Umpiring is not that difficult

[PeteBooth]

In light of the recent thread on "real umpires" I thought I would start a topic on Umpiring in general.

If you surf the net on the various Umpire Discussion Forums one would think that being an umpire is akin to learning how to be a heart surgeon. There is also talk about what is a 'Real Umpire" etc.

IMO, the best team wins no matter how "bad" or good the umpiring is.

Don Doniker got crucified for his blown call in the World Series. However, the last time I checked the World Series is the best 4 out of seven games. IMO, that one call wasn't the REAL reason why the Cards lost. They lost because they didn't hit a lick in that series.

Even if there is a "Smitty" doing the game the ultimate result will be "The best team wins". IMO, too much is made of officiating these days. It seems like every blown call is shown on ESPN these days.

Case and point: In the Giants / Colts game this past weekend, with about 4 minutes and change left in the game, the Giants got a bad interference call which negated a first down.

Was that the reason they lost? - NO The Colts moved the ball at will against the defense. They made key third and long plays all game long.

We can all think of bad calls in all the sports, but ultimately if you look at all the Champions in each of the respective sports, the best team emerged.

Here on the internet, we tend to complicate umpiring. Also, from my experience, even if you "suck" as Garth puts it. As long as the coaches (even if they are upset) see you hustling and being "into" the game will give credit.

IMO, what upsets Coaches more than anything is an umpire who doesn't hustle no matter how knowledgeable he/she is and gives the appearance they are there for a paycheck and paycheck only.

Therefore, IMO Umpiring is not that difficult. Yes one needs to do his/her homework. Generally speaking

1. Take pride in what you do even though we are amateurs. If you take pride in what you do the "other stuff" will come.

2. Look the part. Do not show up in pants that look like you slept in them or shoes unpolished, etc. etc.

3. Read the Rule-book However, Do not worry about those third world type playes that are discussed ad nauseam on the internet sites. In FED they have a nice table on base-running awards, and when the ball is dead vs. delayed dead. For OBR I recommend making your own table as these are important to know. In other words study and learn those rules which you will see in just about every game. As mentioned do not "rack your brain" on those which will hardly if ever happen or if you do not fully understand the concept of "last time by"

4. Work on your mechanics

5. Dealing with coaches comes with experience but do not worry about that either. The Coach isn't putting food on your table. Remember it's a game no more no less meaning do not take what the coach says personal.

Ok time to end on a note which will probably get me in trouble but what the hey it's a rainy Friday here in NY.

ANYONE can umpire, however, not everyone can play shortstop for the NY Yankees.

Pete Booth

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

ANYONE can umpire, however, not everyone can play shortstop for the NY Yankees.

Pete Booth

With apologies to Tee, this ties for the dumbest post ever.

[TussAgee11]

I agree, but I think one thing that you may be missing is that umpiring is a profession. Being a doctor takes training. Being a teacher takes training. Umpiring is the same way.

Sure, I can know where muscle groups are, cool latin names, etc. but that doesn't make me a doctor.

Just like anybody can know the rules of baseball. That doesn't make them an umpiring.

Umpiring is a complex profession which is very difficult to master, just like any profession. Perfection is what we strive for, just like any other profession. Anybody can try to do it, but to get there is near impossible for most jobs, and for umpiring, it definately is impossible.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by GarthB

With apologies to Tee, this ties for the dumbest post ever.

I don't think Pete meant they all had to meet your lofty standards. Rather, I think he's saying that anyone who is inclined to give it their best effort to become an umpire can umpire a baseball game with a fair degree of competency.


Tim.

[Justme]

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

If you surf the net on the various Umpire Discussion Forums one would think that being an umpire is akin to learning how to be a heart surgeon.

It isn't?

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

IMO, the best team wins no matter how "bad" or good the umpiring is.

Wait Pete, they have to blame someone

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

Therefore, IMO Umpiring is not that difficult. Yes one needs to do his/her homework. Generally speaking

Maybe being a heart surgeon isn't that difficult, generally speaking (if you have the talent). Depends on a persons ability too, doesn't it.

Being a pilot isn't that difficult, generally speaking. But not everyone can do it.

The list goes on.

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

ANYONE can umpire, however, not everyone can play shortstop for the NY Yankees.

Anyone can do anything.....but can they do it well? Being a good ball/strike caller doesn't come naturally to everyone....sometimes it never comes to an umpire.

I'm not going to attempt to compare the complexity of being a surgeon with being an umpire (I'm married to a physician and know only too well what it takes to be a good surgeon). It's true the everyone can umpire ................ But not everyone can be a good umpire.

While it's true that there's only one F6 playing for the Yankee's there's only 28 umpire's working all of MLB full-time and only 220 in MiLB hoping for a shot at the Bigs. So obviously not everyone can umpire!

[Striker991]

Originally Posted by GarthB

With apologies to Tee, this ties for the dumbest post ever.

Nope...you just topped it with this one. One of the biggest attributes of internet umpires that think very highly of themselves and overrate their importance to the actual game is their lack of common sense. You, with this post and many others, have proven that stereotype to be completely and utterly true.

You have missed Pete's point entirely, mainly because of your own arrogance.

[GarthB]

There's a couple ways we can look at Pete's statement: "ANYONE can umpire, however, not everyone can play shortstop for the NY Yankees."

First, taken your way, Pete would be comaring anyone off the street who is willing to give his best effort at umpiring with a professional baseball player with inordinate skill and years of training. Ridiculous.

Taken another way, Pete would be suggesting that ANYONE could make it through proschool, PBUC, short season A, long season A, Double A and Triple A and then take the field in the majors. That long road is littered with enough bodies of those who didn't make it to demonstrate that, this too, is ridiculous.

And lastly, (for the purposes of my post) is the possibility that no comparison, though made, was intended, and that, rather, Pete was saying 100% of the population (as in ANYONE) was capaable of becoming a competent "average" amateur umpire. As a trainer of youth and HS umpires, I personally know this to be patently fase. There are some people who just never "get it". There are some people, no matter how many clinics they attend, understand the concept of, or can perform proper mechanics. There are some people who have no concept of calling strikes, and I've seen some trainees who were so afraid of the ball that they backed out from behind the catcher on every pitch, even after four week ends of training and half a dozen game.

Taken at any level, and without consideration to whatever you believe my standards to be, the statment was ridiculous and certainly at least ties for the dumbest ever made on the internet.

[3appleshigh]

Yak yak yak, I'm starting to understand how Tee and garth became so Jaded. Moron's like this spouting retardation. I know a lot more people who have played shortstop than have or could umpire. Yes not for the yankees, but lets compare apples here. Not everyone could umpire the Game 7 Plate of the world series in New York, no matter what some morons on here might think.

Also I think ANYONE could play shortstop for the yankees, just could they do it competently? NO, I think the same goes for umpires. Anyone can buy grey pants and a blue shirt and step on the field to adjudicate the game, but not as many can do it competently. There is a huge difference.

Don't simplify what we do, Don't devalue the service we provide and make us seem unimportant. That is what the fans and coaches do all the time, That is why the number of umpires is DOWN everywhere. And this is what causes the vast number of umpires to be useless, by saying anyone can do it shows that doing it right and getting better at it is a waste of time. That is not the case. Your post was a supreme insult to those here that attempt not only to UMPIRE but to UMPIRE WELL and PROPERLY.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Striker991

Nope...you just topped it with this one. One of the biggest attributes of internet umpires that think very highly of themselves and overrate their importance to the actual game is their lack of common sense. You, with this post and many others, have proven that stereotype to be completely and utterly true.

You have missed Pete's point entirely, mainly because of your own arrogance.

No, I didn't miss Pete's point, but you apparently missed mine.

I am arrogant enough to believe that when one becomes an umpire, he owes it to the players, coaches, fans, partners and the "game" itself to be the best he can be at the level he is working. Unlike some here, my moto is not "dare to be adequate."

I have done this long enough to have seen the results of "ANYONE can be an umpire." They can be tragic for the game and for the umpire.

At the most basic level. umpires must be capable of good and quick judgement, physical agility, rule memorization and understanding, and game managment skills. If you've lived on this planet longer than ten years, you must have come across someone who does not fit this discription. Hell, you can see them on some youth fields every weekend. I've seen a LL umpire walk out of a game in the second inning out of frustration, not to return. Does he fit your expectation of an umpire?

[Rich]

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

ANYONE can umpire, however, not everyone can play shortstop for the NY Yankees.

Pete Booth

Garth is right, but I'll take it one further.

This will be the post against which all the other dumb posts will be compared.

I've tried to forget most of your post, but in response to the last line,

NOT EVERYONE can work the plate at Yankee Stadium.

[bluezebra]

Who is Don Doniker ?

Bob

[PeteBooth]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

Garth is right, but I'll take it one further.

This will be the post against which all the other dumb posts will be compared.

I've tried to forget most of your post, but in response to the last line,

NOT EVERYONE can work the plate at Yankee Stadium.

Rich you and Garth can you have your opinion but Major league baseball agrees with my statement.

Who has more power

The Players Union or the Umpires Union?

When the Major league Umpires did go on strike did major league baseball really care?

Also, look at this years debacle in the minor leagues. Again did Major league baseball really care. The games were being officiated and if the Minor league Umpires Union didn't "bend" in their original negotiations, Major league baseball would have continued to fill in the gaps.

Major league Baseball KNOWS they can get anyone to umpire their games.

For some strange reason IMO you and Garth seem to be on the "Richie Phillips" camp when it comes to umpiring, thinking that Umpires are a Critical part of the game. I know the game is not about us. It's about the participants. People do not come to the game to watch us.

Richie Phillips and the Umpires Union called Major league's baseball's bluff and got burned.

Therefore, you might think my last statement qualifies as one if not the dumbest statements ever but major league baseball doesn't think so.

And you talk about Dumb. What about your last statement

NOT EVERYONE can work the plate at Yankee Stadium

I can get a Zillion guys to work the plate at Yankee Stadium and guess what, it will not impact the game as much as if Derek Jeter was not playing Shortstop.

Pete Booth

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by bluezebra

Who is Don Doniker ?

Bob

Don Doniker is Petespeak for Don Denkinger, the infamous umpire who blew the call at first base in the 1985 World Series, which really had no bearing on the final results, but everyone blames him for it anyway.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by PeteBooth

Rich you and Garth can you have your opinion but Major league baseball agrees with my statement.

Who has more power

The Players Union or the Umpires Union?

Wow, another contender for the dumbest post ever, and in the same day.

What the hell does the power of unions have to do with the ability to umpire?

MLB agrees with you?!?!? Sure, that's why they take folks out of the stands to work Yankee Stadium and no longer require that uimpires attend proschool, PBUC and work their way through the minors and vacation relief. Everybody knows that. I must have forgotten. ANYBODY can umpire. You're absolutely right. Why, my mom is working the Dodger game later tonight.

[BigUmp56]

Pete:

Let it go. It seems as if some umpires were to admit that this isn't rocket science their sense of self importance would suddenly be diminished.


Tim.