Never reward a bad Defensive Play !

[TussAgee11]

Originally Posted by Dave Hensley

It is a concept that finds the umpire more often making "the expected call" and therefore has implications for smoother game management and the development of the perception among other game participants that you're a consistent and competent umpire.

With all due respect, I don't care about my perception, other than my uniform, to other game participants and worrying about what teams think about my umpiring abilities.

I will call what I got, not make calls to make games go more smoothly. And I'm sure the head hanchos will commend me for this.

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

With all due respect, I don't care about my perception, other than my uniform, to other game participants and worrying about what teams think about my umpiring abilities.

I will call what I got, not make calls to make games go more smoothly. And I'm sure the head hanchos will commend me for this.

Then explore your exception - why do you dress professionally, but otherwise don't care what others think about your performance as an umpire?

I would submit that most of us want to be perceived by our subordinates, superiors, peers, and others as good at what we do. For those with ambition to move up the ladder, such perceptions are necessary, or at least helpful.

The 60' Little League fields are littered with one-year 25 times veterans who have never learned that.

[TussAgee11]

I care what my assignors, evaluators, etc. think of me. But if it is neccessary to make percieved calls rather than correct ones, then I guess I won't be moving up. And I will not submit to simply pleasing coaches and compromising the integrity of the games I work for my future betterment.

I call balls and strikes as an art, how the catcher catches the ball etc.

I will call an OUT if the tag is down in front of the base before the runner slides in.

But. I will not take outside considerations to making bang bang, coin-flip calls because "the defense made a bad throw". Didn't F3 make a nice catch to get the bad throw, and get back to the base?

Doesn't matter to me, which one happened first?

And your dergogatory remark towards LL Umpires was uncalled for, some of the best umpires I have ever played or worked with do solely LL ball. Do you think MLB umps look down at HS umpires? I sure wouldn't think so, so stop doing the equivelent. They are your brothers.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

I


And your dergogatory remark towards LL Umpires was uncalled for, some of the best umpires I have ever played or worked with do solely LL ball. Do you think MLB umps look down at HS umpires? I sure wouldn't think so, so stop doing the equivelent. They are your brothers.

Your reading skills approach your spelling skills. Dave never made a "dergogatory" (sic) remark about LL umpires. He made a reference to umpires who don't learn what they need to learn to progress.

As an aside, what I have seen over the years is that there are Little League umpires and there are umpires who work Little League. Dave is an umpire who also works Little League. There is no need to jump on a soapbox when speaking with Dave about Little League.

Oh, and regarding pro umpires and their opinion of HS umpires...where were you during the strike?

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

I call balls and strikes as an art, how the catcher catches the ball etc.

I will call an OUT if the tag is down in front of the base before the runner slides in.

Then you are employing the techniques I'm describing, whether you admit it or not.

But. I will not take outside considerations to making bang bang, coin-flip calls because "the defense made a bad throw". Didn't F3 make a nice catch to get the bad throw, and get back to the base?

Doesn't matter to me, which one happened first

"Which one happened first" begs the question. In a "coin-flip" call, you don't really know which happened first, that's why it's called a "coin-flip". To the greatest extent of your perception, you can't tell which happened first. So, you can (1) flip a coin, (2) always call them out, like Sandiego Steve does, or (3) base your judgment on which side earned the call.

I endorse Door # 3.

And your dergogatory remark towards LL Umpires was uncalled for, some of the best umpires I have ever played or worked with do solely LL ball. Do you think MLB umps look down at HS umpires? I sure wouldn't think so, so stop doing the equivelent. They are your brothers.

What Garth said. Among other things, I umpire Little League and conduct umpire training clinics for local leagues in my district. My reference to the 60' Little League field was simply an acknowledgment that that's where most everbody starts out. My point was that some guys never go beyond that level because of their unwillingness to accept concepts that contradict their own homegrown ideas.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Dave Hensley

"Which one happened first" begs the question. In a "coin-flip" call, you don't really know which happened first, that's why it's called a "coin-flip". To the greatest extent of your perception, you can't tell which happened first. So, you can (1) flip a coin, (2) always call them out, like Sandiego Steve does, or (3) base your judgment on which side earned the call.

I endorse Door # 3.

I didn't say that I always call them out on a coin-flip. I did say that if the runner does not beat the play, he is out. No flipping involved. Leave me out of the flipping. If the runner's foot arrives before the ball, well then, he's safe. I don't see the gray area here at all.

"But Blue, how could you call him OUT???"

"Coach, did you see that pretty play he made. He went deep in the hole and threw it from his knees."

"Yeah, Blue, but the runner was safe!!!"

"Doesn't matter, coach, on really close plays, the pretty play wins."

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

"But Blue, how could you call him OUT???"

"Coach, did you see that pretty play he made. He went deep in the hole and threw it from his knees."

"Yeah, Blue, but the runner was safe!!!"

"Doesn't matter, coach, on really close plays, the pretty play wins."

Isn't the imagination a wonderful thing? I would never have thought of attributing such a conversation to Dave, but then, I'm limited by knowing he's not stupid.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by GarthB

Isn't the imagination a wonderful thing? I would never have thought of attributing such a conversation to Dave, but then, I'm limited by knowing he's not stupid.

Oh, I can't illustrate absurdity by being absurd, but it's okay for Rush Limbaugh to do it, huh?

I'm making a point that going by what a play looks like is not the best way to make a close call.

Dave was attributing things to me which I did not say, so I was merely giving my opinion on the subject.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Dave Hensley

Then explore your exception - why do you dress professionally, but otherwise don't care what others think about your performance as an umpire?

I would submit that most of us want to be perceived by our subordinates, superiors, peers, and others as good at what we do. For those with ambition to move up the ladder, such perceptions are necessary, or at least helpful.

The 60' Little League fields are littered with one-year 25 times veterans who have never learned that.

There are also umpires with solid 20+ year experience working these games. I am one of them. I would feel comfortable going to a collegiate wood bat game in the morning, and turning right around and doing a LL Majors game in the afternoon. Baseball is baseball. I don't know why people make it out to be so damn difficult. I also value what subordinates, superiors, and peers think of me. I don't care so much what coaches think, but most of them like me just fine too.

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Baseball is baseball. I don't know why people make it out to be so damn difficult.

OK, then, we get it. Call what you see, period.

It's a simple game, yada yada.

Your work is done here. We can shut the board down and free up some bandwidth.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Dave Hensley

OK, then, we get it. Call what you see, period.

It's a simple game, yada yada.

Your work is done here. We can shut the board down and free up some bandwidth.

No, I don't think you do get it. "I'm Dave Hensley, and by God I'm always right." I get that! Uh, Dave....no your not.

Why do you continue to use the phrase "call what you see" when referring to me?

I'm frankly getting a little tired of having to correct you. I call the plays the way they "are," not how I "see them." What is so hard about this to comprehend?

And maybe to you it isn't a simple game. Then again, I've been involved in the game for about 45 years now, and it's still the same game I learned back then. I didn't say to shut down the board, that I had some "final word." I just said that to me, there isn't any major distinction between levels of baseball. The higher the level, the better the players. Big deal. Don't you feel the same way? You work high and low levels as well, right? That is all I was saying.

There is no shortage of bandwidth, and even if there was, you ain't paying for it anyway.

[bluezebra]

"Batter hits into a DB..."

What's a 'DB'?

Bob