Umpire Walks Off Field Midgame - About Ump Abuse

[Lindsay]

Tmac reviews a viral video showing an umpire appearing to empty his ball bags and walk off the field mid-game following a coach's "get help" nudge regarding a non-appealable check swing strike call.

This is a review of umpire abuse's less over form: continued complaining and the straw that broke the camel's back: when second-guessing and nitpicking instances add up and contribute to a breaking point, or as Lin calls it, the officiating version of pinball's tilt shutdown as a result of too much table nudging.

Video as follows:

Alternate Link: Abuse of umpires and referees isn't always obvious or singularly demonstrative (CCS)

View the full article

[The Man in Blue]

This may be one of the most important videos you guys put out.  Thank you.

What we are not seeing is the previous 5 1/2 innings of abuse -- and yes, abuse IS the correct word -- the umpires endured.  Unfortunately all the tic-tac-heads and facebookies who live life in 15-second increments will never even think of that.

On this board, there is commonly said that the only ejections we regret are the ones we do not do.  On one hand, this umpire had the tools to take care of this sooner.  But that slow build can often sneaks up on us.  Don't let it sneak up on you.

[834k3r]

Up front, I have yet to eject anyone--and I've only had one situation where I probably should have.

I think the biggest challenge for me personally is not being able to practice it before facing a situation like that "in real life." The mental barrier is real.

[The Man in Blue]

22 hours ago, 834k3r said:

Up front, I have yet to eject anyone--and I've only had one situation where I probably should have.

I think the biggest challenge for me personally is not being able to practice it before facing a situation like that "in real life." The mental barrier is real.

 

I think that is a very valid point and why I say, "Don't let it sneak up on you."  This is a difficult thing to teach, a problematic thing to learn, and an impossible thing to practice ... or is it?

We offer the standard "prolonged, profane, personal" but that still is not a defined line.  It's a line in the sand, meaning it changes.  It changes based on the person and it changes based on the situation.

The best advice I can offer (and that I was given) is to think about this during EVERY conflict. 

That is the only way we can "practice."  Do NOT look to eject, but be able to think a few fractions of a second ahead and ask yourself, "What am I going to allow here?"  It may be mere moments ahead, but know where the line is in that moment.  An ejection may look like a snap reaction from the umpire, but it should not be.  It should be an acknowledgment that a certain point was reached.  You should know it is coming before it happens.  It may not be much before, but you should already know.

 

How did the coach approach?  Did he come out slow and calm or did he come running out in a frenzy?  The line moved.  Did he ask for time or come out yelling?  The line moved.  Is he respecting your space or is he pushing up on you like it's prom?  The line moved.  Is he asking a question or making a statement?  The line moved.  Is he looking for an answer or is he just making a point?  The line moved.  Is he listening for a response or trying to provoke one?  The line moved.

[834k3r]

Thanks--well said.

The Dr. Strange GIF is a perfect representation of how I understand your post.

[wolfe_man]

I missed an opportunity in a scrimmage last night to get an EJ.  VT HC didn't like my call at 1B earlier in the game (maybe 2nd inning) when his runner got back-picked by F2.  I banged him out, believing he was out, but not much was said at the time.  AC @ 1B only mumbled "I don't know about that", but didn't pursue and we moved on.

Now, it's bottom 6th and HT, already up five, was pressing to score again.  Solidly hit ground ball to SS should have ended the inning, but instead of throwing to 1B for the easy out, he wants to go the short way to 2B - the only problem is F4 isn't at the bag and takes a long time getting there. So instead of an easy force at first, now we have a bang-bang play at second - and I have R2 just barely getting there first, so signal safe loudly.   Immediately, the VT HC says "that's two on you Blue, that's two you've missed now".  I gave him the stop sign and gave him the 'that's your warning',  but he didn't press it, so we moved on.  

I regret not tossing him now. Mostly so he will learn that it is not acceptable for future reference. I did file a report with his school and the state so I am hoping his AD lets him know that he was out of line, but I figured since only a scrimmage and it was mild, I'd let it slide.  I regret passing the buck to a peer now though, I should have tossed him immediately for crossing the 3P's line (personal, profane or prolonged).

I think this is one area we need to spend more time in umpire training. No one wants to be called, or thought of as, a whiner - so training needs to give pretty specific guidelines for how much should we take and when should we stop it.  Also, when should we go straight to an ejection.  I've learned mostly from experience and reading on here, but there's been very little training on this area from our association or the State.  There are days I still think I take too much static and probably should be giving more EJ's, but I let it go on so that I keep getting the games. I don't want to be over-eager, but I don't want to be a push-over either.

By the way, a local pho-tog caught the actual play and I was right, he was safe.  F4 isn't there yet and R2's foot is touching the base.

 

[Catch18]

I missed an opportunity in a scrimmage last night to get an EJ.  VT HC didn't like my call at 1B earlier in the game (maybe 2nd inning) when his runner got back-picked by F2.  I banged him out, believing he was out, but not much was said at the time.  AC @ 1B only mumbled "I don't know about that", but didn't pursue and we moved on.
Now, it's bottom 6th and HT, already up five, was pressing to score again.  Solidly hit ground ball to SS should have ended the inning, but instead of throwing to 1B for the easy out, he wants to go the short way to 2B - the only problem is F4 isn't at the bag and takes a long time getting there. So instead of an easy force at first, now we have a bang-bang play at second - and I have R2 just barely getting there first, so signal safe loudly.   Immediately, the VT HC says "that's two on you Blue, that's two you've missed now".  I gave him the stop sign and gave him the 'that's your warning',  but he didn't press it, so we moved on.  
I regret not tossing him now. Mostly so he will learn that it is not acceptable for future reference. I did file a report with his school and the state so I am hoping his AD lets him know that he was out of line, but I figured since only a scrimmage and it was mild, I'd let it slide.  I regret passing the buck to a peer now though, I should have tossed him immediately for crossing the 3P's line (personal, profane or prolonged).
I think this is one area we need to spend more time in umpire training. No one wants to be called, or though of as, a whiner - so how much should we take and when should we stop it.  Then, when should we eject.  I've learned mostly from experience and reading on here, there's been very little training on this area from our association or the State.  There are days I still think I take too much statis and should be getting more EJ's, but I let it go on so I keep getting the games.
By the way, a local photog caught the actual play and I was right, he was safe.  F4 isn't there yet and R2's foot is touching the base.

 

If you didn’t want to EJ there, I’m not faulting you for it….it’s borderline. You could go a teeny step further and make that warning a written one and put him in the dugout. He’s got 2 options at that point; make the walk of shame across the diamond, or say an additional comment that gets the EJ. Then the rules are in your corner and he only has himself to blame. Very good on you to file a report. The next crew might get him and then it’s all on him, he’s got a record.

[wolfe_man]

6 minutes ago, Catch18 said:

If you didn’t want to EJ there, I’m not faulting you for it….it’s borderline. You could go a teeny step further and make that warning a written one and put him in the dugout. He’s got 2 options at that point; make the walk of shame across the diamond, or say an additional comment that gets the EJ. Then the rules are in your corner and he only has himself to blame. Very good on you to file a report. The next crew might get him and then it’s all on him, he’s got a record.

If he had pushed or said one more thing, it would have been restricted to dugout for him.  The warning for us in OH is written, there really is not such a thing in OH as a verbal warning.  You get warned, restricted and then ejected - unless you do something really bad and blow through all three at the same time.  I average about an EJ a year, although I gave two last year (one HS, one travel).

[Velho]

1 hour ago, wolfe_man said:

I average about an EJ a year, although I gave two last year (one HS, one travel).

Remember, you didn't give anything. They asked to be ejected and you complied.  

[GreyhoundAggie]

1 hour ago, Catch18 said:

If you didn’t want to EJ there, I’m not faulting you for it….it’s borderline. You could go a teeny step further and make that warning a written one and put him in the dugout. He’s got 2 options at that point; make the walk of shame across the diamond, or say an additional comment that gets the EJ. Then the rules are in your corner and he only has himself to blame. Very good on you to file a report. The next crew might get him and then it’s all on him, he’s got a record.

I agree there are multiple options here. It's a minimum a verbal warning, and a written warning no stretch at all. You could have even ejected here for counting calls on you and been justified. It's hard to say without being there and seeing how it all played out. 

The hardest part of umpiring is game management.

[SeeingEyeDog]

9 hours ago, 834k3r said:

Thanks--well said.

The Dr. Strange GIF is a perfect representation of how I understand your post.

HOT TAKE WARNING...

Stephen Strange and NOT Tony Stark should be the leader of The Avengers. Of course, that's kind of hard to do because we had to make 76 Marvel movies before we introduced Strange...

WARMED OVER TAKE WARNING...

Stephen Strange is a grossly underappreciated character in the MCU.

~Dawg

[stevis]

[TheRockawayKid]

It's interesting that there are people who applaud it when fast-food workers storm out, saying that they're not paid enough to deal with customer abuse. And really, this is something similar. It's been going on for a long time, simply. It was part of the game. Play ball, argue with the umpires. They'd give it back, and sometimes they'd make a call in retaliation. I mean, I was doing a men's league game last year, and it was something like 15-1 in the third inning. I call a strike on the team that's winning -- it was a curveball that probably got the knee, but the catcher butchered it and shoved his glove to the ground -- and I'm met with a chorus of jeers from the team. "I don't care what the score is, that's not a strike!" 

But now things have changed. There's cameras everywhere. There's social media. And all the time, the umpire is being critiqued by so many different people. 

They say "no one comes to watch the umpires," but holy cow the amount of people who come to heckle the umpires says differently! 

 

[wolfe_man]

17 hours ago, Velho said:

Remember, you didn't give anything. They asked to be ejected and you complied.  

It makes me feel better if I can think that I allowed them to leave. 😇

But you're not wrong, their behavior has made the decision that they are unable to continue in this contest any further.

[SeeingEyeDog]

Great post, @TheRockawayKid...Brothers, every one of us needs to decide right here and right now that we will nip disrespect and abuse immediately. Most of us are already doing that. Nip it. Nip it in the bud. Do NOT allow anyone to disrespect you or abuse you. Talk to you local brothers who might not be on this forum to nip it, too. Talk about it during your pre-game meetings. "Hey, if we are disrespected or abused...we are going to respond to that." And again, we're not taking the field looking or hoping someone disrespects or abuses us. We are simply squaring ourselves to address it if we hear it. We, the umpires...the Bold Boys of the Blue Brotherhood...WE can change this culture of our beautiful game. All of the discipline, warnings, ejections that I have handed out...I have never ONCE been told by my leadership, "Hey, that was too much. Hey, that was over the line." We need to send the clear and present message that we do not work as umpires to be disrespected and or abused. It might HAVE BEEN a part of baseball? It is NO LONGER part of baseball! Now who's with me? TELL 'EM DON!

~Dawg

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[BLWizzRanger]

I guess I am too stubborn to walk off mid game.  But, maybe, if I had a rough week off of the field, I could be more inclined to do so. Then again, where else would we be able to let off some steam other than the ball field?

First two dates of my year, I have been abused and I had to put a stop to it.  I have had a V/JV double header with the same team both dates.  HC is notorious for testing out umps he doesn't know. (I actually had a small run in with him last year as during a JV game, while he was in the dugout, he hollered to the first base coach from the other team, that they were assholes. Should have tossed him but told him to knock it off.) I was with respected umps both dates but that didn't stop them from trying me.  The thing that I learned, however, is what I put up with on the first date was used against me on the second date.  BTW, I had a bingo card worth of stuff that happened to this team, from FPSR, running lane interference, the story below, that it wasn't going to go well for anyone out there.

The HC did have a valid beef in the first game but his reputation actually hurt him.  So I (PU) pregamed with my partner (BU) that on a batter hit with a batted ball in the box, if he doesn't come up and call foul, he doesn't have anything. With the third batter, IN THE GAME, this happens and my partner didn't come up.  I was blocked by the catcher, so I didn't see anything.   HC wants me to get help and I told him no, that we pre-gamed it and my partner didn't come up so no, I wasn't asking for help.  (Of course, my partner had something and didn't let me know until after the game. I am not throwing him under the bus because he wasn't 100% sure what happened, but, knowing he could have had something that I could have used to deduce what happened, put me in a pickle.  Hindsight, you know?) Anyways, with the HC reputation, I stood firm with not going for help.

In the second inning, he had a RLI that didn't go his way.  When we had a FPSR issue the next inning, he looks me dead in the eye and says three or four times 'That's terrible.' He turns and starts to walk away and I heard 'You're terrible.' So he earned a written warning and restrictions. (I decided after the game that I am going to change my pronouns to 'that's' during games I do from now on. Because if he can look you dead in the eye and say 'that's terrible,' he is actually saying 'you're terrible.'  In how he did it, that was exactly what he was doing. The HC did try to big game me after the game by saying in the 30 years that he was in baseball, he had never had a bench restriction with a written warning. blah blah blah.  So after the game I found the rule, sent it to my partner and he sent it to the HC.  The HC couldn't look me in the eye during the next games plate meeting. LOL

What I allowed in the first game that came back to bite me in the second game was allowing the assistant coaches to chirp at me.  After the HC was restricted, the ACs did some chirping about that I should change my partner's call on a pulled foot.  They came to me and I told them to go to my partner, it was his call.  They didn't like that and chirped some more although it would have been easier for them to just go to my partner to ask.  I told them to stop but with no warning.  I should have tossed them. 

Going to the next day, in the varsity game, I didn't hear anything.  In the JV game there was a pulled foot at first that I (BU) called and it went against them.  They chirped big time and I heard and saw them question my integrity by hollering they wanted the calls to go both ways.  Yeah, I only verbally warned them since it was the first time in the game.  MY MISTAKE WARNING (other than not tossing them at that point):  I did holler across the field that if I hear my integrity being questioned again, I was going to deal with it. WARNING OFF.  This caused them to try and come across the field to deal with ME getting personal.  Lol.  My partner headed them off and calmed them down but gave them a tongue lashing.  I didn't have trouble with them again. So what I allowed in the first game, bit me in the second.

Learn and get better.

Funny thing is, while dressing, their AD came up to do paperwork and got in a question about the previous game. So I told him what happened on each incident and my partners fully agreed, in front of the AD, that I was right and that I should have tossed the ACs.  Its nice for the feedback and having my back.  Hopefully, that will get back to the coaches.

[The Man in Blue]

3 hours ago, TheRockawayKid said:

They say "no one comes to watch the umpires," but holy cow the amount of people who come to heckle the umpires says differently! 

 

I am stealing this!

"Nobody came to watch you, Blue!"

"Then why are you watching me?!"

[The Man in Blue]

I need to add to that one ... "Nobody came to talk to me either, so go away!"