My partner ??

[Tim C]

Never during a high school season have we had ANYONE assigned to get us drinks and handle balls. I feel you may be a little jaded.

You wrote, " . . . place them in the game ball box" again you being in the Big Time East Coast that box maybe somewhere other than the dugout . . . in my games that box is ALWAYS located in the home team dugout. Again we are inferior to your East Coast Guys.

Gee Peter, you don't think usinn' out here in the west have not read umpire war stories where umpires steal balls and trade them for taxi rides, dinner or sex.

Al Clark made a living of it . . . again we might have higher expectations of our umpires (non-union guys) and trust them to roll the balls to dugout or hand them to an assistant rat.

And I really apprecate being low level -- kinda ruins your issue that I am a "Big Dog", huh?

As always PO I enjoy reading your work.



[Edited by Tim C on Apr 15th, 2005 at 04:02 PM]

[mcrowder]

Originally posted by Tim C
PO noted:
If it is easy to hand the balls to an assistant rat . . . do that -- if not, just roll them towards the bench.

Now Tim, how the hell am I going to do that. Assistant rats don't exist.

[mcrowder]

Originally posted by Tim C
Never during a high school season have we had ANYONE assigned to get us drinks and handle balls.

Interesting.

I, too, can't remember ever having a ball or bat boy.

But at one field I work, there is one kid, assigned by the concession stand, who's job it is to go from field to field asking the umpires if they would like water (or gatorade). Without fail, 100% of the time (at this field), SOMEONE is doing this. A nice touch by field admin, I must admit.

[Macaroo]

Tim C: I work HS on the East Coast (big metro area) and we neither have bat/ball boys, nor umpire valets. I guess we just aren't cultured either (please don't lump an entire region based on some inane comments from one guy).
I usually roll the balls towards the home bench and exit ASAP. However, the other day at my (middle level) varsity game the home (losing) coach was right near me doing the hand-shake thing. Since he was just at home plate, I attempted to hand him the two game balls, and he practically slapped them out of my grip. So, no more acts of courtesy on my part in future. By the way, this was not a reaction to any displeasure of my umpiring (I did not hear one peep from either coach about any pitch or call for seven innings).

Also, I work quite a bit with college guys (Legion, Men's and some HS). They roll the balls and scram.

[His High Holiness]

Originally posted by Macaroo
However, the other day at my (middle level) varsity game the home (losing) coach was right near me doing the hand-shake thing. Since he was just at home plate, I attempted to hand him the two game balls, and he practically slapped them out of my grip. So, no more acts of courtesy on my part in future.

Also, I work quite a bit with college guys (Legion, Men's and some HS). They roll the balls and scram.

Who said anything about handing balls to a head coach? That's an insult. That's what he has a ball boy for. You insulted his status by giving him the balls.

There is a reason that many folks do not make it into NCAA and it usually has nothing to do with their strike zone and safe/out judgement. It has everything to do with little niceties.

BTW, in the rare cases where I do men's leagues and legion ball, I dump the balls and get the he!! out of there. The NCAA crowd and some high schools are more cultured and they expect their umpires to behave the same way. I was just trying to educate those that want to move to the next level. If you love low level ball, ignore my posts.

And no, I never stay around and solicit accolades. Unless the coach says something to me, I say nothing to him and I'll bet I spend no more than 5-10 seconds handing the balls to a ball boy or putting them in the ball bucket.

Peter

[tiger49]

Originally posted by officialtony
Gents,
Thank you very much for your replies.
I hesitate to call my assignor, because I am new in THIS association. I switched because of geography this year, and I don't want to start out causing grief. However, I do not want to work with him again, and the only way that is going to happen is to tell my assignor why. How do most assignors respond to this kind of feedback - especially from the new guy?
Thanks again for the feedback. I have always had my partner's back in every situation, and I didn't like leaving him there. It was most uncomfortable. And I don't want to get the reputation ( when he tells his side of the story that I left him ) that I am not a team guy.
In any event thanks for the feedback.

[Edited by officialtony on Apr 14th, 2005 at 03:33 PM]

Talk to your assignor about the post-game procedures for your association. Don't bring up his name or anything off the bat. Just metion that you have noticed that some guys stick around after the game, and is their anything to that? I have worked in previous associations where it was requested when the teams had a history together.

[blueump]

A water boy at the ballgame? Up here in northern Michigan the water would freeze by the time it got to the umps. Coffee for defrosting is all I ask. And you can't hand balls back if they're still stuck in a snowbank in the outfield!

[scyguy]

are you blueump because of the color of your shirt or the color of your skin?

[officialtony]

Wow,
I didn't know handing the balls to the coach(es) was an insult. I am serious. That is NOT sarcasm. I thought it was a nice gesture to show respect to him. From now on it is into the ball bucket if I can reach it outside the dugout or roll 'em into the dugout.
I don't need any new ways to pi** off a coach. They find ways on there own for 7 innings.

[Edited by officialtony on Apr 15th, 2005 at 04:00 PM]

[gordon30307]

I bring my own water to the game. That way I keep out of dugouts. I roll the balls to the dugout, give them to a Coach (head or assistant), tossed them in a bucket, dropped them at home plate and sometimes I take them home in error (usually happens during a rain delay and the game is called) handed them to a score keeper. Never knew there was proper etiquette concerning baseballs.

[Macaroo]

Originally posted by His High Holiness

Who said anything about handing balls to a head coach? That's an insult. That's what he has a ball boy for. You insulted his status by giving him the balls.

There is a reason that many folks do not make it into NCAA and it usually has nothing to do with their strike zone and safe/out judgement. It has everything to do with little niceties.
Peter

As far as HS goes, we simply don't have bat/ball boys here, and don't kiss up to coaches and put
them on such a pedestal. My bad if I actually insulted one.
While professionalism, game management, and demeanor is certainly required of a college umpire, one's bread and butter (reputation) is based more on plate work and judgment than if you find a ball boy after the game. Well, at least in this area of the country. "That Blue sucked at calling balls and strikes, but he sure knew what to nicely do with the baseballs after the game."

[Rich]

Originally posted by His High Holiness

Who said anything about handing balls to a head coach? That's an insult. That's what he has a ball boy for. You insulted his status by giving him the balls.

There is a reason that many folks do not make it into NCAA and it usually has nothing to do with their strike zone and safe/out judgement. It has everything to do with little niceties.

BTW, in the rare cases where I do men's leagues and legion ball, I dump the balls and get the he!! out of there. The NCAA crowd and some high schools are more cultured and they expect their umpires to behave the same way. I was just trying to educate those that want to move to the next level. If you love low level ball, ignore my posts.

And no, I never stay around and solicit accolades. Unless the coach says something to me, I say nothing to him and I'll bet I spend no more than 5-10 seconds handing the balls to a ball boy or putting them in the ball bucket.

Peter

I've seen NCAA head coaches putting the lines down, for crying out loud.

But I don't roll the balls anywhere, myself. I'm not fond of that. Instead, I hand the balls to one of the last players to come out of the dugout to shake hands.

We did have service on the field working some D-III stuff the other week. College girls assigned to bring us Gatorade, gum, and seeds if we wanted it. They came out at the end of the 3rd and 6th each game.

I don't expect it, though. Most often there's not a drink to be found unless you go into a dugout looking for one.

[Lawrence_Dorsey]

I remember my first HS JV game in 1998. As I was getting low on baseballs, I looked over at the home dugout and held up 3 fingers. I was expecting that since I was working "big boy" ball that a student manager would come out with some baseballs. After a couple more motions, I finally had to ask loudly "I need some more baseballs". We don't have attendants in NC although we have one 3A school that has a great AD who checks on us a couple of times a game for water and such.

I don't roll the balls toward the dugout. Sometimes the coaches leave a box outside of the dugout for us to get balls out of during the game and I'll place them back in there as we leave. Other times I hand them to a bench warmer or assistant coach who is milling around outside the dugout after the game. If none of the above happens, I place them outside of the dugout near the entrance.

For some reason, few if any of the high schools where I work have field entrances away from the dugouts. Most entrances are not through the dugout proper, but next to them.

I haven't stuck around for a handshake since 1991 (my rookie season) when a partner of mine who worked FED and NCAA tongue lashed me for doing so. If you work with me and want to stick around, fine but I'll see you in the lot.

Lawrence