Quote:
Originally posted by wobster
My question is this - How do I (or the poster) know who to listen to? We have 2 umpires that are arguing back and forth, and both make good points - but which is more right?
Rutledge says it is sometimes necessary to dump a guy from the bench if he doesn't respond to the stare or the catcher telling him your thoughts. I agree with that, though I have never had to dump anyone, yet.
WindyCityBlue says it looks unprofessional to dump a coach that is on the bench, or to call time to warn him. I agree with that too.
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Wobster;
The first piece of advice that I can give you is to ignore Rut. If two umpires are arguing and one of them is Rut, then the other umpire is the one that's right. I've watched Rut for almost 4 years, enough said.
You might want to take a holistic approach to your game. By that I mean that instead of seeing each game all by itself, consider establishing a reputation that will see you from one game to the next. When I dump someone, I am doing it not only for that game but for games in the future.
When you dump a lot of coaches and players, word gets around and people leave you alone. You probably still suck, but now the rats learn to live with it. When people leave you alone, you feel good about yourself and probably do a better job. Gradually you improve. However, most people can never improve at something if those around them are whining, screaming, or complaining. It's too distracting.
You mentioned that you have never dumped anyone. It's time to lose your virginity. Make it a point to dump someone within the next two games. Ejections are a skill that requires practice.
In 1995, my career was stalled and I was having no fun at games because of all the low-level BS going on all around me. Nothing real bad was happening, just chirping, snide comments, and other mild unpleasantries. In 1996 I went to pro school and after that I decided to see how many people I could throw out in a season. I practiced dramatic ejections, quiet ejections without a word, and all manner of ejections in between. I selected targets early in the game and went after these guys. Sometimes I attempted to fire them up so that I could eject them and other times I lay in the weeds. I did not care about all of the complaints rolling in to the assignor; I was have the time of my life.
I had over 30 ejections in 110 games. I behaved myself at real good games or games with laid back coaches. No sense starting trouble when none is brewing. But if any trouble started brewing, I brought it rapidly to a boil. There was little preventative officiating that year. Prior to this, I had a sense of failure at an ejection. Now it was a matter of success. This positive attitude is critical to maintaining your composure under pressure.
One thing that I quickly discovered was that you got a lot more mileage out of an ejection in the second inning than one in the seventh. That way, you don't have to put up with the little b@stards for all those innings. It's a lesson that proved invaluable.
By the end of the season, everyone left me alone. Instead, I had to concentrate on mechanics and balls and strikes. But to this day when I step on a baseball field and minor BS starts happening in the first inning, I resurrect my Mr Hyde personality from the past and dump 'em quick. They are always very surprised but it has the effect of making the last 7 or 8 innings go pleasantly.
For now, don't worry about looking unprofessional. That will come in time. All you need to worry about is getting started.
When my thirteen year old soon started umpiring at the same time, he fell in love with ejections. Those adults are shocked when a pre adolescent teen runs them out of a game. With the reputation that he garnered, his games went smoothly and he was doing Legion ball at age 17. He was able to rapidly improve because he was not dealing with all manner of BS.
He is 22 now and works just a couple games a year with me. We have a father's day ritual where we do a Legion game together. This Sunday, he has the plate. He is looking forward to the ejection, if possible.
The head assignor and I have discovered that if an umpire is a pussy, he can never get good or grow any gonads. However, if he is a well developed red-a$$, we can tone him down some. So---develop your reda$$.
Peter