Umpire's perspective

A mom who is a 'pro ump?' what does THAT mean? Pro of what? Softball?

Aaaaaaannnyway....


1. Incorrect ruling, R3 and R2 should have been awarded home. 2 bases from TOT (actually, even TOP here amounts to the same thing). Direction of runner does not matter. So, upset coach was correct, and should have protested.

2. Comment on MommaUmp? :shrug: You know the answer as well as I. Symptom of weakly-run tourneys.

3. Runners were subject to appeal for not retouching after their awards (although you said R2 'was attempting to return to Second' so he may have been OK).

Several things. The Mom/ump should stay out of it unless the PU asked for addition information which he can then use how he wishes.
The local council should be shot for giving the ump erronious information. It is 1=1. It isn't the base they are going to. It is two bases from TOT.
The manager should have protested.
If somebody didn't retouch then once the ball is made live, they could appeal no matter if the award was correct or not.

I believe there is only one female "PRO" umpire right now and that is Ria Cortese....and I believe she is single..........

ok...now there is so much wrong here.........so lets sort it out.....


My Observation # 1........The league got exactly the level of umpiring that they paid for......Not being critical, but this was a playoff game and they were using a teenager.

My Observation # 2........The league has printed rules that are in conflict with the rules of baseball...."the base they were going to, plus one".,Regardless of the situation....time of the pitch or time of the throw.....

My Observation # 3........I feel bad for the kid umpire, being put in the middle of this mess by the league and then has to be subjected to volunteer/mom/pro??/ump coming onto the field......

But as to the situation, I agree 100% with LonBlue.........so I will just echo his call...

1. Incorrect ruling, R3 and R2 should have been awarded home. 2 bases from TOT (actually, even TOP here amounts to the same thing). Direction of runner does not matter. So, upset coach was correct, and should have protested.

2. Comment on MommaUmp? :shrug: You know the answer as well as I. Symptom of weakly-run tourneys.(agreed 1000%) they got exactly what they paid for....

3. Runners were subject to appeal for not retouching after their awards (although you said R2 'was attempting to return to Second' so he may have been OK).


I have been to many tournaments where the league will make an effort to control one of their largest cost elements (umpiring).........by using untrained or volunteer teen umpires........seems like a good idea until the first problem arises....

oh yes,.and one last thing...when there is an umpiring or ruling issue and I see a TD coming at me when I am a spectator...........I head to the hills....I am not there to inject myself into the game....as an umpire I have no comment on the rules or the quality of the umpiring as a spectator....

Thanks guys.

2 points from my perspective now that the umps have commented.

The kid ump got the call wrong, and it's a pretty common misinterpretation of the rules to award the base you're going to plus one. As you all stated it is 2 bases from time of pitch. The Momump actually got THAT part right, though IMHO, she had as much business on the field as my 7 year old daughter. Nobody ever asked for help. If the person walking onto the filed had not been a well known "pro" umpire, offering to "get the call right", said person most assuredly would have been asked to leave the field.

I think the biggest issue of all is that while she attempted to "correct" the teen ump and help him "get the call right", she never whispered in his ear to make sure to call R# out if there was an appeal. I'm sure she knew the kid didn't know THAT if he was waving around notebook paper with 1+1 on it.

piaa answered the way I thought, he stays a spectator, let the cards fall where they may.

Though wouldn't it be cool to see like a half dozen of you guys try to have a conference behind home plate at Yankee Stadium with the "big boys"........

No umpire worth their salt interferes with a call made by another umpire in a game they are watching!

Let me guess, so called pro ump was a mom of the team that was batting?

I called a JrLL game the other other Saturday. After my game I walked over to the 9/10 game just in time to see the PU call a kid out for not sliding. The tag was nowhere close so there was no interference just no slide. A parent asked me to intervene and I told them I had no business in it. I turned and went to my truck to change. I got a little away from everything and watched the next batter. He hits a ball to the fence in left, bumps in the F3 going around first, bumps into SS going around second and gets thrown out at third. No call or look on either obstruction.