I'm thinking about blocking a colleague, please advise

[mac266]

High school varsity baseball. We're working a 3-umpire system. We have started doing that periodically during the regular season with umpires who both know the 3-umpire system and have a reasonable chance at working post season. Our post season games use the 3-man system, and if you've ever made the switch from 2 to 3, you know it can be difficult.

So anyway, I'm PU. I know the other two umpires very well. I actually work with U3 at our regular job and we started umpiring together. I advanced to JuCo a few years before he did, but ONLY because of his work schedule. When his schedule changed, I got him a job at the JuCo level.

 

U1 is much more experienced than either of us, but has never advanced beyond high school. He is, as assignors would say, "uncoachable." He has a reputation for being a competent umpire, but also very thin-skinned and you can't tell him anything. So I rarely try.

 

Three times during our game, U1 failed to rotate home. I would glance up and he's cutting infield like he would be doing in a 2-umpire game, putting both U3 and U1 at second base. Finally, between innings I tried to discreetly say something to him about rotating home. He literally started yelling at me. He never missed a rotation and I need to worry about myself, you see. 

 

I was so angry I was seeing red. Look, we've all done it. We've all missed a rotation or muffed a call, and we work together as a team to get it right. But if you refuse to take any instruction, own your mistakes, and get angry when called out, I don't think I can work with you. In my opinion, this is an integrity matter, and integrity is EVERYTHING with me.

 

What do you think? Should I block him in Arbiter?

 

[SeeingEyeDog]

In our association, we are told to be "coachable". Listen to your chief during and after the game and make note of their feedback. Yes, sometimes you will receive incorrect feedback. If you aren't sure about feedback you receive, run it by your mentors. If you don't have a mentor, run your feedback by ANY member of the Board.

As described, your partner made a mistake...three times. As described, you gave accurate direction AND...you were diplomatic and professional about it and not personal. He decided to take it personal. You can't control what he does so, you're answering your own question here.

I don't work with people like this U1. I just don't. If I have to be on the field with someone for 2-3 hours working a game, I want a professional and respectable vibe. We don't have to like each other. We do have to respect each other.

Block him in Arbiter and be done with this hump...

~Dawg

[Mad Mike]

One suggestion before pulling the plug, is there video of the game available that can be shared with him by someone in a position of "authority" in the association? Perhaps seeing his mistakes on film will allow it to set in. If he is not interested in the feedback, then perhaps post season is not for him and he will make that abundantly clear to an assignor. Otherwise, it sounds like time to blackball him.

[mac266]

1 hour ago, Mad Mike said:

One suggestion before pulling the plug, is there video of the game available that can be shared with him by someone in a position of "authority" in the association? Perhaps seeing his mistakes on film will allow it to set in. If he is not interested in the feedback, then perhaps post season is not for him and he will make that abundantly clear to an assignor. Otherwise, it sounds like time to blackball him.

Thank you. Where I work, the schools do not invest in baseball like they do football. We don't even have lights on our diamonds! No, I'm not joking. So, no, there is no video available. 

 

That being said, knowing him like I do, I seriously doubt he would be open to any feedback from the directors or assignor. He won't take it from ANYONE, not just me. He literally tells partners that in his pre-game meetings.

 

Another reason I don't want to do that is because I'm very reluctant to bring problems to the directors. It would seem like I'm a tattle tail. I do prefer to solve issues with the person I'm taking issue with, and I already tried that with terrible results. 

 

So, I blocked him. I may relent later and remove the block, but for now I'm not going to work with him.

[834k3r]

3 hours ago, mac266 said:

I seriously doubt he would be open to any feedback from the directors or assignor. He won't take it from ANYONE, not just me. He literally tells partners that in his pre-game meetings.

In our association, that attitude will get you booted off varsity games. I've seen it happen to people I know personally (who eventually gave up umpiring because they wouldn't get "the good games.")

3 hours ago, mac266 said:

So, I blocked him.

Up here, we use DragonFly, which I'm pretty sure assignors can override the blocks. There's one member of the association I've blocked but get assigned as a partner very infrequently.

[Velho]

2 minutes ago, 834k3r said:

who eventually gave up umpiring because they wouldn't get "the good games."

At work we call this "non regrettable attrition"

[grayhawk]

So I take it there was no post game discussion in the locker room/parking lot?

[mac266]

13 hours ago, grayhawk said:

So I take it there was no post game discussion in the locker room/parking lot?

Nope. He's not open and I was done with him. So why get him started again? I was seeing red, and it would have turned into something ugly.

[grayhawk]

7 minutes ago, mac266 said:

Nope. He's not open and I was done with him. So why get him started again? I was seeing red, and it would have turned into something ugly.

I hear you. I would have been tempted to ruffle those feathers and then block him.

[concertman1971]

In the 20ish years of umpiring, I have blocked 2 people. They were just insufferable to work with. If I have to spend 3 or so hours with you, i want to at least sort of enjoy that time. 

Block, move on, keep calling strikes.