Vent - Tournament umpiring

[BLWizzRanger]

So I am sitting here on this beautiful Monday morning trying to start my work day and I can't get started unless I vent a few minutes.  We have all heard of this before.  There is nothing new here. I just need a few minutes to mature and not allow this to bother me as much.  I know these were justified.  But, I am maturing to IDGAF anymore if these wannabees can't take disagreement and listen to the rules.

I am still relatively new to this umpiring world, but, I do know that I value my experience and knowledge over any dang blanget daddy-ball coach and most pay-to-play travel ball teams. While I don't have my resume and test scores placed in my back pocket, I do feel like at times bringing it out just to say STFU to them. I study the NHFS and NCAA rule books, I watch the videos and take the tests from each organization.I have high scores and the experience. I know they don't.  I might get somethings wrong, but, its on things the coaches don't know about anyways so I just kick myself in the ass quietly to get it right the next time. 

Anyways, 11 and 12 aged tournament.  13 games over two days. (I admit, too many for me.) A total of 3 coach ejections and 1 player ejection. And they were tossed because they were way too disrespectful directly to me. Mind you, these weren't one time happenings.  They had their leash and used it to hang their selves. 

From ONE team, two coaches and one player. The player was easy as he was given a warning for telling the batter to get back into the box and ejected for tomahawking a bat into a fence.  He also tried to stare me down while he was pitching, twice. lol.  One coach was tossed on Saturday and one on Sunday.  The HC was tossed for telling me I was terrible for enforcing FPSR. The other was was given way too much rope because, in the two games I had his team, he/they hollered and made comments about my partner and I didn't call a balk because the LHP moved his shoulder while throwing over to first base, or, that the same pitcher's knee crossed his other knee while throwing over to first. (They also couldn't understand why a two man crew couldn't pick up on these.  All that we were told was to get better.)  Or that it was a safety VIOLATION that I didn't allow the on-deck batters to go behind the player at bat. ( I told them that if they didn't feel safe, have the on-deck batter swing outside the fence. )  Or that since the catcher was still getting dressed between innings, I should allow his pitcher to have as many warmup pitches he wanted until the catcher came out.  (I didn't say anything about his catcher (who must have had a sandwich while getting dressed, but I digress)  ). After his catcher came out, the coach made it clear he wanted to leave so I made it happen.  He goes into the dugout and throws his glove down and starts saying to the other teams FBC 'how do they put up with this SH*#?'   Its funny that they want the technical balk called when the pitcher moves their shoulder while looking over it while in the set position, but, they don't want the technical FPSR called when their player could have their face split open with a thrown ball.

The sad thing, to me at least, is that I know that they were defeated in the second game when they saw me and my partner walking to the field. I know that I was MF'ed by the team's coaches to their players.  The whole teams energy was not there at all.  They lost 15 - 0 in 2 innings because they couldn't make a play nor could they hit.

Finally, the last HC was ejected because he ranted and raved over an FPSR call where his player kicked the legs out from under the F4.  We are talking about a good old tornado on the field with his path and fury. 

I also had an argument from another team that by not giving their catcher time when they step out to give signals in front of home plate was a major violation to what they teach.  'All levels of play give time to the catcher to do that.' and 'Dude, you have got to figure it out' is what I just turned away from.  lol

The best thing I did do was, while my partner and I were in the home plate shack awaiting the next game, I explained to my partner what each of the rulings were while the HCs and a team parent were in the shack looking down and texting, but, listening to every word I was saying.

Anyways, I am done.  If you got this far, you need to find something better to do.

[mac266]

Umpiring advice:  youth level ball and travel tournaments are full of daddy coaches who don't know the rules but are charging exorbitant coaching fees to unsuspecting parents who mistakenly believe otherwise.  They also don't know the art of interacting with umpires, and they think the Aaron Boone approach is "how the game is played."  Notice how often Boone goes to the locker room early.

I cut my teeth working these, but as my skill has built I've been given opportunities to work better baseball.  In an ideal world, I would work the youth ball just to give back to the game, but those people can kiss my arse. 

[SeeingEyeDog]

13 games over 2 days? I don't care if you are Bill Klem, no umpire is operating at 100% efficiency after 12 innings of baseball in a 24 hour period.

Don't worry about illustrating your credentials or otherwise qualifying yourself to be on the baseball field. At that level of baseball, the players and coaches don't know enough about the game to personalize their abuse of the umpires. They are abusing you simply on the basis of you being an umpire for their game not because they have any kind of genuine grievance.

When a pitcher is "staring you down" or giving histrionics about the strike zone or anything else...feel free to send F2 out there and tell him to tell F1 to knock it off. If there is a runner on, don't forget to call time and then brush the plate when you send him so, it looks like he is calling time to talk to his pitcher. Obviously, magic words and actions empower us to go straight to an ejection.

Under FED, on-deck batters are required to remain on their side of the field regardless of what side of the plate the current batter is using. That stuff about "being in the circle on the side of the field behind the batter at the plate" is a LL safety rule. Check with your assigners or league administrators but, where I work, if it's a scholastic game we stick to FED regardless of the how the field is configured and how close the on-deck circles are to home plate. A NON-scholastic game using FED rules? If a coach feels the on-deck batters are too close to the batter, then I will allow them to move to the opposite side for safety. I do not get in the business of wholesaling this throughout the game. I allow the coach to decide and permit them to move accordingly.

If F2 isn't ready, you give the "2 more pitches, please..." notification with two fingers to whomever is warming up F1 AND give it to the batter. If it is not the catcher, I will usually say, "2 more pitches, please...you may want to wait for your catcher to take them." But, I don't allow a lengthy delay. I just want them to know that if they take the full 8 or the full 5 before the catcher is out there, we're playing ball whether he throws it down or not and no extra pitches.

F1 has the baseball, we have R1 and R3 and F2 wants time to come out and give a signal? No. If R1 or R3 goes? F1 has an easy putout. Nobody is going anywhere in this situation...I do not understand why coaches and players think they need time here.

~Dawg

[The Man in Blue]

I’m scrolling quickly … I pulled 13 in two days this weekend also … I don’t normally do that for all the quick reasons I saw.

I’ll be back tonight to read this in depth, provide emotional support, and also blow off some steam.  It was an … interesting … weekend.

Keep calling ‘em, @BLWizzRanger!

[wolfe_man]

1 hour ago, The Man in Blue said:

I’ll be back tonight to read this in depth, provide emotional support, and also blow off some steam.  It was an … interesting … weekend.

[BLWizzRanger]

4 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

13 games over 2 days? I don't care if you are Bill Klem, no umpire is operating at 100% efficiency after 12 innings of baseball in a 24 hour period.

Don't worry about illustrating your credentials or otherwise qualifying yourself to be on the baseball field. At that level of baseball, the players and coaches don't know enough about the game to personalize their abuse of the umpires. They are abusing you simply on the basis of you being an umpire for their game not because they have any kind of genuine grievance.

When a pitcher is "staring you down" or giving histrionics about the strike zone or anything else...feel free to send F2 out there and tell him to tell F1 to knock it off. If there is a runner on, don't forge.....

~Dawg

Dawg, I did every single one of those because I learned them from you and everyone else on this site.  And I agree with them and I thank everyone for helping me grow my experience and knowledge. I knew what I was in for and gave everyone the respect to start until they lost the privilege.  Its still an eye opener when you experience something (again) instead of just reading about it.

FWIW, I didn't say this before because I know everyone will say I am coo coo for coconuts, but my son was my partner.  He plays college baseball but umpiring isn't a passion or hobby of his and he probably won't do another game this year (re: his pockets are empty, lol).  But, I have taught him the basics so he knows A, B, and C, but, doesn't know all of the mechanics, so I cover for him.  Anyways, I did all 13 plates because I couldn't justify putting him back there with a bigger target on his back.  (We only had one mentally taxing game that went all six innings.  The others were over in 2, 3, and 4 innings in those 13 games. The temperature was mid 60s also, so that wasn't too taxing either. Finally, all on turf.) I only recall one bad inning calling balls and strikes in the last three games.  I am sure I missed others but the one inning cost the umpires another short game.

My son did good.  I only remember one or two missed calls that were blatant. However, seeing what I handled didn't help with his eagerness to get back out there.  Why would it?

Anyways, I am off of the ledge for now.  A small break before legion and college summer ball start up.  Looking forward to that. Thanks.

 

[BigBlue4u]

To each his own.  If a guy (for whatever reason) wants to work a lot of games over a short period, have at it.

[DevildogUmp]

@SeeingEyeDogJust to clarify, the LL rule book specifically requires the on-deck batter to utilize the circle on their team's side.

Regulation XIV(b) A.R.: "Intermediate Division/Junior/Senior League: The on-deck batter shall be positioned in the on-deck circle closest to their dugout."

 

[SeeingEyeDog]

16 minutes ago, DevildogUmp said:

@SeeingEyeDogJust to clarify, the LL rule book specifically requires the on-deck batter to utilize the circle on their team's side.

Regulation XIV(b) A.R.: "Intermediate Division/Junior/Senior League: The on-deck batter shall be positioned in the on-deck circle closest to their dugout."

 

Yes, sir...I don't work LL but, I believe majors on down the on-deck batter uses the circle that places him behind the batter for safety, yes?

~Dawg

[The Man in Blue]

Wait, you did ALL 13 ON THE PLATE?!

[The Man in Blue]

7 games on Saturday, 6 games on Sunday.  Mostly 14u, a few 12u.  They didn't build in any breaks or off games ... ugh.  I won't do this on a regular basis, but it seems like about once a year I go to a new place and this happens.  I'll break this into sections for easier replies.

I got through all the games Saturday alright.  I was feeling it by the end of the day, but mentally I was in better shape than I expected.  First three games (all bases - my partner's choice) were smooth-sailing other than trying to get game balls back (we had 6 home runs in the first game).

Game 4 I switch fields and move to the plate.  First batter cranks the first pitch for a triple.  My partner was a little slow, so I finished moving up the line and took the play.  As I am moving back to the plate, I notice the third baseman "give" the ball to the pitcher "glove to glove."  As I get back to home plate, the yelling begins: "I got him!  I got him!"  My partner is staring at the runner and the third baseman holding the ball up in his glove.  He is just about to ring the kid up when I yell, "TIME!"  Everybody looks at me and I point to the pitcher, standing at the top of the mound.  I point to the runner and to home plate, "You, home!"  I hear all kinds of speculation from the crowd and some of it was actually right.  I also hear from the dugout that he only has to be "two feet off the rubber!"  The catcher asks me, "Did you actually see him on the rubber?"  I explain to the catcher that the rule is "approximately five feet" (such strange wording that I remember it), and that there was no question.  The rest went off without a hitch.

[The Man in Blue]

Game 5, 3rd inning ... I ring a kid up on a curve ball that hits the dirt and immediately signal the UK3.  The kid doesn't run and is tagged for the third out.  The first base coach comes in bitching and complaining.  "That hit the dirt!"  I say, "I know, that's why he had a chance to run."  Coach keeps running his mouth about that one strike call.  I give him the stop, then I give him the warning.  He continues running his mouth all the way to the dugout, then starts to come back.  My partner steps in and restricts him to the dugout (they were using NFHS).  I take my time writing it down.

We kick off the next inning with a pitch the catcher has to dive for.  I hear "STRIKE!" from the dugout.  That was easy.  I turn, and give him the soft toss.  The tournament tent was right behind us, so I holler to the tent, "TD!  I got a guy who didn't want to be here anymore!"  He works his way out of the dugout, through the crowd, around the field, screaming and yelling all the way about how much money people spend on this and we just take the bats away from the kids.  I wanted to say, "Maybe you should spend that money on batting cages instead." 

At the half inning, the TD calls me over to the fence and asks what happened.  "He didn't like a strike 3 call.  Just that one pitch, he never said a word about anything else, but he wouldn't stop on that one pitch.  We had a textbook ignore, warn, restrict, eject that both my partner and I worked through."  TD says, "That's pretty open and shut.  You guys made that one easy."

Everybody was pretty quiet after that.

[The Man in Blue]

Game 6 sees another coach restriction by a different partner for me.  I'm a little iffy on this one ... I guess the coach was carrying on or motioning about balks (I never heard him, never saw one, and never found out what it was he thought was happening).  My partner walks to the foul line and says, "We aren't going to yell across the field, come out and we'll discuss it.  The coach refuses so my partner says, "Stay there then.  Don't come back out on the field, you are restricted to the dugout."  They guy fussed some more and then left on his own.  It was a bit weird.

Game 7 went quietly except for a coach who told my partner (on a pick-off attempt), "You can't watch the ball.  You're telling the runner my guy still has it!"  First time I've ever heard that we weren't supposed to watch the ball ... 

[The Man in Blue]

The next day I was whipped.  My partner wanted to split 3/3 and only do one change out, so I had 3 bases to start.  About the middle of game 3 I hit a wall.  Thankfully, there wasn't much going on in the game and I will admit I shut down mentally for a while to recharge.  I was still making my calls, but if anything weird had happened I would have missed it.  We were running almost an hour behind already, so he decided to stay on for a 4th plate.  Yeah, OK, whatever.  My only issue was he was a dugout groupie, and that was a large part of why we were behind.  Too much down time, no hustle, and then we ended up with garbage innings (three times) because of it. 

Game 5 I went to the plate and caught a second wind.  Even my legs felt fresh and I was hopping out and still running down the lines.  I felt as if I worked one of the best plates I have ever worked ... which I was afraid meant I was delirious.  We finished 45 minutes early and made up almost all our lost time.  Afterwards the TD paid me what I think is the best compliment we can get: "I really enjoyed watching you work back there."

Game 6 was the championship.  Another well-worked game (blow-out 10-0 championship), but I had something in my eye most of the game.  She had red hair and was right on the fence.    My apologies for being sexist. 

The reason she caught my attention though was more of what she saying: this mom NEVER said anything negative or any of the dumb things we hear day in and day out.  She was always positive and encouraging (even to the other team).  I probably sounded like a goofball, but I actually stopped on our way out and told her, "Ma'am, I just have to say 'thank you' for the way you cheered during that game.  I never heard one negative thing and everything you said was positive and encouraging to the players.  It isn't often that we get to hear a parent like that, so thank you."

[The Man in Blue]

Last one, I promise ... like @BLWizzRanger, I just needed to decompress ... 

 

On the flip side, my son was also working the tournament on the field next to me.  I watched the tail end of his last game (also a championship) where the visiting team blew a 4 run lead in the bottom of the 7th to lose. 

I was sitting with the UIC (who had worked a couple of college games with my son) and we both noticed my son was working a weird stance (over turned and shifted, but then leaning back into a good head position).  13 games will do weird things to you.

Anyway, after the game my son had changed out and joined UIC and I as we moved over to watch another game.  A little old lady in a walker (maybe 5-foot-nothing if she stood straight up) comes over and asks, "Were you the umpire in that game over there?"  My son is 6-2 and quiet.  "Yes, ma'am."

This little old lady proceeds to RIP INTO HIM ... "I just have to say that was the worst thing I have ever seen ..."

The UIC immediately jumps, "Lady, you can just stop right there and keep on moving along to your car."

She keeps going, informing us about how she watches ALL of her grandson's games and she had NEVER seen anything like that, I mean, how can you see the ball unless you are standing over the top of the catcher, ALL umpires stand over the top of the catcher ... 

The UIC is trying to shut her down, "Lady, I work college ball with this kid.  How many camps or clinics have you been to?  How many games have you called this weekend?"

"I watch hundreds of games and I have video, here look at this!"  She whips out her cell phone ... 

The UIC finally just tells her, "Get the hell out of here until you score a 96% on your NFHS test."

It was hysterical.  It shouldn't have been, but it was.  Maybe I was finally delirious. 

[BLWizzRanger]

I will have to say we played NFHS with modifications.  One being no warnings on ejections.  The TD backed me on every one, which was nice.

I did hear a 'No warning?' on the player's tomahawk bat throw, come from the bench.  Wait, the kid was warned about making comments to the other team, stares me down to where I send the catcher out to him to tell him to just pitch, and shows histrionic behaviors and they want a warning?

OH! With this same team, remember they had the two coaches and player ejected, started arguing with me that a ball hit down the first base line was 'a foot and half out' while they were in the 3rd base dugout.  My partner was no more than 5 feet from the ball when it HIT the line on the good side, I saw it from where I was, their F3 hollered at the F9 to hurry to get the ball, and they wanted to argue.  After the one wouldn't shut up, I enforced the tourney rule that only 4 coaches could be in the dugout and kicked him out of there, as well as the sixth and seventh coach. Yes, seven coaches/parents in the dugout.  He, of course, went to the TD to complain about me. 

[The Man in Blue]

2 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

Yes, sir...I don't work LL but, I believe majors on down the on-deck batter uses the circle that places him behind the batter for safety, yes?

~Dawg

This is one of those things that I will adjust to the field (outside of sanctioned school ball).  If there isn't much room, I'm letting them switch behind the batter.  

Is it a safety issue?  On some fields it can be.  Should the coach be digging that one out of his backside?  Nope.

[The Man in Blue]

1 minute ago, BLWizzRanger said:

I will have to say we played NFHS with modifications.  One being no warnings on ejections.  The TD backed me on every one, which was nice.

I did hear a 'No warning?' on the player's tomahawk bat throw, come from the bench.  Wait, the kid was warned about making comments to the other team, stares me down to where I send the catcher out to him to tell him to just pitch, and shows histrionic behaviors and they want a warning?

 

A warning is NOT a requirement, an entitlement, or a right.  It is a courtesy we choose to extend or not.  It can help make the "report writing" easier, but it is not necessary and coaches need to learn that.

It is nice when TDs actually back their umpires.  I have talked about places I won't go back to because of this.  According to my partner (who works this place regularly), an ejected coach is gone for the tournament.  Not an extra game, not the day ... just plain DONE.  I forgot to ask if that was actually true, but it is a selling point to get me to come back if it is!

[Velho]

3 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

Yes, sir...I don't work LL but, I believe majors on down the on-deck batter uses the circle that places him behind the batter for safety, yes?

~Dawg

There is no on-deck batter Majors and down. There is one warm up batter (between innings or with a pitching change) and we keep them on their dugout side. 

[834k3r]

12 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

he was a dugout groupie...

I love that term. We have one in our association that I really looked up to as I was really getting into The Craft (I still consider myself green, but not wet-behind-the-ears). As I've gained experience, I find myself getting more and more frustrated with his "groupie-ness." It slows everything down.

[beerguy55]

On 5/22/2023 at 8:11 AM, BLWizzRanger said:

Or that it was a safety VIOLATION that I didn't allow the on-deck batters to go behind the player at bat.

Don't be this umpire.  I have an eternal hatred for any umpire that forbids an ODB from going behind the batter in youth games...and 11-12 years old qualifies.  I don't give a SH*# what the technical rule is...do the right thing - there is no reason at this level to deny this request except to be a hard ass.  If the other team complains/protests about the ODB being too close to their bench, then you can get a ruling with the UIC/TD against the actual tourney rules.  In my years of experience I have NEVER had an opposing coach object to this.

[BLWizzRanger]

7 minutes ago, beerguy55 said:

Don't be this umpire.  I have an eternal hatred for any umpire that forbids an ODB from going behind the batter in youth games...and 11-12 years old qualifies.  I don't give a SH*# what the technical rule is...do the right thing - there is no reason at this level to deny this request except to be a hard ass.  If the other team complains/protests about the ODB being too close to their bench, then you can get a ruling with the UIC/TD against the actual tourney rules.  In my years of experience I have NEVER had an opposing coach object to this.

Well, I mean, ahhh.... if we are ignoring the rule that the batter must be in the on-deck circle, then there is more than one way to fix this issue, right?  They can stand behind the fence on their side. They can also venture closer to their base coach down the line where he can protect them, right?  So, for the coach to argue that they must be in the back side on-deck circle when instructed not to do so, must be a hard-ass too, right?  

And its the total package right?  How many times does one have to tell the first batter in the inning to stay on their side because the coach has told them to get to their hitting side? or to not encroach the catcher (be in the line of sight of the pitcher) when the pitcher is warming up? I have already given up on telling ten batters to go back into their dugout when they try to 'time the pitcher' when a new pitcher enters the game.   Is that being a hard ass?  And they go out there because when a new pitcher goes in, the coach signals the crew to go out there to time them up.  So we aren't worried about ten absent minded players swinging a bat in a confined space but, we are worried about a physics of a baseball to actually go behind the batter's box or perpendicular to it and hit a player?

 

 

[beerguy55]

1 hour ago, BLWizzRanger said:

So we aren't worried about ten absent minded players swinging a bat in a confined space but

straw man much?  Stay on point.  I don't care about your other what if scenarios...they're irrelevant to this point, and I made no such statement to the arguments you have decided to fabricate.  You will, however, always find me consistent on youth safety.

 

1 hour ago, BLWizzRanger said:

Well, I mean, ahhh.... if we are ignoring the rule that the batter must be in the on-deck circle, then there is more than one way to fix this issue, right?  They can stand behind the fence on their side

 

You want to put the player outside the fence to swing a bat where the spectators are?  Really?  If there's an area designated for this, I'm all for it.  99% of the time the most efficient solution is just allowing the player to be behind the batter.

 

1 hour ago, BLWizzRanger said:

we are worried about a physics of a baseball to actually go behind the batter's box or perpendicular to it and hit a player?

This is a strange statement.  Why are umpires advised to line up in the slot, as opposed to the opposite side of the catcher?  It's not because it helps you see the outside pitches better that's for sure; it's for your safety, based on where the ball is MOST LIKELY to go off the bat.  There's a reason umpires (and catchers) are taught, on balls hit straight up, that the ball is least likely to be/land behind the batter.

On a foul ball, the likely path for the ball is almost the entire area where the batter is facing on the push side...basically from behind the catcher to the coach's box....on the pull side that area is much smaller...very rare is the time where the batter swings early enough to hit the ball directly behind their back.

I've lost count the number of times I've seen an ODB in the circle facing the batter get hit by a late swing foul ball....never mind the equally countless near misses.  I have NEVER seen an ODB standing directly behind the batter get hit by a batted ball...not even anything that could remotely be called a close call/near miss.  The physics and math on this are simple.   The reasons for denying the request are non-existent.

[SeeingEyeDog]

@The Man in Blue, well brother...I guess this means we have to throw out the old saw of, "If Gramma can tell it was a..."

I give our elders some slack but, she cannot tear up an umpire like that. Good for your UIC for shutting her down. Also, probably good for her...if you had to grab your Dad hat, that could have been ugly. 

~Dawg

[BLWizzRanger]

17 minutes ago, beerguy55 said:

straw man much?  Stay on point.  I don't care about your other what if scenarios...they're irrelevant to this point.  You will, however, always find me consistent on youth safe

If you are talking about safety, I would expect the chances of an absent minded player walking into a swinging bat in that confined space would be greater than being hit by a foul ball on the on-deck circle.  

 

19 minutes ago, beerguy55 said:

You want to put the player outside the fence to swing a bat where the spectators are?  Really?  If there's an area designated for this, I'm all for it.  99% of the time the most efficient solution is just allowing the player to be behind the batter.

 

You know all fields are different.  YMMV.  You don't know how the on-deck circles are situated on my fields and the distance between them and the plate.  Also, I don't have to worry about an absent minded player trying to run behind me when the pitcher is getting ready to throw the pitch because the player just has to be on that side. Heck, he can go stand by his coach down the line. Its roughly the same distance between the on-deck circles and the batter will have an active adult there to protect them.

24 minutes ago, beerguy55 said:

This is a strange statement.  Why are umpires advised to line up in the slot, as opposed to the opposite side of the catcher?  It's not because it helps you see the outside pitches better that's for sure; it's for your safety, based on where the ball is MOST LIKELY to go off the bat.  There's a reason umpires (and catchers) are taught, on balls hit straight up, that the ball is least likely to be/land behind the batter.

On a foul ball, the likely path for the ball is almost the entire area where the batter is facing on the push side...basically from behind the catcher to the coach's box....on the pull side that area is much smaller...very rare is the time where the batter swings early enough to hit the ball directly behind their back.

I've lost count the number of times I've seen an ODB in the circle facing the batter get hit by a late swing foul ball....never mind the equally countless near misses.  I have NEVER seen an ODB standing directly behind the batter get hit by a batted ball...not even anything that could remotely be called a close call/near miss.  The physics and math on this are simple.   The reasons for denying the request are non-existent.

Sure, standing in the slot lessons the chance we will be hit on a foul ball that is hit straight back.  But we are standing in the hot zone, say 0 to 20 degree angle from the batter, to be hit.  So we can't use this straw man either to where we stand.  The on-deck circle is in the 80 to 90 degree angle.  I won't argue that behind the batter has a less chance of being hit, but, its not worth my time to wrangle the cats for that 1 - 2 % worse chance of not being hit.

And really, I don't know how we compare to the games we have seen, but I have never seen it happen.