Surprised?

With the high school season winding down here in Ohio, games are fewer and further between than at the beginning of the season. I had the day off yesterday and the kids wanted to go to the park. It was a bit chilly, but we said what the hell. We go to the park and low and behold theres a little league game going on. We also live in a small town where half the town knows me and knows I umpire.

Long story short, the coach of one of the teams sees me before the game starts and begs me to umpire his game. I tell him I'm not doing any LL this year because I want to spend more time with my family instead. He tells me that one of the guys he hired didn't show, and he had a plate guy. My wife helped him talk me into it. I figure what the hell.

I know every coach in this game except for 2. A play at 2nd commences, the fielder has the ball in his bare hand and applies a tag with the glove. I rule safe of course. Next thing I hear is "WHAT??" followed by "Jimmy, I wouldn't go out there if I were you". I turn around, hes in my face, bye bye, your gone. Another coach comes out of the dugout, hes tossed. The head coach of this team is laughing his *** off.
One of the coaches is b**ching about being tossed by a parent. His head coach told him "No, you got tossed by a varsity high school umpire, we warned you".

He calls time, comes out to talk to his pitcher. On his way back to the dugout, he thanks me for putting those A$$holes (his words not mine), who think that since their kids play fairly well, they can act like children, in their place.

Thats the last time I get talked into doing a game like that :D

All I can say is it sounds like you learned your lesson. I also learned not to do games " out of the stands ". Everyone appreciates the heck out of it
. . . . UNTIL . . . . .
you make the first call that they all can see " plain as day " that you " missed ".
Don't ever forget this lesson!!

I wasn't even in the stands, I was a good 200 feet away walking towards the playground. That fact makes it more ironic. My wife helping them talk me into it was classic too. I ribbed her about that the whole night :).

My fatal mistake was thinking I knew everyone involved. I have done LL games for these guys before also.
It was trouble free after I bounced those two jacka$$es also.

You performed a valuable public service.

Launching the two jacka$$es, I mean. In addition to helping out with the kids' game. Most folk are grateful/ tolerant of draftees-from-the-sidelines "umpires"; but occasionally [like here] some ding-dong thinks that gives 'em extra license to be obnoxious, and with a real draftee, they probably get away with it. I expect that's why the coaches who knew better found it so funny.

Great story.

Peace

AH, LL baseball.... always loved watching kids play ball. Now, if we could just get rid of the parents.......

<i> Originally posted by aevans410

He tells me that one of the guys he hired didn't show, </i>

Now you no why.

Pete Booth

Good point hehe

I submit the proposal that all LL and most HS baseball fields be fitted with an enclosure around the stands in which all parents, fans, must sit. This enclosure will be of a trasnparent soundproof material and will have a PA system also built in, allowing the folks to see and hear the game, but the players and officials would be unable to hear the screaming, tauntng and idiocy.


Do I hear a second on the proposal?

I find the fans can be a lot of fun when they are having fun and being positive.

So let's design a "cone of silence" that can be lowered over the stands.

Easier and cheaper: wire the bleachers.

Better idea...for any sport where idiotic parents/spectators may be involved, let's put a cage around the playing field/surface a la the old basketball cage days. :D

come on Todd......
 

you are wayyy too young to remember those days........even though it is neat to hear sportswriters refer to basketball players as cagers......and the game was a "tilt"......and football was played on a gridiron......and players were of course "gridders"....

Congrats on graduation........

Stan

[Edited by piaa_ump on May 5th, 2005 at 01:17 PM]

Install individual umpire-controlled Wil-E-Coyote-style ejector seats, complete with anvil.

Maybe just wire the seats with tazer units, have a third official sitting by the scorer whos the "enforcer" of the game.