So it was posted here, and I wanted to add to it but couldn’t find the post. But someone posted they (umpire) would tell the catcher to protect them, etc….
first time ever, I saw an umpire get absolutely pissed at the catcher and actually yelled at him to catch the ball. In his defense he got nailed a few times, he did swear up a storm which I didn’t appreciate, but understood.
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Decided to try calling games about 10 years ago and went to umpire school run by local association that called everything from LL to college in Tidewater VA.
They actually spent about 90 minutes talking about staying behind the catcher in youth ball vs holding the slot in middle school and HS.
They were adamant that staying behind the catcher in youth ball was the expectation because it just wasn't worth $25 a game to get stung repeatedly by the ball because of catchers that really were not prepared to play the position not to mention pitchers that had no clues where it was going. That meant if you got bit by a pitch, it was kind of your fault because the kid would knock it down if it was going to hit him but would never block it off to the side.
The other thing they talked about was never ringing up a kid - they viewed that as unprofessional and a blemish on the association. HS ball was different more room for give and take but youth ball was meant to be more fun and developmental even if it was still competitive.
@luv - You mentioned the local association. Something I have noticed - the associations have different standards and levels of training. Our association requires 2 hours pre season for HS rules changes and points of emphasis, 3 add'l hrs in season and all must take and pass the Varsity level rules test. In addition 6 hrs every 3 years on mechanics. All this is geared to HS level ball. No time is spent on the various youth levels. In part because we have LL, Cal Ripken and USABL and they all have their own rules and different rules for different ages. On top of that some organizations have fundraising tournaments with even more different rules. When I do games with guys / gals from other associations, it is like we are on different worlds.
It would be nice if there was a national standard.
As for youth catchers - yes they are learning. But I can count on 1 hand the number of times I got hit hard enough where it left a bruise - and that is over 10 years and mainly doing 8u - 14u baseball. If you have the right gear, the only part that is exposed is the arm. And its not like a 10yo is throwing 85. So takeing one off the shin guards or chest protector becomes a non event.
My son was a catcher in LL. At an all star game the home plate umpire told my son he had the umpire’s future in his hands. He forgot his cup. They both had a good laugh.
The umpire picked the right game to forget his cup. The pitcher was known for throwing about 80% strikes. If the ball was in the dirt he was throwing it there and my son was ready to block.
