Is the play illegal

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally posted by WhatWuzThatBlue

You just don't get it, I'm not bragging and you are. TAC asked about my resume and I declined. We have burned up a lot of bandwidth talking about where, when and who I worked with over the last few years. Most of this stems from discomfort on some members' behalfs. They can't believe that someone could possibly have a better life than they do. Some of my breaks were earned and others by blind luck. Either way, I feel no need to reiterate my accomplishments. By the way, what is a scout? I've never actually seen one. Do they look different than ordinary people?

You must have some self-confidence issues. I don't recall saying that you were unqualified to officiate. I can suggest that some schooling may be in order though. Apparently you missed the English lessons involving proper grammar. Once again, you've turned an innocent observation into a catastrophe of biblical proportions. (Okay, I'm exagerrating, but you seem to like hyperbole.) I have been an umpire instructor for longer than I care to remember. I learn new things every session. I'm not offended by others showing me how to be better.

I can't understand why you keep making issues out of this. Plenty of people use pseudonyms and we don't fret. Is your name really "San Diego Steve"? I use the current nom de net because the system does not allow me to use the old one. If you can't accept that I know enough to support my views, that is your choice. I have merely provided a counterpoint to a very contentious issue. It is called this way in Illinois and a few other places. If they call it differently in your area, that is fantastic for you. I can't believe that you are that worked up about this.

Let me preface this by saying that I am in no way "worked up", as you put it, about anything. So you can quit playing that card, because nobody's buying it!

Nobody is even talking about the play any more. You are the one that keeps up the attacks. Everyone is telling you this. You think you are so smart, smarter than anyone else here. I haven't argued against your point. I gave an example of how I deal with an infielder yelling "back" to a runner. You have some ridiculous idea that you have to actually see the fielder say "back", in order to call anything. That is asinine! Who in B or C is looking back at F4 or F6? If you can't tell the difference between an infielder saying "back", and the runner saying "back", then you certainly have a problem, alright! I've personally never had any trouble with this situation, for reasons already stated.

It seems you can't get through a single post without getting in a little dig at me. Why do you choose to insult my grammar? The fact that I end an occasional sentence with a preposition is of no bearing on this forum. This is an umpire board, not an English Grammar board. We sometimes digress into the grammar police, but what is the point?

By the way, what is the "innocent observation" you keep bringing up, that I turned into a catastrophe of biblical proportions? I have merely responded in kind to your constant put downs of me, someone you don't even know.

I have no self-confidence issues. What, now you're going to say that you are a Psychologist too? Wow, you have many talents, you're right!

Look, I am sure I could learn some things about umpiring from you, and you could learn some from me. But don't act like you're some kind of guru to all of us neophytes below you. That is exactly how you come off. It forces the ones you belittle to defend themselves with their experience.

Also, my real name is Steve, and I live in San Diego. So, SanDiegoSteve fits pretty well.

[Edited by SanDiegoSteve on Oct 31st, 2005 at 02:12 AM]

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

I can tell that you are relatively new to this board.

1) My wife is a psychiatrist, they make more money and may be of more assistance than a psychologist.

2) My baseball experience is far greater than you'll ever know or appreciate. I didn't need to post my resume, bits and pieces have come out over the past few years.

3) Go back and look...I never said that you weren't a capable official. You chose to brag about an MLB player who you saw play in high school. There are more than a few of us that have worked games with future MLB players. Some of us have worked them in the minors, a couple of us saw them in college and yes, many of us saw them in high school. I live in Illinois but haven't lived here my whole life. I've worked games across the country and seen some pretty special players. I don't feel the need to mention them when I'm looking for attention.

4) You are a case study in paranoid schizophrenia. You think I'm out to get you and I couldn't care less if you were standing next to me. I disagree with your assessment of a play, period. I took swipes at your language skills because you are losing control of your emotions. I take pride in my ability to communicate and be articulate. The wrong word, phrase or tense can spell doom on the field. I'd say that I'm teaching you the importance of control and communication, but you'd say that you don't need it. It's okay, some of us recognize that we learn everyday. My "teachers" are my employees, friends, crewmates, children and the guy that flipped me off while driving to work this morning. I'm not embarassed to learn new techniques, approaches to the game or interps. I saw a MLB umpire admit that he will have to change his plate mechanic after his critical error. Maturity is being able to accept that we never stop being taught.

5) San Diego Steve is the name on your license? Contrary to some opinions, I am known in the Midwest by my old handle. The email I received in regards to Carl's blunder was from someone who saw what was happening and chased me down. I'm not that hard to find.

6) Baseball umpiring is about hustle, timing, communication and understanding. The ability to disagree and still maintain control is an art. I've had coaches and partners that wanted blood, but could restrain themselves. They were humble enough to know that the game is bigger than any of us.

7) If you are still hung up on the paternity thing, I suggest you talk with my wife or one of her colleagues. I apologized and you didn't like the way the words looked. You're very angry and I'm worried about you.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally posted by WhatWuzThatBlue
I can tell that you are relatively new to this board.

1) My wife is a psychiatrist, they make more money and may be of more assistance than a psychologist.

2) My baseball experience is far greater than you'll ever know or appreciate. I didn't need to post my resume, bits and pieces have come out over the past few years.

3) Go back and look...I never said that you weren't a capable official. You chose to brag about an MLB player who you saw play in high school. There are more than a few of us that have worked games with future MLB players. Some of us have worked them in the minors, a couple of us saw them in college and yes, many of us saw them in high school. I live in Illinois but haven't lived here my whole life. I've worked games across the country and seen some pretty special players. I don't feel the need to mention them when I'm looking for attention.

4) You are a case study in paranoid schizophrenia. You think I'm out to get you and I couldn't care less if you were standing next to me. I disagree with your assessment of a play, period. I took swipes at your language skills because you are losing control of your emotions. I take pride in my ability to communicate and be articulate. The wrong word, phrase or tense can spell doom on the field. I'd say that I'm teaching you the importance of control and communication, but you'd say that you don't need it. It's okay, some of us recognize that we learn everyday. My "teachers" are my employees, friends, crewmates, children and the guy that flipped me off while driving to work this morning. I'm not embarassed to learn new techniques, approaches to the game or interps. I saw a MLB umpire admit that he will have to change his plate mechanic after his critical error. Maturity is being able to accept that we never stop being taught.

5) San Diego Steve is the name on your license? Contrary to some opinions, I am known in the Midwest by my old handle. The email I received in regards to Carl's blunder was from someone who saw what was happening and chased me down. I'm not that hard to find.

6) Baseball umpiring is about hustle, timing, communication and understanding. The ability to disagree and still maintain control is an art. I've had coaches and partners that wanted blood, but could restrain themselves. They were humble enough to know that the game is bigger than any of us.

7) If you are still hung up on the paternity thing, I suggest you talk with my wife or one of her colleagues. I apologized and you didn't like the way the words looked. You're very angry and I'm worried about you.

Like I said, I am not angry, nor am I losing control of my emotions, and I'm definitely not paranoid. You, however, are a blowhard with a bad attitude. Please don't respond to this, as I am not trying to anger you. I don't really care about your impressive background, okay? Do you get it?
I doubt it, because you will probably post something else directed towards me, with more disparaging remarks.

I am very confident in my abilities, and would appreciate it if you would kindly quit flaunting your superior knowledge and experience. I'm telling you dude, nobody here wants to hear it.

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

At the risk of sounding pedantic, I am almost done with you. You asked for me to identify myself so that it would give weight to my opinions. In case you didn't notice, I've been around here a little longer than you - minus the hiatus for bad behavior. Many know me or I should say, know of me. My reputation was not good, as I challenged a few members that could also write well. I sank to some pretty low depths and earned a banishment. Since I returned, I have tried to argue the merits of my opinion. I challenge the veracity of other claims and enjoy a good debate. While I wouldn't characterize him as my nemesis, Carl has relished his role of patriarch of educated umpires and has had some great exchanges with me.

Contrary to your contention, I am not trying to be smarter than anyone here. It has been my experience that two umpires will see the same play and sometimes have opposite calls. I use proper grammar and pride myself on being able to use more than ordinary words to fill my sentences. It makes my brain feel good, akin to yoga for the mind. I'll admit that occassionally I become preachy, but you'll notice that when I dialogue with RPatrino, Tee, Sal and a few others, it is done as peers. I ask no more respect than I give. In your case, you challenged me and I came down hard.

As I've said before, you may very well be umpire of the year material - I don't care. You contend that you don't need anyone to tell you a better way to umpire and that is silly. Eddings, West, McClelland, Rapuano all learned some lessons this past post season. Maybe you are uncomfortbale admitting that I may make sense. That too, is okay. I make my crew uncomfortable sometimes because I demand perfection on the field. We've never achieved it and that's our motivation. You dismiss me as a crackpot who loves to lord his baseball smarts over the lesser umpire. That is not true; I spend many hours insuring that the next generation of umpires is better than me. It's an old business trick - hire someone who can do your job better than you. He'll work hard to prove it and never let you down. When you retire, he's ready for the job. That is why I am adamant about doing whatever is necessary to get the call right. Maybe the kid in the front row isn't saying we're blind. Maybe he has a sparkle in his eye because we are doing a great job. That is one of the biggest reasons I umpire.

There...I did not insult you and made my point. If there is something else you'd like to discuss, I'll be happy to chat. Otherwise, relax and look around. Some of the best umpires on this board aren't as upset about this as you've become. Verbal Obstruction is a very intricate call. Like the balk, we know it when we see it. That is all I've ever asked.

Enjoy your Trick or Treaters...I always keep the hose handy for the little buggers that want to show me an egg sized fastball!