[Tim C]

On the paid portion of this site Peter Osborne refers to the term “Big Dog” . . .

Peter’s direction in life these days is to “keep the big man down” and pull for the disenfranchised “little dog.” Pretty typical view of liberals based in our Nation’s Capital.

Peter refers to me by name in the article.

Carl Childress, in an editors notes, refers to “wannabe Big Dogs” . . . that is anyone who disagrees with the way Carl thinks umpiring should be done.

Many people on this website have taken shots at me over the years.

I have over the years given my view of “How It Outta Be” (with an apology to Rush Limbaugh) when umpires want to advance.

I have been identified as “The Arch Enemy of Little League Baseball”, an arrogant prick and many other colorful epaulets (ED: obviously should have been "epithets"- my bad!). That is not a concern to me. I am an umpire, I roll with punches.

I may advise not to dust of the pitcher’s plate during a game, not to recognize that assistant coaches even exist, or tell you to leave your partner on the field if he is “hanging around” trying to get that “Good Job, Blue” from one of the head Rats (oh yes, another issue PapaC takes umbrage with – the term ‘Rat”).

As the title of this post reads I just wanted to tell you about my game on Wednesday:

A game that all “Big Dogs” strive for.

I worked Wednesday two smaller Oregon High Schools. Of course one was the league leader and the “other”, well it was put this way by the Head Coach at the Plate meeting,

“Tim we have 10 soccer players that have formed this team . . . seven of them have never played organized baseball of any kind . . . and oh yea, three of them are girls.”

Yep, I am such a “Big Dog” that I worked my first game ever with players of the female gender.

The second baseman(person), the third baseman(person) and the right fielder were all members of the distaff side.

Interesting facts from the game:

F4, threw right and batted left. Was the lead off hitter and grounded back to F1 THREE times consecutively.

Once when F5 was at bat F2 for the visitor said to me, “Ump, this is the first time I ever wanted to ask a batter for a date!” And I saw why – full eye liner and lipstick.

F9 had never faced a curve ball before. When the defense found that out they threw her nine curve balls during her three at bats. All these pitches were mostly waved at weakly (much like I did when I was playing high school baseball) and after the third strike out (called) she said, “Thanks Mr. Ump, I didn’t really want to stand there anymore.”

F5, in her second at bat, was hit by pitch. After the game the pitcher that hit her said to his mom, “I gotta go apologize, she’s really cute!”

All three starters batted higher in the batting order than two boys and the lone sub was a boy.

So here, from my sexist view, was one of the most interesting games this “Big Dog” has ever worked.

“Big Dog” . . . yeah right Peter. Not even a “wanna be.”





[Edited by Tim C on Apr 15th, 2005 at 11:43 AM]