Quote:
Originally posted by Tim C
BTW Peter, I just called my assignor (he was not that thrilled that I called him a 6:30 am PDT) and asked him that during the last 10 years of assigning (he does both college and high shcool and the college wood bat summer leage and all Legion A and AAA assigning) just how many calls he has had from coaches complaining about how an umpire returned the game balls?
His answer, "hurmp, you woke me up for THAT, never, none, it has never happened."
Must be a geographical issue.
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It is more than a geographical issue. This has been an issue in MLB and minor league ball. More than one MLB umpire has told stories of coaches accusing the umpires of stealing the baseballs. (These complaints go to supervisors.) Umpires from days long gone by have tales to tell about accountablity of baseballs at the highest levels. Placing them in someone's hand shows common courtesy and covers your a$$. (Alternatively, some colleges have a place in the umpires dressing room to leave the balls, towels, etc. Just this week after a game, the game manager picked up the stuff in the locker room from us umpires at the University of Delaware.)
Your assignor was probably half asleep. If the issue of baseballs comes up even in rich Fairfax County, VA - it is definitely coming up other places.
Who said anything about going in the dugout. The ball boy/bat boy is outside the dugout after the game just like everybody else.
Finally, you wrote:
"guess all high school baseball in Oregon is "low level" as I have not worked a game in decades that had a bat boy."
Every college and most of the high school games that I work has someone in charge of the balls (and getting me drinks, etc.) He introduces himself to me before the game and I motion to him when I need more balls. If you do not have this in your leagues, you are culturally inferior, may I say - low level.
Peter