PG WWBA Underclass World Championship Recruiting

We do not hire incompetent umpires.  That said they are not all equal, kind of like players are not all equal.

 

I also know that parents tend to exaggerate things at times. Umpires are not capable of ruining your son's potential.  However you and your son can sure get in the way. Because this won't be the last time a wrong call will happen to him. Bad calls happen in baseball and they happen at every level.  I have had many disagreements with umpires over the years, but never remembered crying about it a week after it happened, you have to move on.

 

If some recruiters saw your son take strike three on a pitch like you described, they will all know he did the right thing taking the pitch. They have all seen it happen many times before.

 

I wouldn't know what others do, I only know how we do things. There is no reason to hurry games along, there is a time limit on those games.

 

SomeBaseballDad,

I umpired some games at the PG Florida qualifier for Jupiter in Ft. Myers as the culmination of a weeklong college umpiring clinic week before you were there.

 

When I wasn't working games, I watched other games, paying more attention to the umpires than the players.

 

I also met PG's national director of umpiring.

 

 

 

 

Is there any chance PG would instruct umpires to hurry things up by calling more strikes? Absolutely not. The week I was there, early morning showers delayed games on the last day of pool play, which had the potential to delay the championship bracket. The only message to our crew was, "Your game will be on field x and will start at thus-and-such time." 

 

Is there any chance PG roots for certain teams and would try to ease their path into or through the championship bracket? Absolutely not. They care about seeing players. 

 

Does PG hire incompetent umpires? Absolutely not. As PGStaff said, they are very picky about who they hire. Some of the other attendees at my clinic were college umpires who have not been able to break into the PG lineup.

 

Can an umpire have a bad game? Absolutely.

 

Can an umpire--even a good umpire--fall into bad positioning or tracking habits that make him susceptible to call strikes beyond the outside edge that even spectators can tell are outside for their entire trajectory? Absolutely. That's why we do cage work--to try to keep bad habits from creeping in.

 

If you think it was "very apparent" that the tournament officials favored a team or that umpires deliberately called the game to affect the outcome or to speed up the game, then it is "very apparent" you were too close to the situation to form an objective opinion.

 

It's possible your plate umpire lost the outside edge that day. It's not possible that it was due to favoritism or expedience or hiring incompetent umpires. Players have bad days. Coaches have bad days. Umpires have bad days. We all feel bad when they happen and try to learn from them to minimize the potential of repeating our mistakes.

Maybe it was an awesome catcher. 

My son has played for a couple of different travel teams over the years. His teams have been subjected to homering in nearly every state outside of NY. But he has never complained, nor have I ever witnessed, any of that at any PG tournament that he's attended.

I wish the moderators would close this thread that I originally started. Frankly, I find it outrageous the notion that PG would intentionally and willfully move games along by means suggested. Kids in our area would rather wear their purchased PG hats than their school hats. Almost like a right of passage to have competed in such an event.

So the ump only had that strike zone for your son's team, but not the other.  And the PG rep that sits right behind home plate was completely oblivious to this umpires being blind for only your son's team.  And you think Perfect Game actually cares who wins each game?

 

I don't understand posts like these...it brings me back to 9u when the "new glove" was the cause of little johhny not getting that pop fly...it had nothing to do with the 100 he misses with his old glove, that information is irrelevant.

 

 

Close this thread

PM swampboy or cabbagedad

Dirk,

 

It's not a problem. I just think it is somewhat normal to complain about umpiring. We started our own umpiring association because we saw some strange things in the past. Now we take a lot or pride in our umpiring association.  It's not perfect, but it is a huge improvement.

 

Our director is a full time employee of PG.  he not only secures the best possible umpires, he insists that they handle problems the right way.  He gets rid of those that are there to show off or are power hungry.  He holds several training sessions each year with MLB and former MLB umpires. MLB scholarships some to go to MLB Umpire school.

 

Bottom line, it is something we take very seriously.  That said we require a very large number of umpires.  Our director assigns the best of those umpires to do the play off games. I don't doubt that an umpire made some mistakes.   I just know how much emphasis we put on umpiring and fairness.  So it bothers me when someone makes an accusation that deals with integrity.

 

That said, I think his son was probably a victim of a bad call, maybe even more that one. It happens! If it happens on purpose, that umpire will never do another game for PG. They all know that!

I think SomeBaseballDad would be grateful - either tomorrow or the next day or maybe next week - if this thread were closed.  Apparently has a talented kid but is certainly not putting himself in the best light.  If not closed, he might want to seriously consider deleting some of his comments already posted.

You're probably right.

The motion, made by Dirk, seconded by Gov and you, is approved.