Quote:
As an fellow umpire would you write a letter to the recreation head to this effect
GaryB
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Actually, I just did, but it wasn't rec ball, it was two teams bound for the HS playoffs.
I was watching the umpires as a member of the ratings committee and there were a couple of idiot fans for one team that kept screaming about the "strikes" being more than a foot outside. Problem was, the coaching staff picked up on this. One coach came out and planted himself behind the backstop for a few pitches and than made the mistake of screaming to the head coach about the pitch not being close to the zone. Well, that got the PU's attention who immediately ordered him back to the dugout.
Inning or so later, there was a banger at 1B that the BU called out from the "C". Of course, it was the same team and the coach went from talking about that play to the strike zone. The PU asked him three times to drop the subject and the coach wouldn't, so he was sent to the bus. (SteveM, he must have learned that from you
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Problem was, the lefthanded pitcher was nailing the corner all game. She was throwing a ball that was breaking an easy foot+. Yeah, the catcher's glove was out of the zone, but as we all know, that doesn't mean a thing.
Well, after the game, the "offended" team that has never seen a game "refereed" (their word) so bad in their life made the umpire aware they were going to file a complaint about the umpire.
I figured there was no reason to wait until the next meeting to submit my rating, so I sent an e-mail to the proper folks in the local association Sunday night and received a call from the state HS athletic assn for additional comment.
BTW, this was a school from an area outside of the assn's footprint and they are used to a completely different type of game. Personally, I think they were just looking for an excuse for being one-hit by an upstate team and they chose the umpire. IMO, bad move. I could find nothing wrong with the PU's game, rules or mechanics.
So, to make a long story short........too late?
Yes, make some type of connection with the assn. and let them know "what you had heard". Remember your source. You are just giving them a heads up in the event there is a lack of enforcement.