I need to vent

[Thatsnotyou]

The bench jockeying nonsense - where teams are more concerned with dissing the other team than just cheering - is filtering our way. They think they can laugh after calls, chirp us etc. The problem with baseball is we have limited tools. There isn’t a penalty box, a flag to throw, or a technical foul to assess. Those are easy things to toss out there. Immediately hurts the team and/or player. Gets everyone’s attention. 
 

In baseball…you can remove them from the game. Nothing else matters. If I don’t remove you from the game, you’re going to hear back from me. No, I’m not ignoring it. I can’t believe the number of players that will chirp at umpires. And if the coach is a moron, going to him isn’t going to help anything. 
 

I wish we had something else. Removal for periods of time. You’re next at bat is an out or forfeited. Your team loses an out or the other team gets a runner. I don’t know. But we need something.

[834k3r]

On 5/1/2026 at 9:53 AM, Velho said:

No surprise given how many Seattleites and Californians that are moving your way (said by someone was/is from those places)

[Velho]

6 hours ago, Thatsnotyou said:

I wish we had something else. Removal for periods of time. You’re next at bat is an out or forfeited. Your team loses an out or the other team gets a runner. I don’t know. But we need something.

Agreed. Awarding strikes against would be useful. (which made me think of this classic

 

[JonnyCat]

On 5/1/2026 at 11:41 AM, Richvee said:

You're 100% right. And it's time I take this advice. I don't usually hear a lot of crap.... Until recently it's never even bothered me it's been so little. Sure, there's been warnings and ejections, but they've been rare. ( and mostly "no brainers") So my tolerance is probably too high given the way things are going lately. Thanks

This what happened to me. I just got tired of the BS over stupid meaningless SH*# during a game. My tolerance level just isn't there. I don't know if it's getting older or what. But as I slink into retirement, I just don't want the aggravation.

Stepping back from umpiring a little bit has helped. I no longer do the 9 hour adult baseball DH ordeals. I don't instruct at clinics (my first year in about 20 years), I don't go to endless useless meetings, I'm just not involved at any other aspect but just doing the occasional game. Honestly, I did a game last week, and even though I had an assistant coach bitch about something stupid, It was pretty darn ejoyable.

I just want to peacefully and gracefully exit from the game before I'm one of "those guys" that either can't move or doesn't want to listen. It's just a hobby for me, and it needs to be fun. When it ceases to be fun, that's when I'm done. It's getting close, but cutting back has definitely helped.

As I've always said, everyone has a shelf life. I just don't want to be past my expiration date and not know it.

[Richvee]

I felt like I was in bazaro word today. JUCO DH. Plate for game two. Pitch just below the knees. “BALL” …. I’m waiting…. Nothing…..few pitches later, “Ball that’s out”…. Nothing again. 
Close pitches all day…. And not a word from either side all day besides the occasional oooh or aaah. 
Maybe I broke the streak? Maybe I just didn’t suck today?😁… either way it was nice hearing crickets for a day. 👍

[StatsUmp]

On 4/30/2026 at 12:02 PM, Richvee said:

OK, Here goes....

I've been doing this a while..16 years. 14 high school varsity, 7 Juco, D3. Without sounding overly cocky, I think I'm a damn good umpire.

   I've seen and heard all the horror stories about poor sportsmanship, confrontational parents, etc. Sure, I've experienced it, but it's been on rare occasions, and the overwhelming amount of the times, I've had respectful coaches, players, and to a lesser extent parents. 

   Fast forward to this year. I thought it was me. I was starting to think my zone was inconsistent. Starting to think my judgement might be off. I know I'm getting slower. Maybe it's affecting my game. 

   I've been talking with some trusted colleagues, and it seems it's not me. The umpire hate is reaching new levels. The overall tone of the games, attitudes, it's filled with anger. Dirty looks from hitters from every close strike, looks of astonishment from fielders on safe calls that aren't even that close. Batter runners stomping up and down when they're put out at first by a full step. Fielder yelling a runner is off the bag when I'm right there looking at a hand on the top of the bag, coaches looking for help on routine plays, (Not asking ..Demanding "You GOTTA GET HELP). Grief on check swings, no matter if I call a strike as PU, or go for help...As BU, whatever I call on an appeal, I'm gonna hear crap from the other side.

(... snip ...)

   I'm going to put a big part of the blame on social media and the amount of umpire hate being spewed. From national media outlets, to Joe fan's ignorant hatred...It's trickle down to where players, coaches and parents all bring their keyboard warrior mentality to the field.

    Or.. Is this the way it is across the country, and somehow I've avoided it for the most part for 16 years?. 

   

Even if I don't know you personally, I consider you a darn good umpire by virtue of your working D3/Juco games. From what I've read here, one has to be beyond good to qualify for and stay at that level.

Empirically, sportsmanship - especially from fans - seems to be on the decline more in recent years. I also officiate basketball and I've had to remove a fan from basketball games 2 of the last 3 seasons: one for directing profanity to me repeatedly during a dead ball and one for a (verbal) personal attack during a dead ball.

This spring, I had a game where the pitching for both teams wasn't particularly strong with both pitchers all over the place and struggling to throw strikes with any sort of consistency. Between that and the fact it was one of my first games of the season, I struggled with setting a good strike zone and I knew it. The fact there was such strong reaction to borderline pitches without regard to the correctness of the ball/strike calls was surprising - as if those reacting felt I was deliberately trying to screw over the pitchers when it was nothing more than the combination of early season rust, an off night for me, and the pitchers struggling just as much.

I also blame social media. Because I have sports-related hobbies, the social media algorithm has suggested I might like clips of people complaining about umpire calls - most of which turn out to be correct with the partisan/rabid fans not knowing the rules or disliking them being applied properly against their child athletes. The comments are much worse, sadly. I've actually started to click the "I don't like this" links because I'm getting tired of seeing that crap being normalized. 

 

On 5/2/2026 at 6:20 PM, Thatsnotyou said:

The bench jockeying nonsense - where teams are more concerned with dissing the other team than just cheering - is filtering our way. They think they can laugh after calls, chirp us etc. The problem with baseball is we have limited tools. There isn’t a penalty box, a flag to throw, or a technical foul to assess. Those are easy things to toss out there. Immediately hurts the team and/or player. Gets everyone’s attention. 
 

In baseball…you can remove them from the game. Nothing else matters. If I don’t remove you from the game, you’re going to hear back from me. No, I’m not ignoring it. I can’t believe the number of players that will chirp at umpires. And if the coach is a moron, going to him isn’t going to help anything. 
 

I wish we had something else. Removal for periods of time. You’re next at bat is an out or forfeited. Your team loses an out or the other team gets a runner. I don’t know. But we need something.

I honestly wonder if this was something that the failed rule proposal for this year wanted to address - the one that would have allowed baseball umpires to restrict to the dugout for more offenses, namely those where the only existing options are ignore, warn, or eject. Appropriate use of restriction to the dugout for the rest of the game would be a useful tool.

If a team only has nine and a player gets restricted for inappropriate behavior, oh well; they now have to finish shorthanded with an out for the empty slot. If they have subs available, they now have to burn a sub sooner than anticipated. We as umpires can only hope restrictions in those scenarios would be enough of an attention-getter to deter the bad behavior prompting the restrictions.