How would you do on TV

[PeteBooth]

Hi all:

Now that the LLWS is on TV for all to view I thought I would start this thread.

I believe we have all had bad games however, it was not on TV for all to view.

Therefore, how do you think you would do on National TV?

During this time all umpires are being critiqued, therefore, do you think that some of things mentioned in all the threads thus far would be said about you.

It's one thing to umpire a game before big crowds which some of us have done, however, it's quite another when Millions of people are watching.

Let's start with the strike zone. I do not know about you but it's difficult to get a good strike zone when deaking with 12 yr. olds if you are not used to it.

Example: This year (because of lack of umpires) my assignor got the call to do a 9/10 Tournament at market rates no less which shows you that getting umpires is difficult. It was the first time I have umpired on a 60ft. diamond in quite some time. Getting a good zone was difficult because of the various size of the players.

As you have seen on TV at the ages of say 9-12 you get the players in all shapes and sizes. You get the one kid who likes like he is still 5 and is very short then right behind him in the line-up is "Learch" (From the Admas family for those who remember)

Now we get to the crews. Guys/gals who for the most part haven't worked with one another and there's 6 on a 60ft. diamond which IMO is way to many. IMO you do not need 6 or even 4 on a 60ft. diamond.

Therefore, in a nutshell how do you think you would do on TV and perhaps more importantly what kind of comments would be said about you throughout the internet Forums.

Pete Booth

[ctblu40]

That I would probably attract some attention for inconsistency in the lower part of my zone. There would be comments such as, "That was the same pitch he called a ball earlier in the at bat."
Another might be, "He needs to keep his head more still on low-outside pitches."

These are things on which I know I need improvement.

There are many things however, that I know I wouldn't hear. "Why is he not moving up the line on a batted ball in the infield? Why is he using the indiclikacounter in his right hand? Why is he yelling 'Foul' on a ball fouled into the backstop?"

IMO, these types of things are not picking nits. They are basic fundamentals of umpiring that one should resolve before the end of their first season.

Just my $0.02.

[Carbide Keyman]

Any of us who post in this forum would be skewered if our game(s) were shown on national television.

Our "humble" opinions of our own greatness will be exposed under the glare of the spotlight.

The smoothness of our mechanics, stances, rotations, etc. will be shown for the fallacy it is.

We would also show we aren't that fine looking in our uniforms, either.

Look at how every umpire who is televised, from Little League through the NCAA and up to MLB, comes out looking like a "Smitty" when this august body turns its keyboards on them.

I believe that none of us would be able to stand the scrutiny of our games being televised.

JMHO




Doug

[D-Man]

I don't know about how I'd stand up on TV. I've done OK with big crowds. However, the switch from NCAA to LL I made last week was shocking to say the least. A friend of mine who is President of a local little league had a 9-10 yr old scrimmage he needed an umpire for. I told him I'd do him a favor in exchange for some perennials for my wife. Here's how it went.

First, the oohs and aahs from seeing their first umpire in uniform not using the balloon was interesting. Plus, I wore black for some reason.

Second, I had no idea how to set up. I felt like a giant in Lilliput. GD, regular box, knee...none of them felt comfortable. Can't use the catcher for any help. I got hit a couple of times but other than the occasional sting, no bad bruises. My groin is killing me from trying to get down so low.

Third, how do you call a pitch that's over the outside corner but four feet away from the batter a strike? It looks bad but no one argues...no one! I'm not patting myself on the back or anything. I was not good. Up, down, out, in...i felt like I needed to be big but these were little kids. I didn't want to make them cry on a mistake by me. A LL ump who rang me up on a ball that bounced off the plate is why I became an umpire in the first place. Above all though, no parent, player or coach gave me any grief. I had no whackers on the bases but I was all over the place behind the dish.

It was difficult and I don't know if I'll do it again. My garden will be nicer next spring though.

D

[mick]

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

Now we get to the crews. Guys/gals who for the most part haven't worked with one another and there's 6 on a 60ft. diamond which IMO is way to many. IMO you do not need 6 or even 4 on a 60ft. diamond.

Pete,
I've already been told I am the worst umpire ever seen. I am certain that would hold in front of television cameras.

LLWS umpires (all, most, some?) go to similar regional clinics for similar training. -->Working together is theoretically not a problem

If given a chance to see the game from the right field line or from the umpires' section (or merely cool down in the tent), while one awaits their rotation position, one may be given the opportunity to choose.
mick

[LLPA13UmpDan]

Pete, the believe the reason they use 6 umpires is to let the umpires get in more games. A few years ago they only used 4, then 6 for the championship game. I wouldnt never go less then 4 guys on a diamond. 2 is just not enough for a game like that, 3 man- you have to worry about the rotation, so 4 is good. I know we use 4 man crew from districts on up.

Re: how would i do?
I think i would be a little nervous the first time, but after that i'd be ok. Just ignore that you are on national television, and ignore the fact instead of 100 people in the stands, therre is 10,000.

[Carbide Keyman]

Originally Posted by LLPA13UmpDan

Re: how would i do?
I think i would be a little nervous the first time, but after that i'd be ok. Just ignore that you are on national television, and ignore the fact instead of 100 people in the stands, therre is 10,000.

Why is it I hear Aerosmith singing all of a sudden ?

[Tim C]

Pete:

What an interesting post.

I have worked games before 39,000 and 40,000 people in the stands. The advantage of working in an MLB Stadium is that the crowd is so far away you really can't hear any comments directly from the fans. You, of course, can hear the huge crowd noise but I have heard many, many more comments in high school games where the "crowd" is sometimes less than 15' from the dish.

I have also seen myself work on TV. Some of our college games are played live on TV and then re-cylced on cable over-and-over.

I also have hired an evaluation firm each of the last three year to video me when I umpire.

Here's point:

When you see yourself on the big screen it sure doesn't happen the way you think it does!

Seriously, I was flat out embarrasssed by my "look" in my plate tape of three years agao. If, as the experts say, TV adds 25 to 30 pounds to the average person think what it did to a 275 pound FATTY! It was flat out embarrassing.

My tape from this season if much better simply because I am just under 200 pounds now and that makes me not only look better but I do move better.

From my college tapes it is fortunate (?) there is no centerfield camera to evaluate my "K Zone" . . . I know I call the bottom of the knee and I am afraid of what it would look like when the catcher snatches the pitch just above ground level.

I don't buy outright your concerns over the size of players -- I work plenty of high school games where heights of players are drastically different. I adjust the best I can -- sometimes you win, other times you tie.

In another thread SDS speaks of "pressure" of working sub-varsity games compared to varsity contests . . . while I have identified that it is just a different type of pressure . . . REAL PRESSURE is to walk out of the tunnel and see a see of 40,000 fans that don't give a $hit about the job you are about to do . . . and noticing how FAST real baseball (tm) happens.

[ozzy6900]

I never know how many people are going to be at one of my games so 100 people or 40,000 just changes the noise level.

I've been on the news and in the papers so I guess that qualifies me as "being there".

I've been on fields and in stadiums.

We all have the pre-game butterflies and jitters. The question is how long does it take to get rid of them and do your job?

As far as 4 man and 6 man crews, I agree LL is probably trying to get the umpires into more games and keep everything covered.

As far as not working together, well the teams practice why not the umpire crews? When we set up 4 and 6 man crews for end of season work, we all meet and have a little workout then go to dinner (and talk umpiring). When the game rolls around, we usually work without problems. But I guess LL doesn't feel that it's high quality umpires need to work out together!

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

Hi all:

Now that the LLWS is on TV for all to view I thought I would start this thread.

I believe we have all had bad games however, it was not on TV for all to view.

Therefore, how do you think you would do on National TV?

During this time all umpires are being critiqued, therefore, do you think that some of things mentioned in all the threads thus far would be said about you.

It's one thing to umpire a game before big crowds which some of us have done, however, it's quite another when Millions of people are watching.

Let's start with the strike zone. I do not know about you but it's difficult to get a good strike zone when deaking with 12 yr. olds if you are not used to it.

Huh? Are you saying that LL has assigned umpires to the WS who are not used to calling 12 year olds? If that's the case, shame on them. If that's not the case, then this shouldn't be an issue to the umpires we are seeing on TV.

You get the one kid who likes like he is still 5 and is very short then right behind him in the line-up is "Learch" (From the Admas family for those who remember)

Are you referring to Ted Cassidy who played "Lurch"?

Now we get to the crews. Guys/gals who for the most part haven't worked with one another and there's 6 on a 60ft. diamond which IMO is way to many. IMO you do not need 6 or even 4 on a 60ft. diamond.

Allegedly, they all know the same mechanics had have ample time from pre-games. Again, shouldn't be an issue.

Therefore, in a nutshell how do you think you would do on TV and perhaps more importantly what kind of comments would be said about you throughout the internet Forums.

Pete Booth

I've only been on TV twice for college games and never got to see a replay. I have no idea how I looked. I do know I didn't think about during the game and when seeing cameras on my off the field thought "Oh, yeah...this was televised."

No doubt I would have given someone somewhere something to b!tch about.

I do know I look better on radio. I've called several games that have been broadcast on radio and I got to hear a repeat broadcast of one. The play by play guy had a habit of referring to umpires by their first names, so no one escaped notice.

[JRutledge]

I think I would do the very same thing I do when the TV is not around.

Peace

[LomUmp]

Hey all,

I think that after the nerves calmed down over doing something like this for the first time, I would be fine. It's still the same game that has been done before.

LomUmp

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Pete...this is an interesting topic, but I have an easier way to judge your abilities. Have a group of your umpire colleagues evaluate you while working a BIG game. Give them the NCAA eval form and tell them to be honest. Get a family member or friend to video tape you...not just in game situations, but follow you around between innings, etc.

Collect the evals and watch the tape - yes, you will look lumbering, not as sharp as you remember and definetly fatter. Pay close attention to how you act when play is relaxed. Did you bust out from behind the dish correctly? Did you clean the plate like a pro? How did you look on foul tips and foul balls? Any flinching...wavering...delayed calls?

The very idea that we scrutinize the guys on TV is the same if we were sitting in the stands. Umpires enjoy being critical and showing their mastery of the game. Ego plays an important role in umpire development. Being able to decipher and adapt to an accurate eval is another.

I've had many games covered by television and never saw one of mine that didn't make me shudder in some respect. Like listening to a tape of yourself singing or looking back at old photos, we're never as good as we like to think we are.

[bluezebra]

I was on national TV three times.

1..Three nights before boarding ship to go to Korea, I was in the audience in the NBC Studios in Burbank, CA. The program was called, 'The Peter Potter Platter Parade', and Zsa Zsa Gabor was one of the guest stars. My Marine buddy and I, and two swabbies in uniform, were asked if we would take part in a 'gimmick' involving Zsa Zsa. Too make a long story short, I was on full screen for a few seconds. Too bad there were no VCRs in those days, because my Mom had half of Chicago watching.

2..In 1987, I worked with the chain crew at the last pre-season game between the Bears and the Raiders at the LA Coliseum. Unfortunately, no one taped it for me.

3..In 1994, I got a 4-man crew together to work one of the 'Silver Bullets' Games at Mavericks Stadium in Adelanto, CA. ESPN filmed the game, and a friend of mine taped it for me. My highlight was getting hit in my ample rear by a foul ball (I was working 3B).

Bob

[aceholleran]

1) My strike zone would be too small

2) I'd be tucked in, pressed and buffed.

3) I'd look into Nutrisystem.

4) My mechanics would be clear and crisp.

5) This board would tar and feather me.


Ace