fun last night

scyguy · #1 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 09:03am

conference game, Team A is home and undefeated. Fun starts in 1st inning. With no outs runner on 2B, he steals, is out at 3rd, coach for team A does not agree. Next batter hits long fly ball to left, even though coach A did not say anything, you know he felt we took a run away from him.

3rd inning, Team A batting, runner at 1st. Runner is stealing, pitch is inside approx 2inches off plate. Batter trys to "stiff arm" ball. Ball strikes his hand. If he did not stick out hand, ball would not have hit him. I kill it, and make him stay in box, award ball and send back runner. Oh my goodness, the fans called me everything under the sun. The coach came out and wanted an explanation. Remember, he is already upset at this point, the score is 0-0. I explain my reasoning, he doesn't like it, but returns to dugout. Fans are still worked up. They complained as much about sending back the runner as the call requiring the batter to stay in the box. Batter makes an out, next kid hits gapper, but coach has to hold up lead runner at 3rd. Inning ends with runners stranded at 2nd and 3rd. Again, coach A feels he has a run taken away from him, but does not verbally say it.
6th inning, 0-0, Team B batting, runner at 1st. Pitcher for A comes set and does a jump move to throw to first, but doesn't throw. I balk it. Coach A goes balistic. He comes out saying that his pitcher's foot was behind the rubber and that he was not required to throw. Since it was a jump move with his body twisting as he was in the air, it did not matter where his feet landed. Coach A lost it. Told me that "people are not here to watch you ump, there here to watch the kids play baseball". As he walked toward the dugout, his last words were "why don't you let the kids play!" Okay, he wanted the last word and he was walking away, I let it go. Since Team B's player advanced to 2nd on the balk, the batter proceeded to hit a ball that allowed the runner to score. Team A lost the game 2-0. No joy in mudville!!
After game, we had to return to do the JV game. Fans continued to make remarks about my decisions. Did it shake me up? A little, but I know I did my best and I know my decisions were based on the integrity of the rules.
The shame of the matter is that the ball game was a great game with strong pitching and excellent defense. Well that's life.

greymule · #2 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 09:08am

Apparently you shut that team out and scored two runs for their opponents. They sound like excuse-making losers to me.

TwoBits · #3 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 09:24am

Congratulations, Scyguy! You are the first person I have ever heard of that has umpired a shutout!

DG · #4 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 10:04am

I had one last year, last regular season game of the HS season. I did not know until after the game, but if home team wins they make the playoffs, if not, they don't. Visitors are playing for pride. In the 5th inning a visitor was HBP on a high and tight pitch on a 3-2 count. The home manager argued that he leaned into the pitch. He ended up scoring. In the 6th inning another visitor was HBP on a high and tight, but on a 2-2 count this time. Again, home manager argued that he leaned into the pitch. Then he argued that the pitch was in the strike zone. The guy in the 5th ended up scoring, the one in the 6th did not. The home team loses 4-3 and all the home manager can talk about is the 2 HBP. The fans did not have much to say, because they saw home team leave 7 runners on base in scoring position and make 4 errors that cost them runs.

scyguy · #5 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 10:14am

boy, these fans got rowdy. What surprised me was that they kept yelling, "it is a live ball, you cannot send runner back to first". I wondering sould it be a prerequisite to knowing the rules before you open your mouth??

scyguy · #6 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 11:36am

let me ask you guys something. Here in MO, our rating system is determined by coaches. They rate us on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being great and 5 being horrible. These ratings are listed in publications issued to ADs. Also, one of the citeria used to determine who umpires the state tournament is your rating. My rating has always been below 2. But if a coach decides to give you a 4 or 5, he has that power. The coach for team A is probably not going to give me a one on yesterday's game. Would it serve a purpose to email the state and ask them to evaluate my judgements, then send coach A there response? If coach A knows that my judgements were by the book, would it pursuade him to put aside his anger and give me the appropreate rating? Or should I let sleeping dogs lye and hope he gives me a just evaluation? Thoughts??

TwoBits · #7 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 11:56am

Sounds like my state. Its all political, and if I don't get state games, then I don't get them. Our state pays less than what we get from the schools in the regular season, so I'm not too heartbroken.

DG · #8 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 12:00pm

He is not going to give you anything but a 5 no matter what you do. The state should be smart enough to throw out a 5 if all the other scores are 1's and 2's. It might not be a bad idea to drop your booking agent a short email, just so he would be aware, but other than that, move on to the next game...

scyguy · #9 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 01:38pm

here comes the fun part. We have no assignor or booking agent in this area. We are contracted directly by the AD's. I thought about contacting the AD, but am not sure if I should. Here in MO, they pay $15 less to do district games than the school's pay and 5 cents a mile less. I have been fortunate to do districts and have been asked again this year.

Coaches often do not give 5's because if they do they must include a written explanation. I would assume that coaches rarely do this. One four out of all of the ratings I recieve probably will not make that big of a difference.

DG · #10 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 01:55pm

Then I would take my 4 and let it average with the 1's and 2's and hope the AD does not invite me back.

jumpmaster · #11 (**permalink**) Tue Apr 20, 2004, 09:14pm

scyguy -

I have a little advice for you...take it or leave it...

First, ask yourself this question -
did you make the right call?

If the answer is yes, (IMO you did), go home, go to sleep and move on.

If the answer is no, go home, learn from your mistake and move on.

Either way, you walk away from the experience a better umpire and my experience has been that things like this all come out in the wash.

Good luck and hang in there.

PS - In AR we can't get the coaches to rate us.

FVB58 · #12 (**permalink**) Wed Apr 21, 2004, 08:47am

Here in ILL they have change the ratings system. It used to be 1 thru 5 where 1 was excellent and 5 was ugly. The ratings changed to 1 = State Finals qualified, 2=Sectional qualified, 3=Regional qualified, 4=Varsity qualified, and 5=Lower Level. A 5 still requires a written explanation.

Needless to say overall ratings have dropped between 1/2 point to a full point for most officials. Not that this is a bad thing, but there seems to be a trend where most coaches that win are giving 2's and most coaches that lose are giving 4's.

I am still not convinced that coaches rating officials is a good idea. Most coaches don't understand our mechanics, nor do they want to form an opinion on the job we do until the outcome of the game. This is a major flaw. Isn't there a better way?

scyguy · #13 (**permalink**) Wed Apr 21, 2004, 08:58am

I am still not convinced that coaches rating officials is a good idea. Most coaches don't understand our mechanics, nor do they want to form an opinion on the job we do until the outcome of the game. This is a major flaw. Isn't there a better way?

I agree. Coaches often are not objective, if they win we did a fine job, if they lose then you cost them the game. Now, they sit down and do the rating, subjectivity comes to the surface.

I have for the most part gotten over what happened Mon. because I am 1000% sure I made the right calls. It is just a shame, however, that home team administrators often do not address the problem of fans or even worse join in on the remarks.

Schools should take pride in how they are precieved in regard to sportsmanship. Every chance I get I send our state a complimentary report on a school which displays good sportsmanship. Our state should be agressive in dealing with schools that allow fans to say whether they like. It shouldn't be part of the game or our society for that matter.

FVB58 · #14 (**permalink**) Wed Apr 21, 2004, 10:27am

Fans are fans....I don't think much has changed here. You just have to ignore them. That is what we are taught isn't it? I agree some schools are worse than others. It seems like they have a reputation to uphold. For the most part sportsmanship starts at the top. Meaning the principal and the AD. It requires a lot of effort on their part to get that message across and enforce it. The good ones do it and it shows. Other schools? The effort isn't there or it isn't a priority.

scyguy · #15 (**permalink**) Wed Apr 21, 2004, 11:27am

this is why I debate about contacting the AD about the situation. If we do not bring these types of behavior to the attention of the AD or principal, then how can they be corrected? I understand fans are fans and ignoring them is the best option, I don't want to address the crowd and open up a can of worms.