Another post reminded me of something when I used to ref basketball. What do you do when you find during the course of a game that your partner has no idea what he is doing. You cant show him up but......
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I know that in a lot of youth and HS baseball, you do not get to choose who your partner will be, and over the years I have had to deal with partners of lesser quality or experience...
I am somewhat fortunate as I am able to get 50% of my games with my regular partner, so I am somewhat insulated from this occurance. On the other 50% I am the Rules interpreter for my local chapter as as such I do work a good amount of games with the newer umpires working with them on game management and mechanics.
You have to evaluate the partner in pregame. Not always the best method but its effective and only good business, remember no one ever says that umpire stinks...its THESE Umpires stink.....But that being said, here are a few of my experiences and what I did.
example 1:
Championship Game PONY World Series Regional Tourney....I am the plate umpire. We will be working a 3 man game. In pregame, I have one young partner who I know, and have worked with a number of times... and another who has just transferred into the association, but has years of umpring experience. In the pregame while going over the mechanics and coverages, it became clear the transfer has no clue how to work a 3 man game......30 minutes prior to pregame is no time to teach a whole system.....we basically worked a 2 man game and him....we put him in a place where his coverage was minimal and we could cover. It was horrible mechanics, but the game went on well.....we avoided any potential problems before hand.....
Example 2:
I was working the bases when my home plate umpire was really struggling. He was clearly not on top of his game that night and had both benches breathing down his neck. He was grossly missing pitches and generally not focused...
At a break in between innings, I came in and asked him if he was ok. He said he was fine. I pressed him a bit and he relayed to me that he had a horrible week, trouble at work, trouble at home and was pretty worked up about it...Umpiring is not our only job and like it or not, the stresses of our real lives interfere....knowing when you need to take a break or book off a game is a skill few umpires teach....
I asked him if it would help him if I took over behind the plate.....you could have seen the relief flash across his face.....sure, but how will we do it??......I called the coaches out, and told them that I was a bit gimpy from a hamstring injury and would they mind if I took over the plate and let my more nimble partner on the bases. I dont believe for a minute that they totally belived my injury line, but they were more than happy to oblige me the few extra minutes that it took for me to change into plate gear.....
Example 3:
Working 3 man mechanics in a playoff game. My regular partner and I are the base umpires working with an umpire who is clearly pinching one pitcher......the strike zone is wide for one and narrrow for another.....it did not take long for my partner to come to me in between innings to confirm what we both were seeing. We called time and walked in and the conversation was short....It was what I would call a "come to Jesus" meeting.... he was cheating and if he missed another pitch he would be explaining to the world why we base umpires just left the field, because we dont work with cheaters.... He never missed another pitch again that day and we never worked another game with him again.....(and never will)....
Example 4:
I had to add this one. I am scheduled to work a HS varsity game with the local Legend.....a coach/umpire who has been active in local baseball for 50 years as a player, coach and umpire.....in his day, he was the best. He was revered in affection for his abilities, knowledge and service...You could not fool him, you could not intimidate him...after all he probably either coached your dad or played against him......
But time and age had taken its toll. He could not do the plate as his eyesight was not as good as it used to be....so he only did bases and as was given to his age, he was not agile or quick and was seldom in text book position....NO coach, AD or assignor would admit wanting or asking for him not to be assigned to their game.....he was just that respected.... I drew the assignment to work a varsity game with him. In pregame it was clear that he would get what he could and I had everything else...I never ran so much in my life...at the end of 7 I was exhausted, but we had covered the game with no incidents.....My reward for doing this game was my partner, who is a "big dog" in local umpirre circles endorsed me as a good umpire....I got better games based on his evaluation....even though the game we did was a textbook disaster....I got to tell you, the funny thing was he told me I was working too hard....I was soaked trying to cover for him.....I thanked him for the privilegde of working with him......
There are others, and some are just a matter of covering for your partners....You have to maintain the working partnership and still deliver on the field.
Hope this helps.
I am somewhat fortunate as I am able to get 50% of my games with my regular partner, so I am somewhat insulated from this occurance. On the other 50% I am the Rules interpreter for my local chapter as as such I do work a good amount of games with the newer umpires working with them on game management and mechanics.
You have to evaluate the partner in pregame. Not always the best method but its effective and only good business, remember no one ever says that umpire stinks...its THESE Umpires stink.....But that being said, here are a few of my experiences and what I did.
example 1:
Championship Game PONY World Series Regional Tourney....I am the plate umpire. We will be working a 3 man game. In pregame, I have one young partner who I know, and have worked with a number of times... and another who has just transferred into the association, but has years of umpring experience. In the pregame while going over the mechanics and coverages, it became clear the transfer has no clue how to work a 3 man game......30 minutes prior to pregame is no time to teach a whole system.....we basically worked a 2 man game and him....we put him in a place where his coverage was minimal and we could cover. It was horrible mechanics, but the game went on well.....we avoided any potential problems before hand.....
Example 2:
I was working the bases when my home plate umpire was really struggling. He was clearly not on top of his game that night and had both benches breathing down his neck. He was grossly missing pitches and generally not focused...
At a break in between innings, I came in and asked him if he was ok. He said he was fine. I pressed him a bit and he relayed to me that he had a horrible week, trouble at work, trouble at home and was pretty worked up about it...Umpiring is not our only job and like it or not, the stresses of our real lives interfere....knowing when you need to take a break or book off a game is a skill few umpires teach....
I asked him if it would help him if I took over behind the plate.....you could have seen the relief flash across his face.....sure, but how will we do it??......I called the coaches out, and told them that I was a bit gimpy from a hamstring injury and would they mind if I took over the plate and let my more nimble partner on the bases. I dont believe for a minute that they totally belived my injury line, but they were more than happy to oblige me the few extra minutes that it took for me to change into plate gear.....
Example 3:
Working 3 man mechanics in a playoff game. My regular partner and I are the base umpires working with an umpire who is clearly pinching one pitcher......the strike zone is wide for one and narrrow for another.....it did not take long for my partner to come to me in between innings to confirm what we both were seeing. We called time and walked in and the conversation was short....It was what I would call a "come to Jesus" meeting.... he was cheating and if he missed another pitch he would be explaining to the world why we base umpires just left the field, because we dont work with cheaters.... He never missed another pitch again that day and we never worked another game with him again.....(and never will)....
Example 4:
I had to add this one. I am scheduled to work a HS varsity game with the local Legend.....a coach/umpire who has been active in local baseball for 50 years as a player, coach and umpire.....in his day, he was the best. He was revered in affection for his abilities, knowledge and service...You could not fool him, you could not intimidate him...after all he probably either coached your dad or played against him......
But time and age had taken its toll. He could not do the plate as his eyesight was not as good as it used to be....so he only did bases and as was given to his age, he was not agile or quick and was seldom in text book position....NO coach, AD or assignor would admit wanting or asking for him not to be assigned to their game.....he was just that respected.... I drew the assignment to work a varsity game with him. In pregame it was clear that he would get what he could and I had everything else...I never ran so much in my life...at the end of 7 I was exhausted, but we had covered the game with no incidents.....My reward for doing this game was my partner, who is a "big dog" in local umpirre circles endorsed me as a good umpire....I got better games based on his evaluation....even though the game we did was a textbook disaster....I got to tell you, the funny thing was he told me I was working too hard....I was soaked trying to cover for him.....I thanked him for the privilegde of working with him......
There are others, and some are just a matter of covering for your partners....You have to maintain the working partnership and still deliver on the field.
Hope this helps.
quote:.. working with an umpire who is clearly pinching one pitcher......the strike zone is wide for one and narrrow for another....... he was cheating and if he missed another pitch he would be explaining to the world why we base umpires just left the field, because we dont work with cheaters
Just out of curiosity, what motivated this individual to favor one pitcher over the other? Friends with one coach? His son playing?
PIAA - I wish we could clone you 
quote:Just out of curiosity, what motivated this individual to favor one pitcher over the other? Friends with one coach? His son playing?
As I came to find out later, it was carry over from a previous game where the one teams coach and the plate umpire had had some signifcant problems.......This umpire felt it was his time to get even...
Added:
Im not to sure how far he would have gone to make his point as we did not let it get beyond the second inning.
The team he was pinching did win the game. I will say in my entire career, he was the only person I feel was deliberatly attempting to alter the course of the game.
Been there. My 10u son pitched 62 innings this year and walked only 15 batters. Of course 6 of the walks came in one inning against this jerk ump who screwed us because of problems in a previous game. My son didn't even make it out of the 1st inning. 46 pitches to get 2 outs.
Piaa, wish we had more umps like you in youth ball.
Jon
Piaa, wish we had more umps like you in youth ball.
Jon
Ok, nobody cares but I screwed up there. He had 21 walks total this year, including the 6 in this one particular inning. It was the championship game of one of our tournaments which we lost of course.
Jon
Jon
all,
I attempt to be sympathetic to all HSBBW posters who post as to the quality of the umpiring that they encounter in the real world of youth and HS baseball. Over the years I have attempted to answer all questions with my honest opinions and clearly state without bias how I feel or how I have handled those defined situations.
In this forum, I attempt to relay answers from my point of view, which is, as a working HS/College umpire.
To my point. the previous post. My sympathy to the situation the poster found with his son ended when they resorted to calling the umpire a jerk. I have umpired many a 10u game in my day. I was not there, but I have seen 10 year olds strike out 10 in a row and then walk 10 in a row. I do not believe that name calling advances the cause of HS or youth baseball.
The thought that the "jerk umpire" or the "evil umpire" or the "biased umpire" did this to my son is what has caused many a good umpire to opt out of youth baseball and to move on to higher levels where the parents are of a lesser involvement. The players may deserve better umpires, but with the treatment many umpires recieve at the youth level, it just isnt worth it....
If you care to bash umpires in general, there are many of those threads available and I suggest posting there.. this thread in the "ask the umpire forum" was for umpires to relate real world experiences with partners.
So in an attempt to redirect this thread back to its original and proper direction I will add some experiences that involve me when I was that partner who was the less qualified or the problem. Hopefully you will get a laugh out of them and know that I am not immune to having issues....
example 1:
Championship Game COLT league Tourney....I am the plate umpire. On the way to the game it is clear to me that I am not focused on the game. I can't seem to block out the remains of the day. I know that I do not have the clearness of mind to do a good job on the plate that night.
But I was the senior man and UIC. I struggle through all 7 innings and to my best accounting I had a sub par game. My zone was loose and in retrospect, I should have either begged off the plate or booked off the game. This game taught me a hard lesson. I am not immune to being human. Job, life, wife, kids, all assert pressure and I could not "clear the mechanism"...I went home that night disatisfied with my performance and my partners offered no assistance other than the umpires lament that we all have those days...I on the other hand worry that I may have shorted some player my best efforts.....
Example 2:
I was working the plate and doing fairly well but a humpback liner over third that I failed to clear the catcher on appears foul...and I call it foul.....only problem is everyone on the hill saw it hit clearly fair as I was screened by the tall catcher.....my mechanics were off....lesson learned....always clear the catcher.....partner could not help me, I blew the call and he had to take the heat i brought on both of us....
Example 3;
As a very young umpire, I am doing a youth game by myself.....these were the days of the old balloon protector...I am running down the line to make a call at first when i trip over the straps on the protector. Down I go in a heap.....and never saw the play....I had to make a call...safe or out....but i didnt see it....I ended up asking both coaches to work it out with me.... fortunately they were honest enough to help me out... why I went back the next night I'll never know.
There are plenty of other examples with me as the problem I'm sure....hopefully as the years have passed I have kept them to a minimum. I am glad to have had the support of good partners....You have to maintain the working partnership and still deliver on the field.
just my .02...thanks for letting me vent..
I attempt to be sympathetic to all HSBBW posters who post as to the quality of the umpiring that they encounter in the real world of youth and HS baseball. Over the years I have attempted to answer all questions with my honest opinions and clearly state without bias how I feel or how I have handled those defined situations.
In this forum, I attempt to relay answers from my point of view, which is, as a working HS/College umpire.
To my point. the previous post. My sympathy to the situation the poster found with his son ended when they resorted to calling the umpire a jerk. I have umpired many a 10u game in my day. I was not there, but I have seen 10 year olds strike out 10 in a row and then walk 10 in a row. I do not believe that name calling advances the cause of HS or youth baseball.
The thought that the "jerk umpire" or the "evil umpire" or the "biased umpire" did this to my son is what has caused many a good umpire to opt out of youth baseball and to move on to higher levels where the parents are of a lesser involvement. The players may deserve better umpires, but with the treatment many umpires recieve at the youth level, it just isnt worth it....
If you care to bash umpires in general, there are many of those threads available and I suggest posting there.. this thread in the "ask the umpire forum" was for umpires to relate real world experiences with partners.
So in an attempt to redirect this thread back to its original and proper direction I will add some experiences that involve me when I was that partner who was the less qualified or the problem. Hopefully you will get a laugh out of them and know that I am not immune to having issues....
example 1:
Championship Game COLT league Tourney....I am the plate umpire. On the way to the game it is clear to me that I am not focused on the game. I can't seem to block out the remains of the day. I know that I do not have the clearness of mind to do a good job on the plate that night.
But I was the senior man and UIC. I struggle through all 7 innings and to my best accounting I had a sub par game. My zone was loose and in retrospect, I should have either begged off the plate or booked off the game. This game taught me a hard lesson. I am not immune to being human. Job, life, wife, kids, all assert pressure and I could not "clear the mechanism"...I went home that night disatisfied with my performance and my partners offered no assistance other than the umpires lament that we all have those days...I on the other hand worry that I may have shorted some player my best efforts.....
Example 2:
I was working the plate and doing fairly well but a humpback liner over third that I failed to clear the catcher on appears foul...and I call it foul.....only problem is everyone on the hill saw it hit clearly fair as I was screened by the tall catcher.....my mechanics were off....lesson learned....always clear the catcher.....partner could not help me, I blew the call and he had to take the heat i brought on both of us....
Example 3;
As a very young umpire, I am doing a youth game by myself.....these were the days of the old balloon protector...I am running down the line to make a call at first when i trip over the straps on the protector. Down I go in a heap.....and never saw the play....I had to make a call...safe or out....but i didnt see it....I ended up asking both coaches to work it out with me.... fortunately they were honest enough to help me out... why I went back the next night I'll never know.
There are plenty of other examples with me as the problem I'm sure....hopefully as the years have passed I have kept them to a minimum. I am glad to have had the support of good partners....You have to maintain the working partnership and still deliver on the field.
just my .02...thanks for letting me vent..
PIAA UMP - you rock dude. Don't worry about it.
PIAA, you make an interesting comment about good umpires not wanting to officiate younger age level games, but rather the older age groups where you suggest there aren't as many problems. I couldn't agree more! Your comment got me to thinking about the last time I saw a coach run from an 18u game, and it has been a couple years. I don't think there are nearly as many disputes at the older levels, and everyone realizes that we'll all get through it in nearly every case.
Over the years, I've had my share of discussions with umpires about calls or game situations, but we've always been able to keep it cordial on both sides in nearly all cases. There have only been rare exceptions, and that goes for the fellows in the other dugout too. Why is it that it gets easier for everyone to deal with each other the older the players get, when they are actually the players who have something more to lose than the younger kids? It seems the coaches of 14u ball and down are far harder to deal with than the older levels, but I can't even remember who did what when they were 12,13, or 14. I wonder why that is?
Over the years, I've had my share of discussions with umpires about calls or game situations, but we've always been able to keep it cordial on both sides in nearly all cases. There have only been rare exceptions, and that goes for the fellows in the other dugout too. Why is it that it gets easier for everyone to deal with each other the older the players get, when they are actually the players who have something more to lose than the younger kids? It seems the coaches of 14u ball and down are far harder to deal with than the older levels, but I can't even remember who did what when they were 12,13, or 14. I wonder why that is?
Great post 06 - my .02 worth. Well over 95% of the umps I have seen have done at least a good job. We tend to focus on the very small minority (or the one or two plays we disagree with) and that is just not right. When I refed basketball I hated the youth rec leagues because the kids were not well coached and because of this it made the game harder to call. The worst was the over 30 mens rec - guys who should have made the NBA but it was the refs fault that they didnt.
If anyone gets the opportunity, try calling a game - that bang bang play that looks so clear to you from the stands is much different when you have to make the call on the spot!
Go Blue
If anyone gets the opportunity, try calling a game - that bang bang play that looks so clear to you from the stands is much different when you have to make the call on the spot!
Go Blue
quote:It seems the coaches of 14u ball and down are far harder to deal with than the older levels, but I can't even remember who did what when they were 12,13, or 14. I wonder why that is?
As the age goes up, the experience and knowledge of players, parents, coaches, as well as the umpires asssigned, all increase.
You just don't see the negative emotions at the older levels. Little Tommy gets squeezed (or perceived to be), he starts crying, coach, and Dads start crying.
Big Tommy gets squeezed (or perceived to be), he adjusts, coach says "come on BigT adjust". Dad say's "Thomas is gonna have to adjust"
I'll give you my theory on the different levels;
U10-14 about par with lower levels of Adult SP.
Players don't always make the right plays, players and coaches don't know the rules nor etiquette of the game. It tends to be someone elses fault. Who better than the Umpire.
Add umpire/s who are also generally less experienced, and could very well be adding fuel to the fire. A vicous circle.
U15-to Collegiate about par with Upper levels
of adult SP.
They've been around, they make plays, some know the rules pretty well. Couple that with the more experienced umpires making the right calls, things just tend to smooth out.
I work from collegiate to U10 baseball, and do adult slowpitch, and very little fast pitch (it better be an emergency, all that chanting and singing. It is cute though, but only when my kid was playing)
As PIAA eludes too. There's nothing like a good umpire crew (or solo), working to control the game. By that I mean "let the game do the work". If (and when) umpire/s get every call, are consistent, enforce the rules accurately, all these troubles go away, period.
PIAA, good advice to all umpires. Be ready to go, both mentally and physically. Study your rule book/s, know your situations, communicate with your partner, make some money, and go out and enjoy "the best seat in the house".
The story about tripping was great. I had a similar one but lucked out and was still able to see and make the call, (well, just after my life passed before my eyes, I made the call).
Working solo, low, painful, level of Adult SP.
D has a giant F5, 6'4" 240 ish, great gun, but a skillet on his "knock it down" hand, he was being used all day. Finally, bases juiced.
2 OUTS!! Did I mention 2 outs?
B hits a one hop, smoking, laser, to the skillets left, I'm thinking base hit. Smack, F5 ole's to his left, gloves it. Gets that 'dazed" look in his eye, like, "hey I gotta do something with this". As I'm clearing the BR and catcher, leisurely, cause I know, he's stepping on the bag! F5 makes this jerking motion towards 3rd, then, whips back around starting his throw to 1st, I come across the foul line to get an "oh no", look at 1st. As he cocks and starts to throw, he (like a RH F1 PO to 3rd), launches a lazer HOME, right at my left eyebrow. I drop straight to my back, roll to my belly, and no kidding get the best look at a play I've ever had, what a great angle, out!
As I'm dusting my self off I can't help but address Mr. F5, "what the @#!^ are you doing"?
I ask, kinda heatedly. He doesn't even hear me as he's high fiving and bumping chests. I just gotta shake my head....
I have to agree with PIAA as I'm in a very similar situation. I am the rules interpreter/trainer for our area group plus LL and Pony. As such I work many high end games but also many youth and lower HS games with the "Up and comers." I enjoy teaching but it puts you in some bad situations if you aren't careful. I know from my thirty plus years of umpiring I have been on both ends of the "bad umpire" stick.
A couple of years ago I was working a HS play-off game and I was U1 in a three man. I hadn't done any thre man that year so I was rusty. The problem was U3 was green. I was so concerned in making sure he was where he was supposed to be I forgot where my coverage. No runners and a ball hit down the line. U3 goes out, I watch him thinking he is doing a great job when I realize the BR is going to second. I start to make a late break to second when I see the PU going over the mound for the call. Took a while to live that one down.
A couple of years ago I was working a HS play-off game and I was U1 in a three man. I hadn't done any thre man that year so I was rusty. The problem was U3 was green. I was so concerned in making sure he was where he was supposed to be I forgot where my coverage. No runners and a ball hit down the line. U3 goes out, I watch him thinking he is doing a great job when I realize the BR is going to second. I start to make a late break to second when I see the PU going over the mound for the call. Took a while to live that one down.
As piaa and Michael have noted, we've all worked with the inexperienced umps but there was a time when we were the inexperienced umps. It's all part of the learning curve that we have to go through to eventually get to where we are. And once we think we're there we find that there is still more to study, learn and practice.
I thought piaa covered very nicely how we feel about working with umps who are clearly cheating. When a game ends and I walk out the gate it's over. I never take anything of an adverse nature that happened on the field that day and bring it to a future game as did the ump that piaa mentioned working with. Each game stands on its own merits. I'm there to monitor the game not control it. The players control the game and take it where it goes.
Mistakes? Too many to include here but one of my more notable gaffes: My first year, JV game, I'm base ump. Runner at first, hard grounder to shortstop. I turn toward second for the start of the double play. I watch second baseman move to the bag then cross it without receiving throw. I then turn toward first anticipating that the play will now go there. The first baseman doesn't receive the throw either and when I turn around the shortstop is still holding the ball and he's grousing at me and so is his coach and their fans are too. The runners are safe at first and second and play stops. My partner (a more seasoned ump) calls time and beckons me to join him for a chat.
Me: "What happened, that was a perfect double play ball?"
Partner: "I guess you didn't see the shortstop bobble it."
Me: "Uh, no. I turned to second for the play.
But he must have still had a play at first; why didn't he throw it there?"
Partner: "Because when you turned your back to everything you probably didn't realize that you were standing in his throwing lane to first. I'm pretty sure that's why they're all angry."
The fans rode me for the rest of the game...and I deserved it. Lesson learned: always know where the ball is and get the heck out of the throwing lanes.
Embarrassment can be a great teacher.
I thought piaa covered very nicely how we feel about working with umps who are clearly cheating. When a game ends and I walk out the gate it's over. I never take anything of an adverse nature that happened on the field that day and bring it to a future game as did the ump that piaa mentioned working with. Each game stands on its own merits. I'm there to monitor the game not control it. The players control the game and take it where it goes.
Mistakes? Too many to include here but one of my more notable gaffes: My first year, JV game, I'm base ump. Runner at first, hard grounder to shortstop. I turn toward second for the start of the double play. I watch second baseman move to the bag then cross it without receiving throw. I then turn toward first anticipating that the play will now go there. The first baseman doesn't receive the throw either and when I turn around the shortstop is still holding the ball and he's grousing at me and so is his coach and their fans are too. The runners are safe at first and second and play stops. My partner (a more seasoned ump) calls time and beckons me to join him for a chat.
Me: "What happened, that was a perfect double play ball?"
Partner: "I guess you didn't see the shortstop bobble it."
Me: "Uh, no. I turned to second for the play.
But he must have still had a play at first; why didn't he throw it there?"
Partner: "Because when you turned your back to everything you probably didn't realize that you were standing in his throwing lane to first. I'm pretty sure that's why they're all angry."
The fans rode me for the rest of the game...and I deserved it. Lesson learned: always know where the ball is and get the heck out of the throwing lanes.
Embarrassment can be a great teacher.
great post by PIAA. This forum is excellent for helping people with rules questions and explaining some 'ump-think' to those who might not understand why we think about some plays the way we do....but it doesn't need to become an ump-bashing session. I get enough of that on the field, plus a hot dog 
Let's stick to productive lines of inquiry
Let's stick to productive lines of inquiry
Piaa ump, having read a number of your posts over the last year or so, I find you to be very honest and straightforward. There are certainly bad umps in youth ball, probably at a higher % than in the older age groups...just like there are bad coaches in youth ball too. My problem with this particular ump in our 10u game was a running problem, and the umpire coordinator would do nothing about it. He finally did after this particular game which cost us a tournament (coordinator finally came out and watched a couple innings of the game at our request). We never had the same guy again after that. It was pretty funny. Coordinator sneaks up and watches an inning, notices a problem with the fair application of the strike zone. After the inning, coordinator confers with the ump who finishes the game with a proper strike zone (mostly). Of course we were down double digits at that point so it was too late to recover.
My 10 yr old son has great control for his age. As I said in the previous post, if you exclude the six walks in the 2/3 of an inning in this particular game, he walked 15 batters in 61 innings. I think if you polled all the parents and coaches here you won't find too many 10u pitchers with stats better than that.
I think if you read my previous posts the last several months, you'll find that I'm generally complimentary to the umps we have. Most earn it with hustle and a good attitude. We have all one-man games so I know it's tough. Ignoring the one "jerk" ump (using my terminology), he's the only guy I really had a problem with all year.
Sorry for venting in this particular forum. As primarily a reader here, I appreciate the input from the umps we get here.
Jon
My 10 yr old son has great control for his age. As I said in the previous post, if you exclude the six walks in the 2/3 of an inning in this particular game, he walked 15 batters in 61 innings. I think if you polled all the parents and coaches here you won't find too many 10u pitchers with stats better than that.
I think if you read my previous posts the last several months, you'll find that I'm generally complimentary to the umps we have. Most earn it with hustle and a good attitude. We have all one-man games so I know it's tough. Ignoring the one "jerk" ump (using my terminology), he's the only guy I really had a problem with all year.
Sorry for venting in this particular forum. As primarily a reader here, I appreciate the input from the umps we get here.
Jon
Willj, I'm going to offer some unsolicited advice, so take it for what its worth, and do with it what you will. My advice is pretty simple...Don't sweat the small stuff now. Focus on the big picture and what is important, like having a GOOD TIME and learning a bit about the game. At 10 years old, the important thing for a kid is to learn to love the game. The ones who care more about winning championships and making all-stars are almost always the parents. The kids play for fun and hopefully learn to love the game, the parents, too often, are in it for pride or ego.
When our kids are very young, as yours is, we tend to look at everything that happens to them like it is really a big deal, and that anything less than a desirable outcome needs to be dealt with. Having a son who will turn 19 in a couple weeks, and who's played baseball for 14 of those years, I can assure you that when yours is 15 you won't remember most of what he did when he was ten. When he gets even older, like 18, you'll remember even less. Instead of worrying about how many walks he's surrendered at age 10, you'll have bigger things to worry about like is he getting into a car with anyone who's had a drink, or is he being intelligent in the friends he chooses, is he keeping his grades high enough to be eligible for the colleges he aspires to gain entry into, etc. You'll also have baseball concerns, but in most cases those won't be nearly what you're going through right now. You'll be more worried about him being seen by coaches who might have an interest in him playing for them, or worried about his serious injury, or other distractions that you can't even imagine yet (think GF).
Perspective is a wonderful thing. You're worried right now about your son being squeezed by an umpire you have a problem with, and I'm worried about mine recovering from Tommy John surgery well enough to continue playing in college. You won't even remember the umpires he had on the field once he gets older. You will remember the good things he did and the wonderful times you shared that HE made possible. The bad stuff will mostly be forgotten as your perspective changes.
Just remember this as your son grows up, it was a comment made to me by a neighbor who was also a trustee of our school district. She said "Little kids, little problems; Big kids, big problems."
When our kids are very young, as yours is, we tend to look at everything that happens to them like it is really a big deal, and that anything less than a desirable outcome needs to be dealt with. Having a son who will turn 19 in a couple weeks, and who's played baseball for 14 of those years, I can assure you that when yours is 15 you won't remember most of what he did when he was ten. When he gets even older, like 18, you'll remember even less. Instead of worrying about how many walks he's surrendered at age 10, you'll have bigger things to worry about like is he getting into a car with anyone who's had a drink, or is he being intelligent in the friends he chooses, is he keeping his grades high enough to be eligible for the colleges he aspires to gain entry into, etc. You'll also have baseball concerns, but in most cases those won't be nearly what you're going through right now. You'll be more worried about him being seen by coaches who might have an interest in him playing for them, or worried about his serious injury, or other distractions that you can't even imagine yet (think GF).
Perspective is a wonderful thing. You're worried right now about your son being squeezed by an umpire you have a problem with, and I'm worried about mine recovering from Tommy John surgery well enough to continue playing in college. You won't even remember the umpires he had on the field once he gets older. You will remember the good things he did and the wonderful times you shared that HE made possible. The bad stuff will mostly be forgotten as your perspective changes.
Just remember this as your son grows up, it was a comment made to me by a neighbor who was also a trustee of our school district. She said "Little kids, little problems; Big kids, big problems."
06 has got it going on. My son is 13 now, played since he was 6. I remember how crazy we got at some of those early games, like it was life or death (my wife is still like that, she's sometimes a slow learner 
). A little while ago my son and I passed a T-ball game on the way to our game, the parents were absolutely going nuts. My son first mentioned how little those kids looked (I reminded him he was that size when he started playing), then he commented on how stupid it was for those parents to act like that because all the kids want to do is play and have fun.
This year we've been trying to teach our players to only worry about the things they can control, with umpire's calls not being in that category. Little by little they started to get it. Now if someone has any idea how to teach that trick to parents I'd love to hear about it.
). A little while ago my son and I passed a T-ball game on the way to our game, the parents were absolutely going nuts. My son first mentioned how little those kids looked (I reminded him he was that size when he started playing), then he commented on how stupid it was for those parents to act like that because all the kids want to do is play and have fun. This year we've been trying to teach our players to only worry about the things they can control, with umpire's calls not being in that category. Little by little they started to get it. Now if someone has any idea how to teach that trick to parents I'd love to hear about it.
06catcherdad, I believe your message was written with sincerity, but it’s really out of place in my situation. If my son were now 16, and six years after the incident I can’t let it go, then I’d be deserving of some suggestions to move on. My son is very competitive as many of our kids are, and it’s tough to be completely powerless when he is near tears and staring at me for answers while he’s on the mound getting screwed.
If anyone cares, here’s what actually happened…
The ump was clearly cheating us. I don’t sit around when one of my kids strikes out and blame the umpire. And I don’t let them do that either. Between my 3 sons’ teams, I saw about 140 games in the spring/summer season, plus another 30 or so fall ball games. And I saw about the same number of games last year, and the year before. Out of these hundreds of games, this is the only ump I’ve had a problem with. Does that make me a lunatic parent? There have been bad calls and bad umps during some of those games, but I don’t remember any of them, nor do I have any anger about those games. They’re gone and over with. Ironically, I’m the person that all the parents look to when there’s a close call because they know I’m objective and I know what I’m looking for on a close play. Many of the umps are friendly with me because they hear me correcting our fans who boo a call against our team.
Back to the point at hand, I got in this ump’s face after the game in question (our 3 coaches had been thrown out and I was the defacto coach). He admitted he screwed us and blamed it on our head coach…”he should stick to coaching and let me call the game”, referring to a couple previous games where there were problems.
We didn’t have this guy anymore, but he umped in 2 of our fall leagues so I saw him every Saturday and Sunday for 10 weeks from late August to early November. Each time we crossed paths, he gave me this smirky smile, like “I got you and there’s nothing you can do about it”. So when Piaa ump mentions the “cheating ump” in one of his games, it of course reminded me of this guy who’s still pretty fresh in my mind.
And the reason I mentioned my son’s stats was to avoid the obvious skepticism I’d get like I did from Piaa ump who said he’d seen 10u kids walk ten in a row, implying that it’s not out of the question that I’m exaggerating. Our coach passed out end of the season stats at the end of fall ball so I had them handy. That’s all.
The results of that game don't matter any more. The season's over. But as long as this ump is around, I’m not just going to forget what he did. He has a really bad reputation now but still gets a lot of games since we have a shortage of umps in our area. I guess that’s why we never see two-man games in tournaments.
I don’t feel bad for being ****ed at this guy. Most of my previous posts the last few months have been positive toward umpiring. Most of you guys do a good job. But not this guy.
Jon
If anyone cares, here’s what actually happened…
The ump was clearly cheating us. I don’t sit around when one of my kids strikes out and blame the umpire. And I don’t let them do that either. Between my 3 sons’ teams, I saw about 140 games in the spring/summer season, plus another 30 or so fall ball games. And I saw about the same number of games last year, and the year before. Out of these hundreds of games, this is the only ump I’ve had a problem with. Does that make me a lunatic parent? There have been bad calls and bad umps during some of those games, but I don’t remember any of them, nor do I have any anger about those games. They’re gone and over with. Ironically, I’m the person that all the parents look to when there’s a close call because they know I’m objective and I know what I’m looking for on a close play. Many of the umps are friendly with me because they hear me correcting our fans who boo a call against our team.
Back to the point at hand, I got in this ump’s face after the game in question (our 3 coaches had been thrown out and I was the defacto coach). He admitted he screwed us and blamed it on our head coach…”he should stick to coaching and let me call the game”, referring to a couple previous games where there were problems.
We didn’t have this guy anymore, but he umped in 2 of our fall leagues so I saw him every Saturday and Sunday for 10 weeks from late August to early November. Each time we crossed paths, he gave me this smirky smile, like “I got you and there’s nothing you can do about it”. So when Piaa ump mentions the “cheating ump” in one of his games, it of course reminded me of this guy who’s still pretty fresh in my mind.
And the reason I mentioned my son’s stats was to avoid the obvious skepticism I’d get like I did from Piaa ump who said he’d seen 10u kids walk ten in a row, implying that it’s not out of the question that I’m exaggerating. Our coach passed out end of the season stats at the end of fall ball so I had them handy. That’s all.
The results of that game don't matter any more. The season's over. But as long as this ump is around, I’m not just going to forget what he did. He has a really bad reputation now but still gets a lot of games since we have a shortage of umps in our area. I guess that’s why we never see two-man games in tournaments.
I don’t feel bad for being ****ed at this guy. Most of my previous posts the last few months have been positive toward umpiring. Most of you guys do a good job. But not this guy.
Jon
Jon,
I think the thought I was trying to relay in my post is that the umpires here who post in this forum understand that there are many instances where the quality of umpiring or even the level of umpiring ethics are in question.... we dont question that.
When a parent posts instances or plays where the rulings or conduct are not acceptable, the umpires here universally condemn such behavior. We have fostered a community of umpires here who are willing to relate real world experiences and share rulings, thoughts and mechanics to help the HSBBW group along..... we do not hide behind the blue wall, beliveing that all umpires are always right and honest...
I am sympathetic to your cause and from all indications, and I am taking you for your word as gospel, the umpire in your question was a cheater and causes a black mark against all of us. I do my best as an umpire rules interpreter and trainer to train my umpires to be better than that.
That being said, My sympathy ends when the name calling begins.
I've been doing this long enough to have experienced every horror story you can imagine when it comes to confrontations between fans/coaches and umpires....
And for every good and well intentioned parent interaction, most umpires have endured double that many negatively....
And for my response maybe I should apologize.......But let me put it this way....
I have a brother, and he can be a jerk, I know it, I've seen it.....and if you asked me in a private conversation I may even agree with you that he is a jerk......BUT, if you come in my house and call my brother a jerk, then you now have a problem with me.....he may be a jerk, but he is my brother......
You had a good message, and as a stand alone thread, it may have been met by me differently.....
Just my .02
I think the thought I was trying to relay in my post is that the umpires here who post in this forum understand that there are many instances where the quality of umpiring or even the level of umpiring ethics are in question.... we dont question that.
When a parent posts instances or plays where the rulings or conduct are not acceptable, the umpires here universally condemn such behavior. We have fostered a community of umpires here who are willing to relate real world experiences and share rulings, thoughts and mechanics to help the HSBBW group along..... we do not hide behind the blue wall, beliveing that all umpires are always right and honest...
I am sympathetic to your cause and from all indications, and I am taking you for your word as gospel, the umpire in your question was a cheater and causes a black mark against all of us. I do my best as an umpire rules interpreter and trainer to train my umpires to be better than that.
That being said, My sympathy ends when the name calling begins.
I've been doing this long enough to have experienced every horror story you can imagine when it comes to confrontations between fans/coaches and umpires....
And for every good and well intentioned parent interaction, most umpires have endured double that many negatively....
And for my response maybe I should apologize.......But let me put it this way....
I have a brother, and he can be a jerk, I know it, I've seen it.....and if you asked me in a private conversation I may even agree with you that he is a jerk......BUT, if you come in my house and call my brother a jerk, then you now have a problem with me.....he may be a jerk, but he is my brother......
You had a good message, and as a stand alone thread, it may have been met by me differently.....
Just my .02
You don't owe anybody an apology. My instinctive reaction to a parent complaining about a bad call is that they were probably wrong or are exaggerating. I don't blame you for having the same instinct. Perhaps instead of calling him a jerk umpire I should have called him a jerk human being. The fact that he's an umpire is secondary to his personality. If he was in some other line of business he'd probably be screwing somebody there. In all the years I've played, coached, and now watched baseball, I've never come across someone like that.
I appreciate your contributions to this forum. I like reading your posts because I know I'm getting a straight answer. That goes for a few other umps on here that also graciously answer our questions. I know quite a bit about the rules, but there are still circumstances that come up during the season that I'm not sure about.
My intention was not to paint any other umps with a jerk label. I certainly don't think all umps are jerks. I've not come across any guys that I don't get along with. We have a lot of the same umps on a regular basis and they're good natured and they hustle. That's all I can expect.
But of course there are jerks in all walks of life. I know plenty of coaches that I'd call jerks. Same with parents. But we need the good umps like you to stay in the game.
Jon
I appreciate your contributions to this forum. I like reading your posts because I know I'm getting a straight answer. That goes for a few other umps on here that also graciously answer our questions. I know quite a bit about the rules, but there are still circumstances that come up during the season that I'm not sure about.
My intention was not to paint any other umps with a jerk label. I certainly don't think all umps are jerks. I've not come across any guys that I don't get along with. We have a lot of the same umps on a regular basis and they're good natured and they hustle. That's all I can expect.
But of course there are jerks in all walks of life. I know plenty of coaches that I'd call jerks. Same with parents. But we need the good umps like you to stay in the game.
Jon