Officially starting my little league umpire journey tomorrow

[Velho]

1 hour ago, Umpy said:

A guy involved with the Western Region told me last year that they'd never find any umpires who had never been paid for Little League games.

I'm in the West and no one in my Districts (incl multiple San Bernardino instructors) and all the West Region level umps I know have never been paid.

Locally, youth umpires get paid regularly and the only time I've heard adults getting paid is when Leagues have gone to the local HS/College Associations for coverage. Those are umps who would never do LL otherwise.

[ousafe]

13 hours ago, Umpy said:

Is this official anywhere? I was told when I started out years ago that you can't do Regional or WS if you were ever paid for umpiring Little League games but I've never been able to find any documentation on it, only word of mouth.  A guy involved with the Western Region told me last year that they'd never find any umpires who had never been paid for Little League games.

Purely from curiosity I've been looking for years for anything official, one way or the other.

I've never seen anything official, but I've heard it enough to think there's something to it. HOWEVER the selection process for Williamsport/ESPN has been completely overhauled (by Gerry Davis?). They have ditched the "can do LLWS only once in your life" edict. They have open ID camps now instead of the old nomination system.  At least now to make it to Williamsport you need to be objectively good, as opposed to "due".

[orangebird]

First game eve thoughts bouncing around

-I wish the on-field training included a scrimmage or at least something with the actual kids we'll be working with, for example if I'm in position A and the kid hits a triple running at full speed, I have no idea how much time I'll have to work my way from 1B foul territory towards getting a good angle at 3B

-I have no idea how polished these kids will be, pretty curious if this game will end with 5 obstruction calls and 4 balls thrown out of play or if it'll be played reasonably cleanly. It'll be 10-11s fwiw.  

-Hoping there aren't any two-man crew logistics issues, I don't want to boss around a 14-year-old who has more experience in this field than me but I definitely want to make sure when we meet in person we've got the responsibilities for each umpire down pat. If I miss a call I can live that but if both of us make a call on the same play that'd look silly and if neither of us make a call on a play well that'd seem like a s--tshow lol.

-Going to attempt to hem my pants with two-sided fabric tape for this game before getting them properly tailored so let's hope that tape lasts for 2 hours and 15 minutes lol

[834k3r]

2 hours ago, orangebird said:

First game eve thoughts bouncing around

-I wish the on-field training included a scrimmage or at least something with the actual kids we'll be working with, for example if I'm in position A and the kid hits a triple running at full speed, I have no idea how much time I'll have to work my way from 1B foul territory towards getting a good angle at 3B

-I have no idea how polished these kids will be, pretty curious if this game will end with 5 obstruction calls and 4 balls thrown out of play or if it'll be played reasonably cleanly. It'll be 10-11s fwiw.  

-Hoping there aren't any two-man crew logistics issues, I don't want to boss around a 14-year-old who has more experience in this field than me but I definitely want to make sure when we meet in person we've got the responsibilities for each umpire down pat. If I miss a call I can live that but if both of us make a call on the same play that'd look silly and if neither of us make a call on a play well that'd seem like a s--tshow lol.

-Going to attempt to hem my pants with two-sided fabric tape for this game before getting them properly tailored so let's hope that tape lasts for 2 hours and 15 minutes lol

1. Since you're working on a small field (12 year olds and under), just remember the LL mechanic:  if the ball stays in the infield, stay outside the infield. If the ball goes out of the infield, come in. On a triple, you'll come in to the infield, pivot and ensure the runner touches all the bases. You can run straight across the infield to cut the angle.

2. Just call it like you see it. OBS is OBS. The biggest difference is the strike zone.

3. Pre-game communication is imperative. Text your partner today to determine where and when you'll meet. I typically show an hour early to games, but some guys don't show until 30 minutes prior. I would definitely recommend meeting an hour prior to make sure you're both on the same page.

4. Remember your timing. There's no rush to make a call. A runner will be out or safe immediately after the play, or 10 minutes after the play. Even if you think you're slow--you're probably still too fast. Timing is especially important in the first innings of this game, your first. You'll feel the nerves, but don't let the nerves make you go too fast.

Lastly, we were all at some point or another where you are tonight. Even Joe West at some point was anticipating his first game ever as an amateur umpire (he umpired high school games while he was in college). Enjoy the ride!

[ousafe]

4 hours ago, orangebird said:

First game eve thoughts bouncing around

Don't forget your red flag!

[orangebird]

5 minutes ago, ousafe said:

Don't forget your red flag!

I'm afraid I don't know what that refers to lol

[Velho]

1 hour ago, orangebird said:

1 hour ago, ousafe said:

Don't forget your red flag!

I'm afraid I don't know what that refers to lol

In Little League Majors/12U and younger we have "closed bases" on the little field. The runner can't leave the base until the pitch reaches the batter. If they leave early we drop a red flag to alert that we may be moving runners back depending what happens as a result of the play.

Editorial: don't make this your "best call" - in other words, be 100%+ sure they left early. Not that they started their momentum shift early but that the last bit of the cleat was off the base as the pitch reaches the batter.

Also: a lot of folks believe the rule is the catcher receiving the pitch. That's wrong - but happily let them believe that.  

[orangebird]

4 minutes ago, Velho said:

In Little League Majors/12U and younger we have "closed bases" on the little field. The runner can't leave the base until the pitch reaches the batter. If they leave early we drop a red flag to alert that we may be moving runners back depending what happens as a result of the play.

Editorial: don't make this your "best call" - in other words, be 100%+ sure they left early. Not that they started their momentum shift early but that the last bit of the cleat was off the base as the pitch reaches the batter.

Also: a lot of folks believe the rule is the catcher receiving the pitch. That's wrong - but happily let them believe that.  

Ah okay, my game tomorrow will follow the no stealing until it crosses the plate rule but since this isn't affiliated with the official Little League there's no red flags I'm aware of lol

I actually asked the umpire coordinator and he said there's no official rule but his personal suggestion straight from his email is...

Quote

-If the ball is not put in play, the play is a dead ball and the runner is sent back to the previous base.  Ball or strike would count.
-If ball is put in play, runner should be called out since they left early and a dead ball.  Other runners should return to their base.

If a team repeatable abuses the situation, talk to the coach and give a warning (but a nice warning unless they are purposely doing it).  I suspect some kids will be a bit clueless and may just wander, not an intentional trying to take advantage.

Which seems reasonable to me

[Velho]

1 hour ago, orangebird said:

I actually asked the umpire coordinator and he said there's no official rule but his personal suggestion straight from his email is...

Nice. That's a good practice. Glad they are responsive and thoughtful.

 

1 hour ago, orangebird said:

Quote

-If the ball is not put in play, the play is a dead ball and the runner is sent back to the previous base.  Ball or strike would count.

Yep, makes sense (and is same as LL)

1 hour ago, orangebird said:

-If ball is put in play, runner should be called out since they left early and a dead ball.  Other runners should return to their base.

Woah. That's harsh. Does the UIC have daughters? This is (almost) the softball rule.

For reference, LL goes to great lengths to never make it an out* and instead pushes runners back to open bases in front of the batter after play stops (this is a gross simplification).

If this is how you're doing it I'd be sure the coaches are aware. If it's common culture and known, great. If not, a quick hit at the plate meeting (and I loathe adding to the plate meeting) since this is one that could blow up big when it happens. "Big" as in trigger ejections depending on the chemistry at the moment.

 

* LL teleports a kid out of existence rather than making them out, but we'll save the "poof play" for another time.

 

[orangebird]

@Velho Do not know the UIC's family tree lol and given that it's not written down anywhere in the league's rules (I checked) I'll see how much it happens tomorrow and if it comes up multiple times I'll e-mail him and say it needs some official guidance 

[orangebird]

#4 is the relevant rule but no penalty is written 

[orangebird]

[The Man in Blue]

[orangebird]

Alrighty, let's debrief

• In terms of judgment calls there was basically nothing that felt particularly bang-bang and quite frankly I think we had maybe 2 total outs made as normal force plays at first and I don't think anything resembled an attempted 4-6-3/6-4-3 double play.
• I had two situations I'd consider murky
  • 1. There was an appeal for if the runners left early on a fly ball and quite frankly I was watching the ball where the baserunners weren't really on my radar until it was caught. I don't think if you're working B/C you can really notice what every baserunner is doing and once I hit send on this message I'm gonna look into what exactly the plate umpire should do in a situation like that
  • 2. There was a grounder to third that hit a kid in the face and I called time basically instantly once he went down. I think the guidance was to err on the side of player safety and even if it isn't, a 10-year-old just got hit in the face with a ball, the outcome of a play in a 10-year-old rec ball game can wait.
• Goodness gracious there was plenty of movement on the bases. Even with the "wait until it crosses the plate" rule, the kids were scooting on basically every pitch and I don't think either team's catcher even made a throw.
  • I will note that checking the bases on basically every pitch made following the count slightly tricky, I honestly didn't catch the call half the time because I was pivoting to make sure the kid touched the base and all that
  • I was also pretty unpolished for what the rules are for when a kid can run on the catcher throwing it back to the pitcher on a live ball. The game survived without enforcement of that being a concern at any point, but yeaaah that will definitely need to be studied before my next game at that level.
• I lost count of the inning a bit too quickly. Was pretty focused on each play where the actual passage of the game was on the backburner for me tbh. My indicator has an inning counter that I used, but bottom/top of the inning escaped me perhaps a bit too quickly, might need some sort of pen and paper tracker just to help me there.
• Coaches were chill, parents were chill, chit-chat with the first-base coaches was chill, no complaints interacting with the adults
• This is awkward to mention but still important: just wore my normal briefs with my cup and yeah we're going shopping for compression shorts before my next game for sure lol

I've got more than a few days off due to the sheer number of umps (100+ passed the test I believe) and me blocking out Thur-Sunday of both weekends of March Madness so check in on March 25 for my first game working the plate

Also if anyone has any follow up questions don't hesitate to ask, might be something I'm forgetting right now that I want to focus on/review

Thanks for reading!

[Velho]

12 minutes ago, orangebird said:

I lost count of the inning a bit too quickly. Was pretty focused on each play where the actual passage of the game was on the backburner for me tbh. My indicator has an inning counter that I used, but bottom/top of the inning escaped me perhaps a bit too quickly, might need some sort of pen and paper tracker just to help me there.

Are umpires responsible for tracking innings and/or runs in this league? If not, don't sweat this (though I signal inning (point # of fingers up or down) at start of an inning with my partner - but it's unnecessary).

[orangebird]

17 minutes ago, Velho said:

Are umpires responsible for tracking innings and/or runs in this league? If not, don't sweat this (though I signal inning (point # of fingers up or down) at start of an inning with my partner - but it's unnecessary).

Not directly but we have no new inning rules where I'd at least like to know when it's the top or bottom when signalling that (we can ask the scorekeeper but I'd really prefer not to just in terms of wanting to seem competent lol)  

[Richvee]

5 hours ago, orangebird said:

Not directly but we have no new inning rules where I'd at least like to know when it's the top or bottom when signalling that (we can ask the scorekeeper but I'd really prefer not to just in terms of wanting to seem competent lol)  

I. Ant tell you how many times an inning has ended and I’m jogging back to my between innings spot on short RF, only to get there, turn around and see the handshake line forming. Not a big deal. I rarely know the score or inning if there’s no scoreboard. 

[orangebird]

Couple other things to highlight now that I've slept on it

• Heard the kids on both teams playing 2B/SS sound frustrated that kids were stealing on basically every pitch without there ever being a throw down. It makes sense if you think your catcher's arm has zero chance to get the kid and might sail it into the outfield to give them some more bases but man those middle infielders seemed like they weren't having fun covering for throws that never arrived.
• Staying on the topic of runners advancing and catchers struggling, I definitely had a "oh boy I hope I didn't forget the rules" moment for when the ball is dead in little league when it's near the pitcher's mound. There were a couple times the catcher threw it back to the pitcher poorly and the runners advanced and I believe that's treated the same as the catcher just making a bad throw to second or third but definitely wasn't polished on reviewing the rules for that where that was the only time I genuinely felt caught off guard by a rules application. However, just letting it play out was seemingly correct, the rules for that league only say: "The ball is dead when the pitcher has the ball on the dirt surrounding the pitching rubber". So if the catcher throws it wildly back to the pitcher, the kiddos can run until the pitcher has it on the mound.
• I was honestly more than a little worried about my body feeling sore during the game from the amount of uninterrupted standing but whatever mix of focus and adrenaline I had meant I felt totally fine during the game. We'll see how 2 hours of going in and out of the slot feels but at least for base I'm hoping I'll continue to feel fresh for the whole game.
• This confirmed that I really really would've wanted the on-field training to include something resembling a scrimmage, I didn't really have any issues with applying the mechanics at game speed but it still would've been nice to practice something like getting into position to call safe/out on a triple from starting in position A

[Velho]

1 hour ago, orangebird said:

"The ball is dead when the pitcher has the ball on the dirt surrounding the pitching rubber". So if the catcher throws it wildly back to the pitcher, the kiddos can run until the pitcher has it on the mound.

What ages and competition level is this for?

Hate to be a broken record, but that is not the LL rule. That's a house rule for a rec league (nothing wrong with that just giving context).

1 hour ago, orangebird said:

We'll see how 2 hours of going in and out of the slot feels but at least for base I'm hoping I'll continue to feel fresh for the whole game.

Biggest factor is going straight up and down into your plate stance. Leaning forward is the majority of back stress.

[orangebird]

4 hours ago, Velho said:

What ages and competition level is this for?

Hate to be a broken record, but that is not the LL rule. That's a house rule for a rec league (nothing wrong with that just giving context).

Biggest factor is going straight up and down into your plate stance. Leaning forward is the majority of back stress.

1. 10-11 rec ball, if you're curious the rules are in a PDF at the bottom of this page 

https://hcyp.teamsnapsites.com/cadre-information/

2. Yeah that make sense, plus I'd imagine the extra weight from the protector and mask will feel noticeable after 2 hours

[stevis]

So I'm picking up that you're not doing Little League(TM) brand youth baseball, so I'll refrain from getting into those rules intricacies...LL has worked out all the gory details of not letting runners lead without just going to the softball method of calling an out, for instance.  You'll have to ask your assigners and/or leagues about the ball being dead near the mound, because it isn't dead in any rule set that I'm aware of.

Most things you'll do ok and get better when you do them once or thrice. I wouldn't worry about getting to 3rd on a triple from A; you have longer legs and get to take the shorter path.  And everyone is impressed with your hustle when you do.  

I always tell my juniors their fifth game will go better than their first, and their fifteenth game will go better than their fifth.  At some point if it's not leveling out we need to address your uptake speed. 😄

 

[orangebird]

7 minutes ago, stevis said:

So I'm picking up that you're not doing Little League(TM) brand youth baseball, so I'll refrain from getting into those rules intricacies...LL has worked out all the gory details of not letting runners lead without just going to the softball method of calling an out, for instance.  You'll have to ask your assigners and/or leagues about the ball being dead near the mound, because it isn't dead in any rule set that I'm aware of.

Most things you'll do ok and get better when you do them once or thrice. I wouldn't worry about getting to 3rd on a triple from A; you have longer legs and get to take the shorter path.  And everyone is impressed with your hustle when you do.  

I always tell my juniors their fifth game will go better than their first, and their fifteenth game will go better than their fifth.  At some point if it's not leveling out we need to address your uptake speed. 😄

 

Correct, unaffiliated from any governing body I'm aware of

And yeah if the deadball around the mound rules are unique from the official rules I can add that to my handy-dandy rules index card I brought with me for the first game

[834k3r]

On 3/15/2025 at 1:03 PM, orangebird said:

1. There was an appeal for if the runners left early on a fly ball and quite frankly I was watching the ball where the baserunners weren't really on my radar until it was caught. I don't think if you're working B/C you can really notice what every baserunner is doing and once I hit send on this message I'm gonna look into what exactly the plate umpire should do in a situation like that

This is really tricky, especially without a full 4-man crew. From B or C (remember, on a small field you're on the outfield fringe), I try to keep the runner(s) I'm watching in my peripheral vision as I watch the ball cross the plate. Again, it's really difficult if it's only a 2-man crew, so you have to prioritize the lead runner.

On 3/15/2025 at 1:03 PM, orangebird said:

This is awkward to mention but still important: just wore my normal briefs with my cup and yeah we're going shopping for compression shorts before my next game for sure lol

Thigh-Pros. Get nothing else. @concertman1971 is a genius.

On 3/15/2025 at 1:03 PM, orangebird said:

Coaches were chill, parents were chill, chit-chat with the first-base coaches was chill, no complaints interacting with the adults

I'm glad, because it makes it more fun to work a game. But:  be wary of over conversing. Pretty much everyone hates working with a partner that delays the start of an inning because they're too engrossed in conversations with folks.

[orangebird]

9 minutes ago, 834k3r said:

This is really tricky, especially without a full 4-man crew. From B or C (remember, on a small field you're on the outfield fringe), I try to keep the runner(s) I'm watching in my peripheral vision as I watch the ball cross the plate. Again, it's really difficult if it's only a 2-man crew, so you have to prioritize the lead runner.

Thigh-Pros. Get nothing else. @concertman1971 is a genius.

I'm glad, because it makes it more fun to work a game. But:  be wary of over conversing. Pretty much everyone hates working with a partner that delays the start of an inning because they're too engrossed in conversations with folks.

As best I can tell I only did it during warm-up pitches where I think I was good there. Also given that these weren't exactly defensive wizards out there I had to say bye to my first-base coach pals after the first batter of basically every inning lol

[834k3r]

1 minute ago, orangebird said:

As best I can tell I only did it during warm-up pitches where I think I was good there. Also given that these weren't exactly defensive wizards out there I had to say bye to my first-base coach pals after the first batter of basically every inning lol

Keep in mind you should be in B during warm-ups. I would suggest there are still things to track during warm-ups as well:  if your partner is chatting with coaches about subs or whatnot, you should be counting the pitches for him. During the warm-ups during each half of the first inning, I'll actually track the ball and watch the bag to calibrate my eyes for plays at 1B. After the first inning, I'll watch the players throw--especially if there's a new F4/F5/F6--so I can watch their throw and release.