Dumbest fan ever?
 

LL Jr Dist LOOOOOOSER'S(and I mean LOSERS) bracket game last night.

Score tied in the bottom of the 7th and the winning run scores from third on a pitch that hit the catcher's shin guard and bounced up the first base line.

A parent yelled at me as I was exiting the field, "Hey Blue! So that is how you're gonna let it end? You're gonna let them steal the game from us like that? That is pure Bull S**T!"

I have been blamed for costing teams games before but, I think that is the dumbest thing that a fan has ever yelled at me.

Let the One-Upmanship begin! :D

Joe

Rule 13.013: "If a**hole parent is heard, dead ball, runners return." :D

14u Championship game: Catcher receives pitch probably mid RH batters box, and batter moves out of the way. Fan behind me, "Blue it's not automatically a ball just because the batter moves." I ignore fans, but said to the catcher and batter, "No, it was a ball because it wasn't over the plate." They both laughed.

yeah, that fan was dumb...but come on--not NEARLY as dumb as mine.:D

I had a game where the pitch comes in over the front knee on a short kid,when the ball goes in the catchers mit,its in the dirt. Parent yellow "THAT WAS IN THE DIRT,THE KID NEEDS A DRIVER TO HIT THAT BALL". The guy was just so stupid it was hard not to respond,i said something to the catcher who laughed and agreed that the guy was a moron. I think both the fans you guys talked about are really dumb,but thats the world we live in where its gutta be someone elses fault.Hopefully what i said just made sence,help out if it didnt.

Your guy is Einstein compared to mine.

I was co-managing a park league, and my oldest son was on the team. He was seven, and it was in 1964. We had played six innings (regulation), and were ahead. We asked the other team if they'd like to play another inning, since there was still light, and some of the boys who didn't play much would get some time in. They agreed, and so did the ump. When we announced that we'd play another inning, a mother came out of the stands, screaming that we were cheating so we would have a chance to win. I explained that WE had already won, and wanted the boys to get some extra playing time, she left with the reddest face you ever saw.

Gotta love parents.

Bob

This one won't top anything:

Had a guy in an absolutely horrible baseball display, with the score like 22-12 or close to it, tell me after a call that I was "missing a good game." I told the catcher, "yeah, if I could get this one done anytime soon, I could get home and watch it on ESPN." The catcher agreed.

not the dumbest, but dumb enough for a smile
 

Runner on second. B/R lofts one in between 2nd and F6s normal position. R2 takes off, realizes not a good idea and heads back to 2nd... crossing in front of F6 twice. F6 gloves the ball, then drops it. Looks like an E6 to me. Defense asks and I say 'no int'. While doing so one of the 'helpers' yells in 'You need to know the ruling on that Blue? The book says he has to go one way or the other'. I just smile and say 'thank you'. Anybody know what page that's on? Can't seem to find it in my book. :D
SD

That's pretty good. :)

My standard response is simply "not on THIS field!"

11 year LL semi final yesterday, botto of 6th tied 0-0
Man on first. First baseman in on grass, ball hit~between legs of 1st baseman and takes a right turn off of glove. Parents and coaches go ballistic ~ hit the runner ~ he's out. Explained to coach, went past fielder~does not matter if it hits runner~2nd baseman - no chance, hit runner not an appeal play~either we saw it or we didn't. He understood, then asked him if we were at Williamsport and he ran onto the field ~ what would happen to him. Embarresed he went back to the dugout, only after yelling to the parents to be quiet ~ they were right. Amazed I was ?? we were right.

"You're missing a good game, blue."

"Yeah, I know, but they scheduled me for THIS one instead."

Has yet to fail to get a laugh from the coach.

Not from a parent butttt

Coach tells F2 to ask where the last pitch was. F2 kinda sits there a while them goes ummmm and kinda peeks back. I tell the coach we are not going there. F2 is shaking his head.

It was a pitch-out.

My favorite is when I had a catcher who's been my friend all day. A pitch comes outside the zone (normally inside or outside, as coaches can't see that well from the dugout). Catcher doesn't even bother to frame it. Coach, after showing disgust with the call yells "(Catcher's Name), where was it?". Catcher replies "ABOUT A FOOT OUTSIDE, QUIT WHINING, BLUE IS CALLING A GOOD GAME."

Coach didn't whine any more. And I had a new friend in the catcher.

This thread made me recall a game about 2 -3 years ago. R1,R2, HS playoffs (in canada) Ball is hit to 5, R2 starts to run, % turns towards him, R2 back pedals toward second, 5 follows him rather than stepping on the bag, R2 stops moving as 5 decides throws to 1st then heads to third. Everyone is safe. A fan goes Ape Sh=T, he's right at the fence screaming, He can't run backwards He's OUT!, He's OUT you can't run backwards only Forwards. Now I 'm talking Screaming Redfaced pointing absolutly nuts. So much so the entire game stops and looks at him, everyone wondering what the heck he is talking about. This goes on for 15-30 sec. finally the First baseman, steps forward and screams back "DAD, Shut the Hell Up You have no clue and are Embarrassing us all" Dad shut up. It was funny as hell.

I have to admit--a fan disconcerted me the other night. He didn't like a call at 1B. A$$hole is in the bleachers about 5-10 feet away from my A slot. Gave me an earful--that went on for next 5-6 plays. As I move out to "C," I see him standing up, giving me the middle digit and pointing at me.

I considered some options: a) scratching my temple with my own finger; b) adjusting my privates; c) showing him my (svelte) derriere as I bent over to pick up an unseen rock.

I ignored the guy; he kept up with the one-gun salute.

This was a LL game (girls, no less) and I thought about running the guy out, suspending the game until the guy left. No cops, no security, but Park Rangers on call. Close game, extra innings, getting dark, District Final.

I sucked it up.

Okay, gang. Did I wuss out or do the right thing?

Ace

Now, for something completely different ...
 

Big state LL game; two excellent teams; one of the best tussles at this level I have ever seen, much less umped.

One team is down by 2, runners on 2 and 3. A big farm boy gets up to the plate and runs the count to 3-1. The next pitch is right down Broadway, a little above the belt. Country takes it. This has been a strike for me all night, so I ring it up.

Now, the 1B-side fans are from his team. In an odd config, the field allows for a set of bleachers between 1B dugout and the dish. These NAPA-hat wearing mouth-breathers are right up my a$$.

The give me a rash of sh&t on the strike call. And I can hear it all, plainly.

On the next pitch, Country whacks a blue darter to the fence, scoring both runners. The following batter K-ed to end the frame.

After the inning, I took off my mask and strolled up the first-base line, making a slight detour to get near the fans. I gave them my Class A scowl. I swear, I made 40-50 Barbara Mandrell fans (with about 80 total teeth) cower. Then I suddenly winked, smiled and said, "You guys still want that cheap walk?"

The laugh I got was so big, the team stopped warming up on the infield, and the site director came over to make sure everyone was OK.

Ace in CT

7th Inning,tie game, home team at bat, finally scores the go ahead run, game called----visitors fan stands up screaming "thats not 3 outs yet,gotta finish the inning, Blue!"

Ace..
 

Ace,
You know you did the right thing.......in your case, when it was outside the field, you handled it the best way possible......

Any reaction from you would have just made it worse.... but I expect you knew that since you didnt opt for any of your other choices....

Now coming from me thats saying something as there was a time very early in my career that I had a set of rabbit ears that would have made Bugs Bunny proud.....

This year I had a HS varsity game with a very elderly Grandfather type sitting in the first row of the bleachers at a field much like you decribed.....every pitch called , he had a comment......thats high, no way, its in the dirt, etc.....

Initially I noticed that he was just doing it when the home team was at bat...but since both teams were wearing white uniforms, it became clear he didnt know which team was batting.....of course the big cataract sunglasses might have had something to do with his "vision problems".......

Finally one of the moms had to tell him he was arguing pitches his own grandson was throwing.....

he was a bit more quiet after that...

Stan

LL junior game, catcher's trying to do his job by trying to help his pitcher, pulling in the many pitches that are way out, way in, way high. After a couple innings of this pitching travesty, the ever groaning parent lights up with "when are we going to get that strike call? I mean our boy is bringing them all right back in". I mention to the catcher he might get that strike call when he doesn't have to bring it back in. Ended up calling time so the catcher could stop laughing.

What age group was this? Kids calling the pitches and the coach didn't know what was going on? That's rich.

Nope, you didn't wuss out. Ignore fans and if they get out of control either that team's coach or tournament director will have to take care of them. If you acknowledge that one idiot fan who thinks we're out there to be subjected to endless comments and abuse, there will be five more that see what happened and will start in on you in addition to the original moron. Almost like a light goes on and they say "Ah-ha! He CAN hear us!"

Throw the putz a kiss. It drives them crazy.

Bob

One out bases loaded, Batter hits and infield fly. Both me and partner make the call, second baseman drops the ball, runners take off. when the dust is clear, two runs are in and the are runners at third and second. Well we all know that the runner at second is the batter. I tell the coach infield fly the batter is out. Coach is okay with it, but the runner won't leave base. Coach ask for time and goes to get little Johnnie Cries-alot, as he is big Johnnie rushes onto the field from somewhere in the stands (with a beer in hand) yelling at me for calling Jr. out on a dropped ball. Before he can get there and before I can say anything, two other dads tackle him in the dirt and drag him kicking and screaming from the field. The coaches and kids just stood there pale faced with their mouths wide open. Everybody, and I mean everybody associated with the team could not apologize to me enough. I felt bad for little Johnnie, he could have been a good player, but I never saw him play again as no team wanted that much parental baggage.

Bugg

That is just plain strange! Drinking beer at a Little League game, how bizarre.

I've seen it (sometimes wine), cleverly disguised in some sort of Coleman cooler along with the hor' dourves parents might have organized. Well, maybe not so cleverly, if I could figure it out.

Talk about a wine and cheese crowd.

I'd imagine LL has a policy on no drinking at games. I'll leave that one up to the TD unless the guy is spilling it on me.

i remember back in my LL playing days, id see other team's coaches and dads hanging out down the line drinking out of red plastic cups sometimes. the 12 year old me always wondered why they were drinking out of red plastic party cups at a baseball field, as opposed to bottled water or gatorade.

You led a sheltered life, my boy.

Bob

so did the rest of the league. 12 year olds in my area arent big drinkers. maybe now, but not when i was 12.

Bottled water and gatorade were a long time from being invented when I was 12. There was no such thing as an aluminum bat, nobody had batting gloves, and there were no players with equipment bags and very few had their own wood bats. Everybody had a glove.

I had a Louisville Slugger 30" and a Adirondack (sp) 31" when I was in Little League. I played golf, but I never thought to wear my golf glove for batting. I probably would have gotten my butt kicked by the other kids if I did!

For me, it was a TPX 30 inch 21 ounce.

Now they make the same 30 inch bat probably about 15 ounces (I could have hit alot more homers! As in, one homer).

Funny thing is, somebody on this board actually umpired my final LL game, when I was 12. I'd like to point out I went 2-3, hard single on a curveball, and the fake bunt pull back ground ball to F6. That pitcher now pitches D1. I guess the highlight of my baseball playing days! Ahhh LL, thats why it can be so good to be umpiring it, for me anyway, because I still remember so clearly.