I've read post from coaches, umpires, and fans. These posts appear to be from people currently involved in various levels of baseball, as well as those who "used to" function within the various levels discussed.
I've read posts from those who appear to either coach or psuedo-coach vicariously through their sons. (I only use sons since this is listed as a baseball site), and I intend no offense to softball players or females who play baseball.
An over-whelming number of posts refer to the umpire being at fault for all the woe's that ever befall their team. One coach was asking how to regain a reputation, while another was talking about umpires changing the rules to fit their own ideas of how the game should be played. Still yet another mentioned how a "new umpire" doesn't know how to handle a game, while another talked about veteran umpires taking over the game and owning the field. This is only a sampling of the vehemence and disgust shown to the arbiters of the great game of baseball.
Before any of you go off on thinking I'm a whiny umpire, first let me tell you that in addition to more than than thirty years of playing coaching and/or umpiring, I am not now, nor will I ever whine. (I'll leave that to poor coaches and poor fans.)
The overwhelming theme is, all that woe's me is blues fault... Bad call, poor rules interpretations, poor timing, etc...
Well... It seems to me that the loudest coaches in many, not all, cases really need to sit back and re-evaluate what it is that they got involved in this GAME for. Personally, I loved the game as a kid, and as a young adult, not having pursued college athletics, decided to give back to baseball what it had given to me. Lots of fun, a healthy environment, and some life lessons I still carry with me.
The poster "everything I need to know in life I learned in kindergarten" rings sort-of true, except that I learned an awful lot of it within the confines of a baseball diamond.
Coaches, yes it is your obligation to protect the interest of the players on your team. After all, there is a great deal of time, effort, and expense that has been invested by the players and coaches to prepare for a game.
Parents... lets be real... while I understand we would all like for little Johnnie to eventually play pro ball, the chances are great that the closest any of our children will get to a big league diamond is sitting as you do, in the stands watching, enjoying, and dreaming, what if...???
Umpires, it is with no small investment of time, (contrary to a statement made in another post about showing up for two hours, running the game, and by gosh actually taking home some money for it,) your undeniable responsibility to not only know the rules of the game, but to also know how to apply them.
This requires a great deal of time that if you are not willing to pay the dues, get out... find another way to spend your time.
Hmmmm.... where am I going with all of this ? Well, I guess it goes back to those that I feel are greatly responsible for the tone of many games. While umpires, good umpires, practice preventative umpiring, it still boils down to the coaches setting the tone. How ??? Well you are the COACH, teacher, mentor, educator, example, leader, etc....
Why do you exect an umpire to be perfect? Your batters are great with a 300 batting average, pitchers are great with anything approaching or better than a 3.0 era. Why are umpires held to a higher standard. It is with no small doubt that I do not miss 7 out of ten calls in any game. If I batted 500, or missed half of my calls, you would run me out of town on a rail.
Your actions are imitated, copied and scrutinized by the charges you have under you, and behind you. Too many times I have seen kids with attitudes that reflect their coaches. The biggest problem here is that while not all coaches show proper restraint, the players are ususally not mature enough to show the necessary restraint and decorum needed. So, they copy coach... as do the parents. I can't begin to tell how many times I have seen uneducated parents (in the game of baseball) wait for the coach to react to determine how they will respond to a situation. This teaches them the improper way to act.
Umpires try to call everything correctly, but if you show ten people the same situation, you'll get ten different descriptions, based on their own personal life experiences. It is indisputable. Responsible umpires learn their craft and struggle mightly to apply it correctly.
Have you ever wondered why there is such a hard time finding umpires for little league games? It's because parents don't really want to be harrased as they harass the umpires calling their childrens games.
Have you ever wondered why some umpires calling highschool games are less than optimally experienced for this level of baseball, it's because many of these umpires start in local chapters that only call highschool ball. They didn't want to be subjected to the abuses that LL coaches pour upon the volunteer umpires of their youth.
One poster stated that umpires showed up, called games, and after controlling a game had the [my word] (gall) to take money for doing their job. Give me a break... spend an easy five hundred to a thousand dollars for equipment, spend the time learning the craft while putting up with the abuse and harassment, and I dare you to not accept pay. Mileage, wear and tear on the body, getting hit by pitches thrown by very hard tossing pitchers and missed by poor catchers, and then ask your self, do you think you can umpire, or coach in a manner reflecting your own normal (outside of baseball) morals.
Poor coaches place blame on poor umpires as well as good umpires. Poor umpires fail to try and improve their craft. Poor fans don't know where to place blame.
Till Next Time
