and tried to adjust be he just couldn't do it.  He said his partner said something to him after the game about it too, so I think everyone agreed it was too tight.  While I appreciate his honesty, is it really wise to make such and admission to a spectator?

Overall he and his partner were good umpires.

[HokieUmp]

Question/comment from a parent/coach.

One of the umpires from our 11U tournament this weekend told me and some other parents that he had a bad strike zone during our last game.  It was way too tight for the age. He said he knew it was too tight and tried to adjust be he just couldn't do it.  He said his partner said something to him after the game about it too, so I think everyone agreed it was too tight.  While I appreciate his honesty, is it really wise to make such and admission to a spectator?

Overall he and his partner were good umpires.

​I can't speak for anyone else, but if you're just a regular spectator, you'll NEVER hear that from me.  If I'm having a bad day, I know it, and I acknowledge it to myself and my partner, but as far as the fans are concerned, it's just another day.  Why provide fans with just that much more ammo?

So I'd say no, it's not wise to do that.

[HokieUmp]

You can't put it on the catcher to fix your bad day. If you miss some pitches, then so be it - play on. I am ok with admitting a mistake, but if you stay consistent with your zone, the catcher will know when you missed a pitch, you don't need to tell him. That is all part of the game.

The MLB guys are critiqued by a pitch box and computers, and they miss some - I am pretty sure we miss too.

Re-focus, take a deep breath, get back in there and go back to work.

​I don't think jjb's point was it's on the catcher to fix YOUR bad day - it's on the catcher to keep everyone ELSE from having a bad day.  Meaning:  if your job is to be a pitcher or a coach, you don't need to be spending Game Time in the clubhouse.  If the catcher knows what he's doing - and the guy that night wasn't the the regular catcher - he intervenes somehow to deflect;  even the announcers on [whatever highlight show I had on] made a quick mention of that.

It's on us to right the train;  but it IS the catcher's job to keep his people from losing their [waste product] and getting tossed.

[ElkOil]

Question/comment from a parent/coach.

One of the umpires from our 11U tournament this weekend told me and some other parents that he had a bad strike zone during our last game.  It was way too tight for the age. He said he knew it was too tight and tried to adjust be he just couldn't do it.  He said his partner said something to him after the game about it too, so I think everyone agreed it was too tight.  While I appreciate his honesty, is it really wise to make such and admission to a spectator?

Overall he and his partner were good umpires.

​I wouldn't call it "admitting" to anything because chances are that when we have a bad day, everyone knows it.  Perhaps "agreeing" may be a more accurate word.  And yeah, I've agreed with a sympathetic parent and coach on occasion.  By not owning up to it, I'd worry that I'd create the impression I was oblivious.  For instance, once during a game when I was PU, I brain farted and after calling ball four, I began to raise my right hand.  My timing was off and I got out of my zone.  My mechanic suffered and I caused some consternation.  The coach and fans got on me right away.  I immediately turned to the coach, tapped my chest and said, "Sorry, coach.  My bad.  That was ball four."  I wanted to be sure everyone heard and saw me take responsibility. In the long run, I don't think it helped that day because once that happened, the damage was done and  I was ridden like a rented mule from there on out.  And the coach wound up literally asking for an EJ a couple of innings later.  But it mattered to me to retain my integrity and eat the sandwich I made.

Was I actually as bad as the fans and coach would have led me to believe?  My partner and I didn't think so, but it just goes to show how perception becomes reality.

[MPLSMatt]

I guess I just don't see the benefit of telling anyone about a missed pitch.  Theoretically all missed pitches are borderline and can go either way, so why apologize for your judgement?  Also, that gets awfully close to letting grunts and groans determine whether your zone is good or not, which is a bad idea.  

I've owned calls in the field working one man (you know, when both teams show signs that you got one wrong), but we don't talk about balls and strikes. 

 

 

[maineump]

​I don't think jjb's point was it's on the catcher to fix YOUR bad day - it's on the catcher to keep everyone ELSE from having a bad day.  Meaning:  if your job is to be a pitcher or a coach, you don't need to be spending Game Time in the clubhouse.  If the catcher knows what he's doing - and the guy that night wasn't the the regular catcher - he intervenes somehow to deflect;  even the announcers on [whatever highlight show I had on] made a quick mention of that.

It's on us to right the train;  but it IS the catcher's job to keep his people from losing their [waste product] and getting tossed.

​It is up to the players and coaches to police themselves. Many catchers are busy enough taking care of themselves, they don't need to worry about what someone on their team is saying to the umpires. We can give the warnings or even have the catcher cool down his pitcher as preventative umpiring as part of the game management, but I don't rely on him on his own. What if he is in the same mind frame as the rest of them?

At the MLB level or even college level, catchers will do that - but to expect anyone under that level of play is not realistic in my experience.

[jjb]

"At the MLB level or even college level, catchers will do that - but to expect anyone under that level of play is not realistic in my experience."

Didn't say it was, and I agree it's not their job to take care of the Umpires. What I'm saying is that I saw (in the Cuzzi video) a catcher stand there with a "hey, not my problem" look, as his pitcher and Manager headed for the dugout. Coaches spend a lot of time working on goofy stuff with their players, (pitch raking, bat waggling, etc): you would think that they would teach the catcher how to work with the Umpires, instead of against them, for their own advantage.