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Tue Apr 18, 2006, 04:04pm
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"Many baseball fans look upon an umpire as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Christy Mathewson |
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Tue Apr 18, 2006, 06:42pm
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Yes, we sure did.
I love that line about not knowing the truth...he forgets that it was he who typed the infamous "I get my college games because I am available" line. Now, he denies it. (Funny, but yesterday he tried to argue that the assignor still gives him questions anyway!!!) One of his assignors (imagine dealing with him exclusively!) replied on this very board that Jeff needed to put an end to his brain vomiting. He cautioned him to not play so fast and loose with the facts. Like someone already pointed out, that is the only way he knows how to play. For what it's worth Jeff, a 'fax' is not the same. (snicker, giggle, guffaw). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Has anyone encountered a legitimate news story concerning the performance of the replacement umpires? I've only seen a few and all deal with the issue and have kind words about the new arbiters. A couple of local beat reporters (read: hoping that they get out of those one stoplight towns) are doing decent jobs of trying to catch all angles. Keep searching and let us know how those 'misfits' are ruining the game.
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"You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. ~Naguib Mahfouz |
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Tue Apr 18, 2006, 08:02pm
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"Has anyone encountered a legitimate news story concerning the performance of the replacement umpires? I've only seen a few and all deal with the issue and have kind words about the new arbiters. A couple of local beat reporters (read: hoping that they get out of those one stoplight towns) are doing decent jobs of trying to catch all angles. Keep searching and let us know how those 'misfits' are ruining the game."
Problem is that the reporters simply don't have a clue. Look at Joe Morgan - makes $$$ spouting rules on TV & is wrong most of the time. The answer to your questions is: Depends 1. The few games AA & A handled by decent D-I crews have gone, for the most part OK. The NCAA strike zone is different (Lower for the most part), which has required an adjustment for the players. 2. Otherwise, whenever the replacements have had to WORK it's been cluster $%^@. - Strike zones stink (Read between the lines of the player/manager comments) - Gross inability to control the game. Since when do you let a pitching coach come out to argue a balk from the bullpen? Base coaches leaving position to argue ball/strike or safe/out? Permit a manager to argue for 15 minutes? fail to recognize a brewing bean ball war? - No need to make generalized comments about individual quality, crew mechanics, etc. It's to be expected that crews thrown together that normally work 2 umpire in a slower paced environment are working 3 umpire crews at the pro level. D-1 umpires one would expect to get the mechanics right, as they work the 3 umpire system all the time. In reality the overall quality is deteriorating, as the better umpires refuse or turn back games (The glammer of working MiLB has been replaced by the realization that working 40+ hours at a regular job, handling 5-7 D-1 or MiLB assignments plus travel week over week is NOT fun). On weekends all good D-1 guys are and have been booked for months, so it's been left to locals (Mostly HS or perhaps JUCCO) umpires. Whatever happens in the end (IMO AMLU will win some concessions & be back to work at some point this year) it's going to be an interesting journey. Last edited by socalblue1; Wed Apr 19, 2006 at 02:28am. |
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Tue Apr 18, 2006, 08:34pm
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The answer to your questions is: Depends Please don't tell me that you consider Joe Morgan to be a 'reporter'. You'll have your baseball privileges taken away.  1. The few games AA & A handled by decent D-I crews have gone, for the most part OK. The NCAA strike is different (Lower for the most part), which has required an adjustment for the players. No it is not, I have been calling a D1 strike zone for more years than I can remember. The zone is the same and that half of a ball strike will be argued at every level. Many D1 players (at the better programs, not the last place contenders) are better than the A players out there. 2. Otherwise, whenever the replacements have had to WORK it's been cluster $%^@. - Strike zones stink (Read between the lines of the player/manager comments) C'mon - they ***** about this in the Show too. You'll have to do better than that. Strike zones are typically the most ridiculed part of any official's game. - Gross inability to control the game. Since when do you let a pitching coach come out to argur a balk from the bullpen? Base coaches leaving position to argue ball/strike or safe/out? Permit a manager to argue for 15 minutes? fail to recognize a brewing bean ball war? I don't see specifics here. I have read countless stories and fail to find mentions of the umpires looking as inept as you imply. By the way, umpires know what to look for when watching others work. This board is full of exmples of such criticism. I think the world has seen enough bad calls by AMLU boys on the sports shows. I recall one making a Sports Incidents Special. - No need to make generalized comments about individual quality, crew mechanics, etc. It's to be expected that crews thrown together that normally work 2 umpire in a slower paced environment are working 3 umpire crews at the pro level. D-1 umpires one would expect to get the mechanics right, as they work the 3 umpire system all the time. Not all levels of MiLB feature 3 man systems. A student of mine has worked a couple of games with just one partner. They got the job done just fine. In reality the overall quality is deteriorating, as the better umpires refuse or turn back games (The glammer of working MiLB has been replaced by the realization that working 40+ hours at a regular job, handling 5-7 D-1 or MiLB assignments plus travel week over week is NOT fun). On weekends all good D-1 guys are and have been booked for months, so it's been left to locals (Mostly HS or perhaps JUCCO) umpires. That is the biggest generalization you've made. I know at least a dozen guys who take leave of their 9-5's during NCAA baseball season. Some travel as a crew and work the highest level games. They have no problem grabbing a night time MiLB contest for the extra cash. You see, in a three man system, one guy always has a day off the dish. Even with a double header that day, the final plate guy is fresh. The quality of umpiring is not diminishing the game. Like I asked, where are the articles espousing all of the venom against the replacements? Even ESPN did a piece that showed the replacements looking great. Whatever happens in the end (IMO AMLU will win some concessions & be back to work at some point this year) it's going to be an interesting journey. Maybe you are right...I don't disagree that a little give and take may be in order. Many of us have said that they should have taken the little bit offered, signed for a year and hired a new negotiating team. Then they would be out there and showing us how talented they claim to be. Check out my comment to Clint Lawson on the other thread started by a union sympathizer and member of his own local-Mark T. DeNucci). I said that PBUC has correctly asserted their right to replace the umpires who walked away from the game. The AMLU guys are being paid to learn a craft - seven years is hardly a career. I had injuries that lasted longer. There are no guarantees and if the union guys don't like it, they are free to purchase a ticket and hoot at the umpires all they want. Umpires have thick skin - well, most of us do.
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"You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. ~Naguib Mahfouz Last edited by WhatWuzThatBlue; Tue Apr 18, 2006 at 08:40pm. |
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Wed Apr 19, 2006, 03:22am
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It is time for Windbag to come out of the closet.
Windbag has lied about my background, his resume, events that have taken place in the area. He said I would never work a playoff game and I did. Not only did I work a playoff game I worked a level in the playoffs that is practically unheard of with the current HS ranking I hold. He said I would never work a D1 game and I have and I am expected to work more in the future. He said I would not work for “the other” organization in my area and I did last summer. Not only was I recruited to work a game I was asked to work some games this year (I was not available) with a fellow AOA board member. He said that everyone in one of my current organization hated me, and when I had a chance to work several games with many of the top umpires at a "bonding" tournament, I got along with everyone. Then was told by many of the top guys they would work with me anytime after seeing me actually work a game. Windbag said the coach from Carmel went nuts on me during a double header about 4 years ago, when actually it was my partner that screwed up by completely missing a play at second base while I was the PU. I have had Carmel since and I am going to work them again this year. The only coach I have ever had a problem with just got fired and it was not from that school (FVB guys know who I am talking about).
Now the clown of all clowns says that and assignor told me to “shut up,” and as usual does not give context or tells what I was told to “shut up” about. I have been approached many times about this site, but they are never negative about me or what I have to say. As a matter of fact nothing has changed in my schedule, opportunities or just respect in any negative way. So if I said something that was so bad and was told to “shut up,” why have things gotten better? (Things that make you go hmmmmmmmm) I just find a lot of humor in someone that talks about the truth, but makes claims that cannot at all resemble a person that lives in this area. You cannot go to pro school, work a D1 schedule and work Minor League ball and not a single person in the Chicagoland are not know who you are. Maybe that is why he combines about 5 different people's resumes to hide the fact that he really is not anything he says he is. Then again, Windbag you are a truthful person. How could any of us think otherwise? Peace
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Let us get into "Good Trouble." ----------------------------------------------------------- Charles Michael “Mick” Chambers (1947-2010) |
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Wed Apr 19, 2006, 06:58am
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A member asked how he could get a college schedule. Enough people remember you writing that you get your college games simply because you are available. I called you on it and another guy said that must make your assignor proud. You responded that working college baseball in the Chicago area is nothing special and that most games are given to those who can work a two o' clock start. FVB9 posted a message that told you to stop the idiocy. There is that the context you were referring to?
As for who I am, it matters not whether you run in the same circles I do. A few people know who I am and have even posted on these very boards. Most have guessed incorrectly and it made for some hilarious political intrigue. You even went so far as to call me by my first name a few times. Now, I've given more than enough info over the years and you still are like a bull in a china store. I have proven time and again that the facts make a difference. You can surmise, propose and generalize all you want. In the end, most members know that if I say the ball should be ruled fair and you say foul - they go with fair. Also, you should check back over the past few years and note that I never said my D1 games are in Illinois. I don't have a nine to five job and can umpire whenever I choose. Just because you didn't win life's lottery doesn't mean others haven't. Keep stretching the truth...enough of us remember the line about being a strong, black man too. You did write that, didn't you? I don't remember Farrakhan and Jackson preaching that lying makes you strong. Oh well...lah me.
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"You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. ~Naguib Mahfouz |
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Wed Apr 19, 2006, 11:21am
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http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/...604190376/1002 Roasted umps: The Huntsville Stars pointed at two plays that could have changed the outcome of the Biscuits' 6-1 win Tuesday. One was an apparent blown call by an umpire. A foul call on an apparent home run by Huntsville's Greg Sain had the Stars and Biscuits talking about the replacement umpires. The regular minor-league umpires are on strike. While they're out, teams are using local amateur-level umpires. "We know they're not professional guys and we tell our guys to try to remember that," Huntsville manager Don Money said. "We just have to play the game like it is." Minor League Baseball has ordered its teams to not identify the replacement umpires. The regular umpires didn't work spring training games and have been on strike since the start of the season. "I never thought I would say this, but I can't wait until we get the (regular) umpires back," Biscuits left fielder Michael Coleman said. "We still have to play ball." Coleman said he hit a ball at Jacksonville that hit the foul pole and was called foul. Money described the umpires that worked Huntsville's season-opening series at Mississippi as "rough." The Stars even had a play at home last week where second baseman Callix Crabbe wanted to dispute a safe call on a force play. Crabbe instead motioned for Money to come argue. "I went out and the umpire told me that (Crabbe's) right foot wasn't on the bag," Money said. "I said, 'Well, that's because we teach them to take that throw with their left foot on it.'" On Tuesday, Money demonstratively argued the foul call on Sain's ball. Sain struck out on the next pitch. "Definitely fair," said Sain, who homered in the first two games of the series. "The minor-league umpires are in the minor leagues because they're not good enough to be in the big leagues yet, just like the players," Sain said. "(The replacements) are trying, but they're not at this level. "The calls they are making are making things difficult for both the position players and pitchers." Had it been a home run, Huntsville would have trailed only 4-3. The argument was the first noticeable spat involving the replacement umpires at Riverwalk Stadium. "It was fair. He missed it," Money said. "He told me it went to the left of the pole. I said, 'You're wrong, you're flat out wrong, you missed it.'" |
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Wed Apr 19, 2006, 11:23am
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http://www.dailybulletin.com/sports/ci_3721319
Throughout four-plus hours of baseball on a sleepy Monday afternoon, there were plenty of chances for both the 66ers and the Mavericks to gripe and groan about the replacement umpires in the Mavericks' 7-5 victory in 12 innings at Arrowhead Credit Union Park. To this point, there hadn't been too many complaints about the replacements for the members of the Association of Minor League Umpires, who went on strike before the season to protest the lack of a wage and per diem increase, and the quality of hotels, among other things. But on Education Day at the ballpark, which featured an 11 a.m. start time and more than 2,000 young students from local schools in the stands, the only lessons learned might have been how much an inconsistent strike zone can affect the game. The best thing about the umpiring was that it seemed equally exasperating for both sides. "I even talked to their manager over there about it and we both agreed that it wasn't the best we've ever seen,'' Sixers manager Gary Thurman said. Thurman then paused and added, "If it wasn't the worst, I can't remember where I've seen that's been worse.'' The problem, in a nutshell, was this: pitches that looked like balls to both pitchers and batters were sometimes called strikes. Pitches that looked like surefire strikes were occasionally taken for balls. And according to players and coaches - some of whom kept their harshest criticism off the record - this went beyond normal gripes about bad calls. If the umpiring was indeed "pathetic,'' as one coach called it, then the best call all day might have been the concessions stands stocking up on extra cotton candy and Cracker Jack for the school kids. "The pitchers didn't know where they were supposed to throw the ball and the hitters didn't know what they were supposed to swing at,'' Thurman said. The Sixers (7-4), riding a six-game home winning streak, fell behind early when a pair of second-inning errors resulted in three runs for the Mavericks (6-5), who maintained a lead until the sixth inning. The Sixers' Mike Wilson hit a two-run double in the sixth to give his team a 5-4 lead. Flame-thrower Stephen Kahn came on in relief in the eighth inning, inheriting runners on the corners, but threw a wild pitch that scored the Mavericks' Geraldo Valentin to tie the game at 5. In the top of the 12th, Corona native Mike Stodolka hit a one-out single and Brian McFall followed two batters later with a two-run blast off of Mumba Rivera (1-1) that landed on top of the vacant Home Run Hill in left field. As McFall circled the bases and his teammates celebrated, the public address system boomed out singer Tom Petty's "Even the Losers Get Lucky Sometimes.'' The Mavericks' Brandon Weeden (2-0) pitched all of the extra innings, giving up two hits to get the win. Thurman called on six pitchers, leaving him with only two relievers - three at best, he said - when the Sixers begin a road trip tonight at Stockton. The pitching situation might become even little stickier pending the results of an X-ray on the left hand of starter Julio Santiago, who was removed from the game in the fourth inning after he tried to field a ball with his pitching hand. As for the umpires, whose names are not released to the teams or media, Thurman made it a point to say there have been "some doggone good'' replacements this season, just not Monday. "I know I'm not supposed to say bad stuff about the umpires, but everybody knew. It's not something you can deny,'' Thurman said. Some of the players, like Sixers leadoff hitter Josh Womack, said the varying strike zone put unnecessary pressure on the batters. "It gives you something else to worry about while you're hitting,'' said Womack, who went 0-for-5 but said the umpiring hurt some of his teammates more than it hurt him. "Rather than feeling comfortable and the umpire doing his job to keep you safe up there ... you think, `Is he going to ring me up if I take this strike?' '' Pitcher Eric O'Flaherty, who threw two scoreless innings in relief, was the most diplomatic of anyone when it came to speaking about the replacements. "There have been some good ones,'' he said. "But basically, they struggled today.'' |
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Wed Apr 19, 2006, 11:29am
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Thanks for posting an article. Very original.
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Matthew 15:14, 1 Corinthians 1:23-25 |
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Wed Apr 19, 2006, 12:19pm
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Wed Apr 19, 2006, 12:26pm
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Sorry, I didn't re-read the previous page. I thought you just decided to start posting articles. My bad.
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Matthew 15:14, 1 Corinthians 1:23-25 |
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Wed Apr 19, 2006, 12:13pm
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Cheers, mb |
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Thu Apr 20, 2006, 02:08pm
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Is it twice or three times in the past few years that they missed a fair/foul on a home run---IN A SIX MAN CREW! This sky is not falling like the AMLU brass told the AMLU members that it would. When you are a union member, NEVER let the Union management decide whether there will be a strike. In most cases, the brass still get paid. Joe |
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