Are you the umpire or the warm up catcher?

[Mudisfun]

 

Pony Bronco division playoff game last night... I am BU.

I get the assignment late on Tuesday evening. Since it was short time and I saw the notice I sent my partner an email asking what colors and seek agreement on where to park etc... Next day mid-morning I receive a reply and the first thing is 'hey, can you take the plate?' which I declined... I have never worked with this guy and to be honest I was looking forward to working bases since many of my assignments are solo plate so we get past that and agree on where to meet at 6pm.

6 rolls around... 6:05... 6:10... now I am calling him as my phone rings. Ohh I parked somewhere else so lets meet by my car which is completely on the other side of the complex where we agreed to meet. Since I am already dressed out I walk over and he is finishing gearing up. Our pregame goes basically like this: My knee hurts so I need you to take all bases tonight but let me get in a few pitches and I'll decide if I will rotate. Fine I say and that is our pre-game since we did not hook up on time. Not feeling the love at this point.

Plate meeting is much longer than needed and did not cover many of the main points so when my PU asks me if I have anything I make a few inquiries... CBO or batting 9? 10 run mercy in effect after 5? Time limits? Since this is an internal league playoff I want to make sure we know what is going on. My partner did make sure to go over if a ball hits the screen it is foul and that anything in the stands is out of play... you know the major important things.

First couple innings go by... I jog out to short right between innings what do I see when I turn around? My partner grabbing a catchers mitt from the VTHC and then heading to home to help warm up F1. Now I know this team only has 9 players and F2 is gearing up but there are 3 coaches sitting there doing nothing. WOW that is a new one is all I am thinking. Thankfully the PU had his bucket on while catching; safety first!

Later I have interference by a retired runner (B/R was put out for out #2) and then he interfered with F3 making a play on R1 going to 3rd. We meet and he starts right off on this and that... I ask him to hold up, shoe the defensive coach away and send him back to his dugout and then tell my partner what I had at 1st. I then ask him if he has any additional information which he did. After hearing his information I use 6.01(a)(5) {new numbering} and call R1 out as well due to the interference of the retired runner.

OHC is unhappy and wants to talk to my partner about the call after I explain to him what we have; which he starts to do. I interrupt and remind the coach (and by default my partner) that this is my call and if he wants to discuss it we can talk but my partner is not the person to speak to. He listens to my explanation and wants R1 sent back to 2nd which I declined. He then protests the game but stopped arguing and we went on with the game which they win pretty handily. 

Post game was exactly what I thought it would be... non-existent. His girlfriend walks up and they immediately start on about dinner and what not. At this point I just said my good byes and headed to my car... did not think there was any point in post gaming anything after the way he acted on the field...

But my favorite was watching the PU in the crouch taking preparatory pitches...

 

 

 

[udbrky]

That sucks. I used to do Babe Ruth with a guy who would do the younger kids every once in a while. He was the only one that did it. He was an ex-catcher. It was a pretty small league and all the coaches knew and respected him.

The biggest question is, how come he was able to warm up the pitcher when his knee was so sore he couldn't cover 3rd? 

Sounds like a candidate to block assignments with in the future!

[grayhawk]

Where was this?

[Mudisfun]

18 hours ago, udbrky said:

That sucks. I used to do Babe Ruth with a guy who would do the younger kids every once in a while. He was the only one that did it. He was an ex-catcher. It was a pretty small league and all the coaches knew and respected him.

The biggest question is, how come he was able to warm up the pitcher when his knee was so sore he couldn't cover 3rd? 

Sounds like a candidate to block assignments with in the future!

I chatted with my assignor last night at a meeting and apparently he is well known for the catching thing... Youth, adult league... everywhere. Just a first for me especially in a play off game. Just looks really bad especially if you're not reciprocating for the other side...

 

[HokieUmp]

On 5/26/2016 at 1:21 PM, Mudisfun said:

I chatted with my assignor last night at a meeting and apparently he is well known for the catching thing... Youth, adult league... everywhere. Just a first for me especially in a play off game. Just looks really bad especially if you're not reciprocating for the other side...

If it's to the point where he's "well known" for it, it's now not a Bad Look for him, it's a Bad Look for your assignor and/or the association.  Simply because he's doing that crap, and no one's called him out for it, or put a stop to it.  So, if the field needed some last minute touch-up work, he'd have done that, too??  Bollocks, is what THAT is.

[Mudisfun]

Your mouth, my ears.

He was a nice enough guy but his level of professionalism was severely lacking. If you want to be a player go be a player...