Little League umpire in the regionals

[Tim C]

I have watched parts of five regional games so far.

UNTIL todays IL/IN game (with "Mr. Let me hide my arms behind my back") I was very, very impressed by the plate umpiring.

TWO things that LL managment REQUIRES from umpires:

1) All foul balls are to be called "FOUL" loudly and clearly and,

2) All bases are to be whisked clean after any play occurs.

While these things don't fly in "big boy ball" I can look past these edicts and see that umpring at the Regional Level has become vastly better in the last three years.

We'll have to wait for Friday to begin piling on the the horrible umpires that will be working.

Well all will be poor with the expecting of "JK" who will shine.

Regards,

[CJN]

Originally Posted by Tim C

I have watched parts of five regional games so far.

UNTIL todays IL/IN game (with "Mr. Let me hide my arms behind my back") I was very, very impressed by the plate umpiring.

Yeah, the IL/IN was definitely the worst PU so far in the coverage. He did a lot of smitty things including pointing to the batter on pretty much every swinging strike call, pointing to first on ball four, and (as you mentioned) hiding his hands behind his back.

[Peruvian]

Originally Posted by Tim C

2) All bases are to be whisked clean after any play occurs.

Oh, good grief, I saw the third base umpire do that and almost s*** my pants. LL management mandates that?!?!

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by Peruvian

Oh, good grief, I saw the third base umpire do that and almost s*** my pants. LL management mandates that?!?!

I think it's ESPN that wants this.

BTW, the only time I saw a base whisked was when the breakaway top popped off and, following the manufacturers instructions, the base plate was cleaned before the top is snapped back on.

[socalblue1]

Well, the string has been broken. Mid-Atlantic final Monday night - OMG, Smitty is back! Or should I say Smittly and his family?

1/2 kneeling/semi-sideways stance. Sometimes in the slot, often OUTSIDE, often right behind F2 (He only did that when F2 stood up so he could hide I guess). Never once went up 1B line for coverage. Zip presence - couldn't hear his strike call even with the mike. Never quite sure what all the hand waving meant. Hard to get fresh baseballs out of that gray bag with mask & indicator in right hand. About as crisp as an overdone noodle.

U1 - All calls from 1/4 step fair 20' up the line.
U2 - When he bounced in the ground shook. He did hustle every play.
U3 - Had a clue. stayed out of the infield except when needed. Was in position for every call, including when R2 missed 3B. (3B coach didn't argue either).
LFU - No calls observed
RFU - Two plays I saw he hustled to get into position, set and made his call.

Don't get me wrong - I have done my share of LL games.

[Pete in AZ]

Had my laughs at the camel toe site, but I want to ask; what is the rotation on a six man system? The PU is supposed to come up to where on a 60' field?
These guys work for free and do a job that few of us want. Why all the sniping?

[Toadman15241]

Originally Posted by Pete in AZ

Had my laughs at the camel toe site, but I want to ask; what is the rotation on a six man system? The PU is supposed to come up to where on a 60' field?

Different crews are using different rotations. Some are having U2 go out on flyballs in the V (which I like). U3 is then covering 2b. Some crews have PU come up the line and cover 3b and have U1 rotate home. Other crews are having LFU come in to cover 3b. Other crews are just having LFU and RFU cover all flyballs and keeping the infield umps at their bases.

[ctblu40]

Originally Posted by Toadman15241

Other crews are having LFU come in to cover 3b.

I have never heard of this mechanic before. Is this something that is a directive from various LL Regional offices?

[Rich]

Originally Posted by ctblu40

I have never heard of this mechanic before. Is this something that is a directive from various LL Regional offices?

It's a standard 6-man rotation -- actually, the only six-man rotation if you use ULF.

U2 goes out, U3 covers second, ULF covers third.

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by socalblue1

Well, the string has been broken. Mid-Atlantic final Monday night - OMG, Smitty is back! Or should I say Smittly and his family?

1/2 kneeling/semi-sideways stance. Sometimes in the slot, often OUTSIDE, often right behind F2 (He only did that when F2 stood up so he could hide I guess). Never once went up 1B line for coverage. Zip presence - couldn't hear his strike call even with the mike. Never quite sure what all the hand waving meant. Hard to get fresh baseballs out of that gray bag with mask & indicator in right hand. About as crisp as an overdone noodle.

U1 - All calls from 1/4 step fair 20' up the line.
U2 - When he bounced in the ground shook. He did hustle every play.
U3 - Had a clue. stayed out of the infield except when needed. Was in position for every call, including when R2 missed 3B. (3B coach didn't argue either).
LFU - No calls observed
RFU - Two plays I saw he hustled to get into position, set and made his call.

Don't get me wrong - I have done my share of LL games.

Yes, last night's game was a throwback to the good old days of good ol' boy, homegrown, "it ain't that hard to umpire" volunteer umpiring. It was a miracle that the game wasn't impacted by all the mechanical and positioning flaws exhibited by most of the crew.

[ctblu40]

I agree with socal on this one.

PU didn't seem to have a preferred head height. At times it seemed as though he was peeking around F2 to get a look. One of the most obvious to me was the indicator and mask in the right hand.

As for the sniping, I watch these guys for selfish reasons... to learn. That is to say, when I see their mistakes, I note that it doesn't look good and I don't want to be giulty of the same infraction.

Case in point, this same PU pointed at the batter on every swinging strike. It doesn't effect the game but just looks bad. I know that I'm guilty of the same thing at times, but seeing it will certainly help me break this bad habit.

[socalblue1]

Rich,

The 6 umpire deal at regionals started way before ESPN.

I can understand a brush with the new style break away bases. No other way to clean it out except a hose.

I can just see the backpack water pack on Lance now ...

[Rich]

Originally Posted by socalblue1

Rich,

The 6 umpire deal at regionals started way before ESPN.

I can understand a brush with the new style break away bases. No other way to clean it out except a hose.

I can just see the backpack water pack on Lance now ...

Our best field has magnetic breakaways and the bottom is held in place with a traditional peg. No need for a brush.

Besides, the umpires should be calling for a groundskeeper when the bases come out.

[socalblue1]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

Our best field has magnetic breakaways and the bottom is held in place with a traditional peg. No need for a brush.

Besides, the umpires should be calling for a groundskeeper when the bases come out.

Rich,

Not all leagues are smart enough to use the magnetic style (IMO the best choice of all). Many are using the old type break-away bases that have a large square hollow receptacle on the peg & male end on the actual base. When these fill with dirt it's a pain clean out. Of course these are the fields that have no staffing and usually nothing more than a rake & drag. It's use a brush or stop playing.

Now using the brush on the base is a whole different animal.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

Besides, the umpires should be calling for a groundskeeper when the bases come out.

Oh waiter....could you bring me a Perrier while the grounds crew is cleaning the base?