Where there is a will, there is a way

[Velho]

 

[The Man in Blue]

I am so conflicted on this . . . 

[SeeingEyeDog]

19 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said:

I am so conflicted on this . . . 

Don't be, brother...as @Velho said, "Where there is a will, there is a way."

I'm not sure if that footage is actually JUCO or not but, in 2002 NFHS instituted a rule that permits umpires and coaches to use canes, wheelchairs and other mobility aids on the field of play during games. Additionally, the Wounded Warrior program has their own umpire academy which helps military veterans who are differently abled learn Our Craft.

~Dawg

[ArchAngel72]

His timing on getting down for the pitch is awesome, However he did not seem to get all the way up before calling that strike.  He needs to work on that for sure.

 

 

 

 

🤣

[BLWizzRanger]

Lets talk about this one second.  First, I am neither for or against this, but, IMHO, I would have to believe this isn't the best for the craft.  All of these are mostly movement related.  We worry about the mobility of older umps now and then we see this?

1. he is not getting up the line to see a pulled foot
2. he is not getting to the mound to see FPSR.
3. he is definitely not getting up to third on a rotation nor down the line for fair/foul.
4. a play at the plate?  he isn't getting on the catchers hip and making adjustments, but, he will be a brick wall for the runner to possibly run or slide into after touching the plate. Otherwise, he is in a bad position 1st baseline extended that we are preached to not be at.
5. a rainy game?  probably stuck in the mud.
6. a game on turf?  I don't know the ability of thinner wheels turning on turf but I would have to believe it would be like trying to use this type of wheelchair on a sandy beach.

I guess I convinced myself that I have the same opinion of this as I had with my partner last week who moved less then the rocks in my yard during a bad storm.  I would not be thrilled.
 

 

[MadMax]

I’ll post more later, but did we really all think that the “Robo-Ump” was going to be bipedal?? 

This guy’s got a head start on it over us “foot-mobile” colleagues. 

Sure does save on plate shoes, and having to continuously clean them suckers. 🤬

[SeeingEyeDog]

5 hours ago, BLWizzRanger said:

Lets talk about this one second.  First, I am neither for or against this, but, IMHO, I would have to believe this isn't the best for the craft.  All of these are mostly movement related.  We worry about the mobility of older umps now and then we see this?

1. he is not getting up the line to see a pulled foot
2. he is not getting to the mound to see FPSR.
3. he is definitely not getting up to third on a rotation nor down the line for fair/foul.
4. a play at the plate?  he isn't getting on the catchers hip and making adjustments, but, he will be a brick wall for the runner to possibly run or slide into after touching the plate. Otherwise, he is in a bad position 1st baseline extended that we are preached to not be at.
5. a rainy game?  probably stuck in the mud.
6. a game on turf?  I don't know the ability of thinner wheels turning on turf but I would have to believe it would be like trying to use this type of wheelchair on a sandy beach.

I guess I convinced myself that I have the same opinion of this as I had with my partner last week who moved less then the rocks in my yard during a bad storm.  I would not be thrilled.
 

 

Disclosure: I have a close family member who has lived most of their adult life in a wheelchair following a spinal injury. They have limited use of their hands and no use of their legs. They do not umpire and I would like to offer the following responses:

1) How do you know? Have you seen him work? And we have all seen partners who work games who don't get up the line as they should...

2) How do you know? Have you seen him work? Angle over distance, right? Maybe he doesn't get the ideal distance moving from the plate to get FPSR but, I promise you he gets the angle.

3) How do you know? Have you seen him work?

4) How do you know? Have you seen him work? I promise you...if YOU have thought of all of this, someone in a wheelchair has too. Maybe he doesn't wedge it up as he should. Like all of us, he is doing the best he can and I'm sure like all of us, his first priority is knowing his capabilities and getting himself to where he needs to be and minimize the risk of injury to himself or those on the field.

5) So maybe he doesn't work wet fields. Over the course of a baseball season, I'm sure there are lots of opportunities for him to work under his ideal conditions.

6) Conjecture and speculation...we don't know. Again, maybe he doesn't work turf fields.

The bottom line is...people may have questions. People may not understand. People may want to pass judgement. I see a man in a mask, wearing our jacket, and grabbing strikes umpiring a baseball game. As far as I am concerned, that's our brother and I'd take the field with him anytime and I hope all of you feel the same way.

~Dawg

 

[The Man in Blue]

. . . and that is why I am conflicted.  Every ounce of humanity in me screams, "That is awesome!  This dude is a role model!"  Every ounce of umpire in me screams, "This is not good.  Somebody is going to get hurt."

Heck, if it works, it works.  It's strange . . . 

[MadMax]

6 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

I see a man in a mask, wearing our jacket, and grabbing strikes umpiring a baseball game.

I see this… but I also see a wheelchair 🦽 that is the perfect candidate for my new riot shield!! 


Just bolt it on the front, and it provides protection for all participants! 

I’m being humorous, but I’m not joking or even kidding. It’d be perfect!

With that said, I’ve umpired 2 games wherein one of the Base Coaches was in a wheelchair. In both cases, I conducted a brief interview with them, illuminating the risks they were assuming, and they both acknowledged them. They had every right to be there. I mentioned to them, that if there was an overthrow, or a pop-up in their immediate vicinity, the advised course of action was to stay where they were. This was said within earshot of the F3s (both were 1BCs), and neither F3 (nor their own coaches) raised any concerns or questions. 

[SeeingEyeDog]

Thank you, @MadMax. We see you, brother. 😎

~Dawg

[mac266]

On 4/10/2024 at 9:12 PM, SeeingEyeDog said:

Additionally, the Wounded Warrior program has their own umpire academy which helps military veterans who are differently abled learn Our Craft.

~Dawg

Let me be VERY clear about this:  The Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the Wounded Warrior Project.  It is a separate entity altogether.  As a 30 year veteran (and counting), I am fully behind what the umpire academy is doing and have even applied several times (I'm not wounded badly enough to be a high priority, so I've never gotten in).  The Wounded Warrior Project (i.e. NOT the umpire academy) is a horribly run scam that misuses its funding to pay the CEO a huge salary.  They will never get a penny from me.  

[dumbdumb]

dang, we have an umpire shortage. i have seen umpires with great mobility bust their butts/hustle to get into perfect position and they are in perfect position, wait for the play to fully develope and be completed, use great timing, and still kick the (that word that Jimmy Joyce used) out of the call. so for our former military, i give kudos to those who would like to give it a try, either with less mobility or from a wheelchair. let them start from the middle of the infield obviously, and the PU take all fair foul calls on both lines, and maybe take third and home in certain situations.

i have also seen umpires with great mobility, who's play calling ability was no better than flipping a coin. matter of fact, they could not call their way out of a wet paper bag, and had they just called the opposite of what they did call, they would have had a near perfect game. And that doesn't mean the greatest umpire ever in the world did not have one of those games too in their career, and  probably more than one.

so i give the service guys all the kudos they can get and use. would hope they would consider some other sports like volleyball and track and field to officiate. they would all be great at being clock operators and scorebook keepers as paid personel at the professional levels and amateur levels as well. i think some former baseball umpire guy used to do this for a pro team somewhere.

and never forget--a thank you to our Military

 

[johnnyg08]

On 4/10/2024 at 10:12 PM, SeeingEyeDog said:

Don't be, brother...as @Velho said, "Where there is a will, there is a way."

I'm not sure if that footage is actually JUCO or not but, in 2002 NFHS instituted a rule that permits umpires and coaches to use canes, wheelchairs and other mobility aids on the field of play during games. Additionally, the Wounded Warrior program has their own umpire academy which helps military veterans who are differently abled learn Our Craft.

~Dawg

Yes! It's been around for a long time! 

You know what they say...availability is the best ability! 

 

 

[SeeingEyeDog]

10 hours ago, mac266 said:

Let me be VERY clear about this:  The Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the Wounded Warrior Project.  It is a separate entity altogether.  As a 30 year veteran (and counting), I am fully behind what the umpire academy is doing and have even applied several times (I'm not wounded badly enough to be a high priority, so I've never gotten in).  The Wounded Warrior Project (i.e. NOT the umpire academy) is a horribly run scam that misuses its funding to pay the CEO a huge salary.  They will never get a penny from me.  

Brother, I truly appreciate you updating my file on this. Thank you. 😔

~Dawg