On Field Pet Peeves

[Mr Umpire]

I'll come work a full weekend of Pinto at $40 per. That's like stealing money! It just went up to $30 here.

Not only that, but you get a partner. Now, you have a lot less turning around to look at each base to see what is going on. It IS stealing money at that point. I'll take that but get rid of the parents. They can be too much wrapped up in the idea that this will prevent them from going pro if the umpire misses a call.

[jjb]

Don't know what Pinto is, but you wouldn't like to work T-ball games. You're pretty much a potted plant out there, watching the runners move around the bases. Even though my League still wants 2 umpires these games, I still contend that they could do just as well with a floor lamp and a flipping coin in A position.

We use them for training 1st year umpires (usually 14 years old), and have a Trainer behind the fence to work on positioning and especially timing. A ton of balls get fielded by F3 by trapping it with their elbows, and it's a great timing drill to see the kids wait until they grab it with their hands.

The kids learn, they make a few bucks, and the coaches and parents get to work on their chirping and whining drills, so it's a win/win.

[catoblue]

The pay is compensation for putting up with the parents!!!!

[moblue]

I remember hearing some time back about a local town actually making it illegal to heckle an official during a game.... I would love to call there!

[MCLEOD36]

MO.

The only issue of that small town, it was Heaven and you had to be dead first.....

[Umpire in Chief]

I actually get a kick out of the heckles sometimes.

[sasmallen]

I'll come work a full weekend of Pinto at $40 per. That's like stealing money! It just went up to $30 here.

Our young guys beg to get scheduled for that league's pinto instead of others that we have because the pay is so high. The other leagues that we do pinto for pay about $25-$30, so that's more in line with what you guys get. Like I said, we quoted high fees thinking they would go with another association because they are located about 20 miles away from our umpire nearest to them, and the most direct route is a toll road. We did have a guy that's been a umpire for over 25 years decide to sell his plate gear and do nothing but pinto. Worked out ok because he's able to train the new guys that are partnered up with him (how to handle coaches, game management, etc).

By the way, the time limit for those pinto games is 1:15 If I was smart that's where I would have been every weekend this season (nobody ever accused me of being smart).

[willv28]

Spectators that not only tell you that you suck. But reason it by critiquing you and telling you what you did wrong.

Did a softball game about two weeks ago. A bang-bang play at 1st call didn't go the visiting team's way. Well, a fan yells. You blew that! You need to get closer to the bag! Apparently my goal is to be so close I can't see both the runner and the thrown ball which was high to boot in this case.

[mazzamouth]

wow i waited a long time.. so here are mine..

1.. My partners showing the count to me ( like i frickin don't know..BTW this is a Missouri thing they do in High School).

2. Coaches always asking for help...

3. Slow catchers and pitchers.

4. batters leaving the batters box in between pitches.

5. When a team is up by 10 or more, watching pitches.. Just frickin swing.

Ok im done for now...

[Mr Umpire]

This thread has been going for 3 months now. And, I have to say. I agree with probably about 95% of what I have seen. Some I already thought but have read a few that do bother me when I noticed or thought about it after reading a post about the item.

It's interesting how much many of us think alike about some issues. Or, how annoying having parents/coaches can be in a game. And, some of the bad habits these players pick up from the show they see in MLB such as the Nomar routine.

[Stan W.]

One from yesterday....

Leagues who want to hire one "plate guy" and supplement the team with one of their own......usually a teenager who they pay considerably less.

I had one of these from yesterday.....fine young man, but the game he did with me was his 5th game of the day....and regardless of how young or in shape this 19 yr old was he was exhausted......

I know he needed the money, but by the end of our game it was all he could do to raise his arms to signal out/safe....

Plus he was working for 60% of what they were paying me......

I bought him dinner......

[mstaylor]

Any situation where leagues or teams thinking that calling bases is easier to do than the plate. The rate should be the same for both positions, doing bases correctly is every bit as hard as the plate if you do it correctly. I cringe everytime I hear somebody say that anybody can do bases.

Edited July 29, 2009 by mstaylor

[dawg-man]

We had a dad at a local high school who liked to tell anyone and everyone that calling balls and strikes could be done by anyone and that doing the bases was what umpires did to take a break. We had an alumni game and I bullied him into calling ball and strikes because of his comments. He quit after two innings and swapped with me on the bases. After he made a complete fool of himself at both places he no longer runs that mouth.

[BrianC14]

wow i waited a long time.. so here are mine..

1.. My partners showing the count to me ( like i frickin don't know..BTW this is a Missouri thing they do in High School).

We must have some Missouri transplants out here - I see this from time to time.

2. Coaches always asking for help...

Grrr.... "This isn't a coaches clinic, moron!"

3. Slow catchers and pitchers.

Or catchers that won't retrieve a ball that's 10 feet away. What, you want ME to get that ball that YOU missed?

4. batters leaving the batters box in between pitches.

This one kills me. "Ball." (count's now 1-0) and they're walking 10 feet up the line to get... a SIGNAL? "GET BACK IN THE BOX!"

5. When a team is up by 10 or more, watching pitches.. Just frickin swing.

Or worse yet - they're stealing and bunting. Or even worse than that - the losing team tries 47 pickoff attempts. "HEY, WARREN SPAHN! THE OUTS WILL HAPPEN OVER HERE!"

Ok im done for now...

Me too. Your list was just like mine would have read. :nod:

[blue32]

Here's one from the past 2 tourneys I worked:

The announcer telling the kids they get candy or cookies if they return the foul balls outside the field to the concession stand, and the stand workers not returning the baseballs to the field. grrr

[willv28]

Any situation where leagues or teams thinking that calling bases is easier to do than the plate. The rater should be the same for both positions, doing bases correctly is every bit as hard as the plate if you do it correctly. I cringe everytime I hear somebody say that anybody can do bases.

Yeah, I was doing a minors level game. They decided to stick a kid out there to "help" by doing the bases. I spent the whole game worrying what he was going to do, paying attention to see, I couldn't hear a call he made, didn't know where he was going or what he was doing half the time. I could have been easily caught off guard by something else had it not been minors. I ended up looking bad enough as it was from that.

[Mr Umpire]

Yeah, I was doing a minors level game. They decided to stick a kid out there to "help" by doing the bases. I spent the whole game worrying what he was going to do, paying attention to see, I couldn't hear a call he made, didn't know where he was going or what he was doing half the time. I could have been easily caught off guard by something else had it not been minors. I ended up looking bad enough as it was from that.

That is why I turned down a "partner from the stands" offer. I would rather do it by myself than to assume it is my partner's call. Then, I will get less grief b/c I am by myself.

[BrianC14]

Here's one from the past 2 tourneys I worked:

The announcer telling the kids they get candy or cookies if they return the foul balls outside the field to the concession stand, and the stand workers not returning the baseballs to the field. grrr

They're selling 'em to buy more candy! It's a vicious cycle! :kissass:

[willv28]

That is why I turned down a "partner from the stands" offer. I would rather do it by myself than to assume it is my partner's call. Then, I will get less grief b/c I am by myself.

Well, it was kinda trust upon me. He was going to be the one calling the game by himself. I felt like I wasn't in a position to refuse since it wasn't my town's league. But despite that it was a valuable experience. I think I gained an amount of confidence after that.

[HokieUmp]

Or even worse than that - the losing team tries 47 pickoff attempts. "HEY, WARREN SPAHN! THE OUTS WILL HAPPEN OVER HERE!"

Warren Spahn??

Holy crap, dude, how old ARE you??!?

Wait. I recognized the name. How old am I?? :BD:

[HokieUmp]

That is why I turned down a "partner from the stands" offer. I would rather do it by myself than to assume it is my partner's call. Then, I will get less grief b/c I am by myself.

No doubt, but some times, or some places, it's not a stance you can take.

I spent four seasons umpiring in the middle of the Australian Outback, and we only had 3 or 4 officially trained umpires at any one time. Even though we didn't have a lot of games each week, it was still a luxury to have two "certified" umpires working together. At the lower age/skill levels, it was a one-man thing, and when we had a "crew," one of the guys was either a player from a game not being played at that time, and/or a kid getting paid a few bucks. (Older ones working younger games.)

I had:

--Kids sneaking looks at mobile phones

--Teens that liked to be in the B/C position on one knee

--Adults with obvious bias against a team (and it wasn't just bangers that always went one-way; there were plays at first that were obvious to me watching from the 1BL)

Lots of fun, and I don't blame anyone that would rather work alone. But with 8:30am games that started at 95 F, and got even hotter, and even the warm night games, I'd take just about anyone.

And even after more than two years, I still miss it.

[mazzamouth]

This one kills me. "Ball." (count's now 1-0) and they're walking 10 feet up the line to get... a SIGNAL? "GET BACK IN THE BOX!"

:

Brian I was umpiring a Senior Legion game... I umpire a lot of College so the batter staying in the box is a pet peeve of mine... So in this game I had last weekend, I told a guy

Me..." Hey come back in the box Son" real calm cool voice right, well there coach throws a fit and says

HC..." what do you mean back in the box?"

me.." Scott ( HC name) they cant leave the batter's box"..

HC " what do you mean they cant leave the box, that is only a High school rule"

Me. No it is the same in all 3 rule sets, its a pace of play, I will not let the pitcher's quick pitch.

HC.." Well they dont make Arod stay in the box"

Me.. " Really did you just say Arod ( mind you we are not that close to each other maybe 30 feet), Arod make 27 mil a year, no one can keep him in the box.."

HC.. says something under his breath..

Me... Really did you just bring up Arod?... Scott get back in your box"..

After the inning was over he came to talk to me, i told him rule 6.02 says the batter can't not leave unless these certain things happen.. and tell him all 8 things..

during the next half inning i see him talking to the TD about the rule and the TD had the rule book... any idea who was right?....

now i will tell you that if the batter had only taken maybe 1 or 2 steps out, i did not say anything, but when they are 10 feet away.. " come get back in the box"..

also I come to find out that this coach is a umpire as well, and I think some one says he does College ball....:BD:

[nolanadair]

Here are some of my pet peeves:

A base umpire who does not have confidence in himself. Also I become fustrated when the base umpire I am working with is constantly out of position (i.e. is in D position with a runner on 2nd or 1st and 2nd, etc.). I understand that people doing little league games may not have done any games before but you need to at least know where to position yourself on the field.

Also I do not like it when managers wait for the umpire to come out to the mound to tell him that the pitching visit is over to simply just ask where that last pitch missed.

Coaches who think they know the rules but dont even know the definition of a strike.

Also, I hate it when coaches try to tell umpires what position they should be in to make a call. If this ever happens in a game, I simply ask the mangaer if he would like to come umpire himself. (That usually diffuses the situation and ends the conversation there).

[mstaylor]

Considering your age, you may be better off just asking the coach if he has a question. When a manager tries to tell me where I should be I just ignore it and move on in the conversation.

[nolanadair]

I understand where you are coming from in an age perspective, but when I get on that field, I feel as I should be treated like any other umpire. I come to every game with my shoes nicely polished, my shirts and pants very clean. My point is that I look professional, act professional, and speak to everyone ont he field professionally and politely.

I don't always ask the coach if he wants to umpire, I just do it if he has done it a couple of times now.

Thank you for your input MSTAYLOR.