orangebird Posted February 24 Author Report Posted February 24 My first test is tomorrow and I feel pretty confident about the rules for fair/foul, dropped third strike, etc but I'm about to give myself a headache trying to memorize the unique rules for the 5 age groups the little league covers (do they enforce balks, when the games have a hard stop, etc) 1
Richvee Posted February 24 Report Posted February 24 That’s pretty brutal getting tested on age group differences and local league rules. Seems things like that you can be reminded of in the pregame. Good luck. I’m sure you’ll do fine. 2
orangebird Posted February 24 Author Report Posted February 24 2 minutes ago, Richvee said: That’s pretty brutal getting tested on age group differences and local league rules. Seems things like that you can be reminded of in the pregame. Good luck. I’m sure you’ll do fine. We only need a 35/50 to pass so I'm just hoping there isn't 15 questions about when the kids can start stealing haha 1
Richvee Posted February 24 Report Posted February 24 3 minutes ago, orangebird said: We only need a 35/50 to pass so I'm just hoping there isn't 15 questions about when the kids can start stealing haha I remember studying a state certification test (not umpiring) with a group. We needed 70 out of 100. We would come across stuff we weren’t sure about while studying and would say, “well, that’s one of the dirty 30. We only have to know 70% of this stuff”. 🤣 2 1
orangebird Posted February 25 Author Report Posted February 25 46/50 for the first org so we passed with room to spare, lovely stuff 3
stevis Posted February 25 Report Posted February 25 On 2/19/2025 at 6:21 PM, orangebird said: Yeah admittedly some of my hesitance is I haven't done any on-field training yet (gotta pass the test first lol) where I truly have no idea how quickly I could get from position C to near 1B for something like a 4-3 putout You don't. You can see everything just fine except the pulled foot if they come right at you. Make the best call you can, and be gracious about getting together with your partner on that call (if and only if the coaches are gracious about asking.) 3
834k3r Posted February 25 Report Posted February 25 On 2/19/2025 at 3:21 PM, orangebird said: Yeah admittedly some of my hesitance is I haven't done any on-field training yet (gotta pass the test first lol) where I truly have no idea how quickly I could get from position C to near 1B for something like a 4-3 putout The mantra of angle over distance is your friend here. As mentioned before, you'll miss a pulled foot, but PU should help you out. 1
orangebird Posted March 3 Author Report Posted March 3 Second training (missed the first one for the test) for org #2 tonight (org #2 is the parks department lol) and then org #1 on-field training on Wednesday (pending rain) so definitely an eventful week for this process Definitely curious how different the parks department will train from org #1, feel like there's only so many ways you can teach that the plate is in fair territory, how to signal a foul ball, etc but I guess we'll see!
Velho Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 2 minutes ago, orangebird said: feel like there's only so many ways you can teach that the plate is in fair territory, how to signal a foul ball, etc but I guess we'll see! Oh, you'll see there are many wrong ways to teach it 😉 (that hopefully won't encounter). 2 1 1
The Man in Blue Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 On 2/23/2025 at 7:52 PM, orangebird said: My first test is tomorrow and I feel pretty confident about the rules for fair/foul, dropped third strike, etc but I'm about to give myself a headache trying to memorize the unique rules for the 5 age groups the little league covers (do they enforce balks, when the games have a hard stop, etc) If you are going to be doing that many different groups with that many nuances, I would suggest making yourself a cheat sheet to keep in your line up holder. I am completely making this stuff up, but make a spreadsheet like this: From experience in working house leagues (heck, even tournaments) -- do NOT trust the coaches to give you the right info to help keep you straight. When I was in Mississippi, I did some league night house-league work as a favor (and to help pay bills). On Tuesday night, the coach had a fit because we called a balk. He said the league rule was to issue one warning, per violation type, per pitcher. OK, fine by us. On Thursday night, he came unglued because we were doing exactly what he told us on Tuesday. Guess which pitcher was which. 2 1
orangebird Posted March 3 Author Report Posted March 3 3 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said: If you are going to be doing that many different groups with that many nuances, I would suggest making yourself a cheat sheet to keep in your line up holder. I am completely making this stuff up, but make a spreadsheet like this: Yeah the org made us a spreadsheet/table and as a first-year ump I'd only be doing plate for 9-10 and base for 10-11 so there's fewer details to memorize. I'm considering making an index card I bring with me to review pre-game (I know not to do it in-game lol) just to make sure I've got all the intricacies down pat. 1
The Man in Blue Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 I'll admit that is how I learned my plate meeting material. I made a card and carried it. I was not ashamed to use it. Sure, it may show you are new, but it shows you are conscious about doing a good job. I don't see any issue with continuing to carry it on the bases. It's better to to review something in the moment than try to remember later. Another tip that I picked up from the great group here: keep a post-game journal. When you have something weird or unfamiliar, write it down so you can do the research and look it up (or come here to ask) later. When you have something good or something you were proud of getting right, document that as well! 3 1
Velho Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 3 minutes ago, orangebird said: I'm considering making an index card I bring with me to review pre-game (I know not to do it in-game lol) just to make sure I've got all the intricacies down pat. Since the conversation is going this way, I take the published league ground rule for my frequent leagues or rule changes* (including which LL options they have or not have adopted) and condense it from 3-4 pages to 1 double side piece of paper (hopefully). I then fold it and put that in my ball bags/pocket/lineup card/wherever and take it on the field. I really don't want to have to refer to it but if we get completely stuck we can resolve it on the spot. Haven't had to do it yet but non-zero chance it will be helpful so I bring it on. I also don't want to refer to it as since that will mean I also have to put on my reading glasses on he field. 😳🤣 * LL - know your new illegal bat rules and how you will apply them. Letter of the law is draconian. Get it right. 3
orangebird Posted March 3 Author Report Posted March 3 Also the parks department contracts the umpires for the other 5 LLs in the county so if I learn tonight I'll be tested on 5 different LL's number of warmup pitches and balk rule age minimums I might decide to take up smoking lmfao 1
orangebird Posted March 3 Author Report Posted March 3 36 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said: I'll admit that is how I learned my plate meeting material. I made a card and carried it. I was not ashamed to use it. Sure, it may show you are new, but it shows you are conscious about doing a good job. I don't see any issue with continuing to carry it on the bases. It's better to to review something in the moment than try to remember later. Another tip that I picked up from the great group here: keep a post-game journal. When you have something weird or unfamiliar, write it down so you can do the research and look it up (or come here to ask) later. When you have something good or something you were proud of getting right, document that as well! That little umpire shirt pocket does seem like the ideal size for a little notebook where I've definitely been mulling that over
834k3r Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 44 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said: keep a post-game journal I keep my journal in-game and post-game to make sure I remember details for the post-game conversations with my partner(s). 44 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said: I don't see any issue with continuing to carry it on the bases. Nor do I. No one's going to know what you're looking at. 3
The Man in Blue Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 46 minutes ago, orangebird said: Also the parks department contracts the umpires for the other 5 LLs in the county so if I learn tonight I'll be tested on 5 different LL's number of warmup pitches and balk rule age minimums I might decide to take up smoking lmfao 1 2
orangebird Posted March 3 Author Report Posted March 3 1 minute ago, The Man in Blue said: "First game?" "No, I've attended lots of baseball games" 1 2
834k3r Posted March 3 Report Posted March 3 2 hours ago, orangebird said: "First game?" "No, I've attended lots of baseball games" 1
orangebird Posted March 4 Author Report Posted March 4 Call me Leslie Knope because it's time for some updates from the parks department They used a slideshow instead of just a guy talking, which was helpful However, they definitely went through some stuff absurdly quickly but I asked and he said the slides will be uploaded so that's good They also worked in a bit more humor than the other guy, a couple cute little umpire comics/cartoons They also used Kahoot, which is like a live trivia thing they use in schools (it's been around for a bit, I used it in college and I graduated in 2019) There were definitely a couple of procedural differences They have a specific script for the pre-game conferences they want us to read (and are fine with us bringing the paper to the conference to make sure we touch on everything) Arrive 20 min early vs 15 min early Also seemed to have some different points of emphasis Decent amount of time devoted to guys not touching a base retreating after trying to steal on something that becomes an easy pop up, etc Showed us this The test is open-note and we can't take it multiple times, both different from org 1 This ain't my first rodeo where I know open note basically allows it to be harder but there's only some many ways you can ask someone if the plate is in fair territory where I think I'll be okay but will def be stressing over it daily until then lol
orangebird Posted March 4 Author Report Posted March 4 Here's the plate conference sheet they gave us I'm 50/50 between "it's good to make sure the coaches know all of this" and "I'm not sure this script will be necessary by the 5th game of the year" but am curious what the vets think
834k3r Posted March 4 Report Posted March 4 That script is...thorough. Personally, I'd focus more on what the Association requires you to cover during the plate meeting. Granted, at the level you're at you're probably going to deal with a lot of new coaches, so some of that is good. But as you said, it'll be stale and passe´ very quickly. When I was doing LL, by mid-season my plate meetings were only a couple of minutes (coaches know each other, play at the same parks, etc) and the longest of my plate meetings were one coach with questions about a call or two from a game I wasn't even on. 2
Velho Posted March 4 Report Posted March 4 1. Do as your assigner / association tells you [cough - until your experienced enough to grok why they want it done that way, understand what blowback you'd get for modifying, AND are comfortable with said blowback. Any of those don't apply, stick to their direction). 2. That page needs an editor. "Do we have a home team?" at the bottom was already answered above. To the extent you use it, I'd rewrite it to the actual flow of the conversation. After getting familiar with it, I'd narrow that to bullet points on a index card and then finally memory (if you practice, you can do that before a game). 3. #2 in action. Little League preaches the mnemonic L-E-G-S-S. Lineup, Equipment, Ground Rules, Safety, Sportsmanship. That's the sequence of our plate meeting. That helps you run the plate meeting with a cheat sheet if needed (more important to be good than look good). You can see how your provided guide covers those. 4. All that said, I (and others here) will never raise rules* or ask open ended questions. Managers will either a) not retain a word you say so it's pointless and makes you frustrated later when they challenge something you covered. 99.9% of people of learn something on the baseball field through emotional loss. What I mean by that is, for example, their player balks in a run, they get exited about it, you tell them the rule. That emotional event can cause them to learn. * Had my first LL game last night. Big change in illegal bats and penalty this year. I raised. Got deer in the headlights looks so explained. Don't plan to for more than the first couple weeks. Other rules changes of less import I addressed as the game went along as applicable. 4b. Calling out ruleset is probably a good idea if you're in an area with multiple sets in play. I'll admit I ask in the few softball games I do if we're LL softball or USA softball - they are different. But softball is usually so happy to have a "real" ump they work with you all game without too much flak. Glad to have you join the ranks. You're going to be a good one. Keep thinking. Keep working. 3
orangebird Posted March 5 Author Report Posted March 5 Anyways I figure I should make sure the open-note test doesn't include me looking for my notes so I learnt how to make Google Docs automatically do this, which is neat 2
orangebird Posted March 5 Author Report Posted March 5 In a perfectly timed introduction to this profession, the on-field training to fully complete the process for the first org is now rained out and pushed back to Sunday lol
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