[Brief] Crisis of Confidence

[HokieUmp]

Per the title, wasn't feeling it today.  Almost enough to block out August on Arbiter;  not that that's a real threat or anything, since our association has something like 10 games or so for the month.  (Slight exaggeration, but not by much.)

Adult baseball.  Their first game, according to the guys who worked it, had only gone six instead of seven (they have a no-new-after-2:15 limit), even with it being a 10+ run game.  Not good karma.  Plate meeting was a breeze, and off we went.

From the jump, the home team didn't like what I was doing with low pitches (ie, calling them balls).  First time, the F2 did the whole jump-up-and-start-off thing.  "I had down."  Actually happened again later - not with the jump up, but still another 2-strike pitch they thought they had.  Just didn't like it, so I didn't call it.

I replayed between innings, still wasn't a fan, but tried to bear down.  For whatever reason, I just didn't like those pitches.  If I had the devil's tool called PitchTrak, I might see that I was blowing it all game.  The only (minor) consolation is that I was calling it that way all game.  (Sidebar, and fun fact:  when players say things like 'as long as it's consistent,' they're really just lying b@s+ards.  They want it their way all game, full stop.  They should stop saying crap like that.)

So began a loooooong day on the stick.  Grumbling and moaning, but either "not talking to you" kind, or otherwise short of any actionable criteria.  Had one guy want to gripe about a pitch that broke in as "almost hitting his elbow," although I had to point out if it's on the plate, it's a strike.  That got me some comment about the umpire want to leave early.  (The temptation to say "hey, dummy, this is our first game, and why would we want to miss such athletic artistry?" was almost overwhelming.  As bad as it would have been, wish I'd have said it, anyway.)

Griping about one lefty's move to first.  A complaint about fair/foul with a nearly invisible foul line.  A verbal battle between two players on a CI - "that's an effing big swing!" with an equally witty rejoinder from the batter.  (The same batter one pitch earlier asked me if that was as low as it was getting on a lowish pitch.  I replied I wasn't touching that.  He was on the side that had benefited more from my lack of low strikes, so no answer would have been good enough.)  General griping that I "don't hear," but I hear.  All the while, it's 90+ and humid.

I'm thinking by the end, "okay, eff these guys, and eff baseball for a while."  And just wanted the hell away from there when it was over.  Best part, when it ended?  Even though it was a 2-3 run game, the two teams STILL couldn't get it in under 2:15, so we ended after six.  As I said to my partner at the end, "if they wouldn't all come to the plate looking too watch at least four pitches per hitter, we might have kept it moving."  But that also made me feel like crap, since I hadn't had THAT happen in any other games this year at that level.  They're using wooden bats, FFS!

So.  I'll do some thinking about my zone, and my position, and I'm sure I'll bounce back, but morale is kind of low at this point.  (FWIW, my partner said there may have been a few missed ones low, but he didn't seem that fussed about it.  Either I just let it get to me, with all the griping and moaning, or he was just being polite.  Don't know;  don't care.)

Just wanted to vent a little.  I'll never work college ball, for a lot of reasons, but I truly don't believe that I suck.  But it felt a little like it today.

Edited August 3, 2015 by HokieUmp

[TheRockawayKid]

Let 'em complain. And you're fine with having a smaller zone in wood bat adult league. They want to bat, someone told me early on, so let 'em bat. And since it's wood bat, it's not like you'll see a slugfest. 

[ScubaUmp]

GET THAT UP PITCH!!!!!!!!!!

SPIT ON THAT LOW OUTSIDE SHIN PITCH!!!!

GOD JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Umpire in Chief]

I had a somewhat similar experience in that league Sunday morning in terms just a lot of B!+ching for no apparent reason. Tensions were high for some reason Sunday. I had one situation with R1 the pitcher starts his delivery and 1st baseman yells "step off" this actually seemed to frighten the pitcher who then balked. But I thought there might have been a fight between the pitcher and first baseman. 

A few innings later I had a pretty far inside pitch I called a ball on. Pitcher (other team than before) goes ape $h!+. Catcher wisely calls time and yells at the pitcher, "You've got to knock this $h!+ off that was at least 6 inches off and you've got to stay in the game."

My game ended on a bases loaded hit that drove in 2 runs. It was down the unpainted line but 2-3 feet fair and of course the losing team had a fit. 

There were a few other hot-headed situations, but I hope you did not play the role of the human backstop that I did. The good thing is all but one hit me where I was protected. The bad news is one that one foul hit me in the CP tore my new shirt.

 

[jkumpire]

There are two and only two ways to evaluate your performance at a baseball game:

1. Serious evaluation from someone you trust who knows what they are doing.

2. The Mirror Test. Since you had no real evaluator there the only test that matters to you is the mirror test. Look yourself in the mirror and ask the face you see "Did I give 100% effort today and do my best today that I could possibly do umpiring that game?" If you answer yes, then great, you did a fine job and let the people who are biased about your work fade away into nothingness. You can't change their minds and they don't matter anyway. The only person you can control is you and your performance. 

3. If you fail the mirror test ask yourself why. Answer the question and don't do it again! Sounds like to me you did a good job, the players made it an ugly game, not you.

4. Ignore everything you hear from a dugout unless it includes the word 'you' and certain other words not appropriate for adults to use after it.

You did a good job in your game, but if you are tired and worn out from the season, take a day or two off and recharge! .  

 

BTW have fun beating Ohio State again this season.

Edited August 3, 2015 by jkumpire

[MObetterBlue]

Bad days and good days should be left in the rear view mirror.  Focus on the next game with the intention to make it the best one you've worked.

That being said, I've been asked a few times to work some adult leagues and I have turned them down so far.  I've been the overly competitive jerk whose life isn't going that well so I'll take it out on whatever obstacle I perceive (like an umpire).  I wouldn't want to umpire that person I was.  I was an idiot.

[HokieUmp]

 

You did a good job in your game, but if you are tired and worn out from the season, take a day or two off and recharge! .  

Funny thing is, I've only had three games since 10 July.  We're really slowed down here until the fall ball season, but yesterday was just enough to make me think "Ugh, I'm sick of their s#it."

BTW have fun beating Ohio State again this season.

Oh, I hope so.  Like you would not believe.

[conbo61]

If you were consistent, don't beat yourself up.  Adult wood bat players ENJOY chirping.  Their bosses and/or significant others are probably on them all week and this is their opportunity to dish it back.  Just so happens that you are in the cross-hairs. That being said, conduct an honest self-assessment after a day or two.  Same day is not good because the wound is still but raw.  Do you need to adjust your head height? Place in the slot?  Take a step back and then correct as you see fit.

A couple of weeks ago I had an adult wood bat game between two teams that, based upon their W-L records, appeared to be evenly matched.  Well, it didn't work out that way.  Team A laid a 9-0 beating on B.  The players for B had an issue with my calls on the inside corner all game.  I am certain that all of those pitches were good inside corner strikes, but they begged to differ.  Heard chirping and just blocked it out.  It was 98 and humid and I was not going to let them make it more miserable than it already was.

Line of the day was from B's F3 who I punched out on one of those inside corner pitches. "Hey Blue, just take my $130 bat from me, because I can't use it if you are going to call those." This was the guy who just booted his second ground ball of the game and all I could think of was "$130? That money may have been better spent on a new glove."

I kept my mouth shut though.  Don't want to create problems for my assignor.

[Majordave]

@HokieUmp

"Why would I want to leave early and miss such athletic artistry?" 

Effin classic!  I am sitting on the can laughing my ass off right now. That's a great comeback. I'm gonna use it.