Couple of HS game issues the past week

[Mudisfun]

So here we are, the last week of the regular season and of course things are heating up... Both stories below are Varsity 2 man games.

Working the bases and the home team brings in a new pitcher for the 6th inning. 
Top of the 7th inning, the VTHC is having a chat with my plate partner, about what I have no idea. I count warmup pitches for him and they throw down. As I am moving to head to A, my partner calls me over.
Appears that the HTHC failed to list #2 on his lineup card when we exchanged everything at the plate meeting and the VTHC just caught it and wants to protest the use of an illegal player.

OK... um, rule 1-1-2 says the coach will provide a line up card which lists all players and subs... Case book 1.1.2 Situation: Team A's HC in the 3rd inning wants to substitute a player who is not on the original lineup card. RULING: There is no penalty if a coach wants to substitute a player whose name was not listed as a substitute on the lineup card...

Game ends and the VTHC, whose team lost, still wants to protest. We know him, so try again to explain the rule, but to no avail. My response to him is that this was a league game, so he should file his protest and let the league handle it. Pretty sure where this is going... Entire conversation is cordial and my partner and I depart with a chuckle as we head to the car.

 

The other game... Ugg.

First batter bottom of the 1st and F1 throws 4 really bad pitches. VTHC asks for time to check on his players health, so we both head to the mound. F1 is still recovering from an injury and is unable to proceed, so pitching change which of course takes time as the new F1 is in no way ready to throw. After 5 minutes or so, we get going. At the end of the 1st, we have a 0-4 score and have already burned 45 minutes.

Third inning, score 0-6. R1 and a high fly ball roughly 2/3's of the way to the fence right on the line. I tell my partner I have the ball and get about 1/2 way up the 1st base line. F9 makes contact with the fly ball just inside (maybe an inch or two) fair territory and then proceeds to let the ball bounce off his glove as well as fall down. R1 easily scores on the play and the B/R gets to 2nd. VTHC comes out and of course wants to discuss the fair/foul call. I tell him what I have, that he saw me get at least to the 45 foot line and that I have the ball touched over fair territory. He accepts this (not happy about it) but we move on. The fans for this team however cannot move on... and so it begins.

Fourth inning and the HT F1 is and has been dealing all game. He is a D1 commit and is throwing consistently in the low to mid 90's which is over powering most of the batters. Now I will admit that I punched a batter out on a high and outside pitch which in hindsight I should not have called strike 3. Batter is unhappy, fans are unhappy and now the 'call it both ways', 'your missing a good game (I know, the good game is 3 miles away from me)' and other BS starts from the losing side fan base. VTHC comes out with a foul ball (of course) and makes sure to complain as well because, we know his team is down 6 or 7 runs at this point because of this call... I tell him I heard him, we're not going to debate balls and strikes but he of course keeps it going. I then go to the 'this is your official warning for arguing balls and strikes, if you continue then you leave me no choice but to restrict you to the dugout' vernacular. He goes to the dugout and pretty much that is all I hear from him the rest of the game; but the fans... time to get more aggressive.

Bottom of the inning and we have runners on, specifically where I do not recall. Ball hit to the outfield and there is a throw home to try and retire a runner. The throw is offline, which pulls F2 up the line towards 3rd. The runner having rounded 3rd at full tilt is running an arch, so is well in foul territory, so no OBS by F2. As the runner is passing F2, the ball gets there and F2 attempts to swipe tag. I am in the wedge and see clear air between F2 and the runner. Runner does a flop/collapse and tags the plate. SAFE! No tag! F2 and F1 are unhappy, the fans are PISSED at this point and now the 'YOU SUCK BLUE' is being screamed by the visiting team fans. The VTHC never even came out to discuss this call at all. 

Same inning and bases are loaded. Ball hit to F5 who finally recalls that there is a force at 3rd. Foot races R2 and both slide for the base. BU calls the runner safe... Of course this elicits another screamed round of insults. VTHC goes to my partner on the call. My partner without being asked by the coach got us together and he asked me what I had. Now looking down the base line, I have a great view and I tell him I have the glove hitting the bag before the runner. My partner was not in a great position since F5 started initially to move towards 1st, so he started moving to take the throw there only to have F5 reverse to 3rd. Partner reverses his call and inning is over. Fans are still losing their minds... 

HTHC comes over and asks about the revering of the call, and I tell him what transpired, which is OK with. Considering it is 0-8 or 0-9 at this point, all is good. It is at this point though with the visiting fans really being amped up that I tell the HTHC that we need to get a school Administrator there to restore order. The fans are abusive, they are hurling insults and are really getting aggressive. This is not acceptable at a High School game, period. Without batting an eye, he tells me absolutely, he is on it. 5 minutes later he gets with me (line up change) and tells me the AD is there and is not leaving until the game is concluded. 

I have no idea if just his presence or if the AD had a discussion with the group, but I never heard another word from that side of the fence. 

Game ended, partner and I walked to the card, changed and departed with no further issues.

I have been umpiring for +/- 15 years and doing HS for almost 10. This was by far the absolute worse fan behavior I have experienced. The vitriol and venom coming from the parents of these students was absolutely horrible. Was I perfect? Of course not, but in no way was I officiating the game in a manner which would truly open the door to the insults they felt entitled to throw at me. Did I screw that one batter? Yep.... that was not strike 3 and I screwed him. Was the runner at home truly out? Not from my vantage point. Was the final score of 2-10 my doing? Nope... I have a thick skin, but if I was much newer, there is a high likelihood I would be donating my equipment today and telling these people to pound sand and to be happy that they just lost another official to cover their games. 

Can't wait for playoffs starting next week.

 

 

[maven]

1 hour ago, Mudisfun said:

My response to him is that this was a league game, so he should file his protest and let the league handle it.

My state doesn't allow protests in HS games, but this is fine if yours does. The protest will fail for the reasons you provided.

1 hour ago, Mudisfun said:

I have no idea if just his presence or if the AD had a discussion with the group, but I never heard another word from that side of the fence. 

Lucky break—could have been worse, had he not arrived. 

Too bad he didn't arrive sooner.

[The Man in Blue]

1 hour ago, Mudisfun said:

but in no way was I officiating the game in a manner which would truly open the door to the insults they felt entitled to throw at me.

 

The score indicates otherwise.  That was all your fault.  It's your fault the pitcher is failing biology, too.

On that note, I had to umpire a game for the school I teach at.  I know we have some players that have some really bad attitudes, especially in games.  My biggest concern wasn't whether one was going to argue or not, but rather that one would just walk away and scream, "And you're a SH*#ty English teacher, too!"  😜

[Velho]

17 hours ago, Mudisfun said:

I have a thick skin, but if I was much newer, there is a high likelihood I would be donating my equipment today and telling these people to pound sand and to be happy that they just lost another official to cover their games. 

... and that's why I have no interest in doing HS in my ares when there are plenty of well behaved (or at least not unruly) LL leagues I can work as much as I want.

[wolfe_man]

46 minutes ago, Velho said:

... and that's why I have no interest in doing HS in my ares when there are plenty of well behaved (or at least not unruly) LL leagues I can work as much as I want.

And this honestly surprises me.  It goes to show how each area is different. In my perspective, LL is to be avoided at all costs due to unruly parents and daddy-coaches, while HS is the best baseball in the area this time of year.  But for another umpire, they'll prefer LL over HS for the same reason I hate LL in my area.  It just goes to show you how things can vary from one area to another.

I can work games all week at the local LL or Babe Ruth, but the baseball is normally terrible (IMHO at least) and it's hard to grow and develop.  Therefore, I do HS instead and while I only get one game each night for less overall money (one vs. multiple) but it is generally a lot more fun and better baseball as well.  For me, I think I'm challenged more and learn more at the HS level as well for my area. YMMV of course.

I have done a few 12U tournaments with travel ball and it was very good baseball with 1 hour drop-dead times, so you could make a lot of money fast on a long day.  I worked 10 games the first day and made $50 per game!  Not bad for 10-11 hours of work - umpiring baseball with friends, enjoying the kids and the game.  It was a great weekend!   So I realize it's possible, but the regular LL just isn't the same unfortunately in my area.  There are very good teams, but the overall league just isn't the same high standard that it used to be.

 

[Mudisfun]

16 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

 

The score indicates otherwise.  That was all your fault.  It's your fault the pitcher is failing biology, too.

On that note, I had to umpire a game for the school I teach at.  I know we have some players that have some really bad attitudes, especially in games.  My biggest concern wasn't whether one was going to argue or not, but rather that one would just walk away and scream, "And you're a SH*#ty English teacher, too!"  😜

I was hoping no one noticed that! You outed me! And I 100% agree... I had a hard time in biology myself!

 

[wolfe_man]

7 minutes ago, Mudisfun said:

I was hoping no one noticed that! You outed me! And I 100% agree... I had a hard time in biology myself!

 

Ugh, I hated that class. Biology - the study of life - was so boring!  It put this nature-lover, hunter and outdoors-man to sleep.  I've since learned to appreciate some of the aspects of it, but I truly couldn't care less why a yellow sun can make grass grow green that a brown cow eats to produce white milk.

[Mudisfun]

10 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

Ugh, I hated that class. Biology - the study of life - was so boring!  It put this nature-lover, hunter and outdoors-man to sleep.  I've since learned to appreciate some of the aspects of it, but I truly couldn't care less why a yellow sun can make grass grow green that a brown cow eats to produce white milk.

The biology I was interested in as a 15/16 year old kid was not the biology they were teaching in that class. We can leave it at that 🙂

[aaluck]

On 4/26/2023 at 5:07 PM, Mudisfun said:

and of course things are heating up.

Never fails.  Once the fans start it becomes a crappy situation, fast.