Mr. Umpire
 

Robert:

I got home from classes to find your post in a locked thread.

Yes, your memory serves you well. As you and Tee have remembered, I offered to fly at my own expense to San Diego to see what he was so proud of. He ignored the offer at first, then later replied that he had no games and there was no winter ball going on in San Diego. (In case Stevie denies it, the offer was made in post 13 of this old thread from October of 2005 http://forum.officiating.com/showthread.php?t=22676)

Good to hear from you, but some unanticipated events will keep us from another visit back this year. Hopefully next. Stay well, friend.

I did not ignore the offer, I was off the internet for a brief period. When I discovered it, it was at a time where I wasn't working any games. I did say that if you could find me a game to umpire, you were welcome to watch me work. As I said though, I have worked with, and been evaluated by former, future, and current MLB umpires, and none of them have anything bad to say about the way I umpire. That's good enough for me. I said that I would have done an adequate job filling in at top levels if need be, at least as good as any of the scab umpires did. I stand by that statement. I also think that if I had pursued a career in umpiring, that I would have been successful. There is nothing wrong with having that kind of confidence in one's abilities. I made that statement, because anything I have ever put my all into, I have been successful. I certainly would not have ever made those statements if I had thought a rude, insensitive person like you would belittle me for having those thoughts, and continue to rub salt in my wounds until this day.

And my name is Steven, not Stevie. Get it right.

And now you can go f*ck yourself, because I'm done with you.

Stevie:

A little birdie sent me an email and told me I had to take a look at your post.

This is just too funny.

In a now closed thread when Robert reminded you of an offer I had made to watch you umpire, you replied:

"You have a horrible memory. Garth never made any such offer."

And, now in this thread you not only admit the offer was made, you offer excuses as to why you didn't accept it.

Rarely has one been caught so obviously in a lie.

This was such a thoughtful gift. Thank you, and Merry Christmas. As much as I have enjoyed it, it's back to to the list for you. I'm afraid I'd be tempted to stoop to your level and language.

This is what you wrote on October 16th, 2005.

This was my response, the very next day, October 17th. (where did you get that I did not respond immediately?):

And then I joined a different association for last season, which I wouldn't want anybody watching me work in, since it was small diamond ball mostly. I made this move so I could umpire some of my nephew's LL games last season, which I was able to do. That was my entire rationale for changing groups.

At the time you offered to come video me, there were no games being played, and none on the foreseeable horizon.

HEY, IF YOU ALLOWED PM'S I WOULDN'T HAVE TO RESORT TO POSTING PUBLICLY. YOU ARE A VERY INSULTING PERSON, AND YOU REALLY HURT MY FEELINGS LAST YEAR, AND NOW YOU KEEP SAYING LIES, IN THAT I TRIED TO GET OUT OF YOU COMING TO MY GAMES, WHICH IS BULLSH*T!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzz

GarthB:

I hope that you can see just how sensitive of a person SDS is and apologize for hurting his feelings last year. An umpire the high caliber of SDS (just ask him) deserves to be respected and admired. It is doubtful that you or I could ever hope to match his skill on the diamond (after all he has been evaluated by past, present and future MLB umpires) and is associated with the SDCBUA (or something like that). Time for a healing hug…. but please, no kiss (this isn’t Brokeback Baseball).

As an uninvolved observer of this little exchange, I must say the most glaring and opinion-shaping omission to me is SDS's completely ignoring the fact that he initially denied that Garth ever offered to come meet him in San Diego ("You have a horrible memory. Garth never made any such offer."), and, when called on that inaccuracy in this thread, he has, again, completely ignored it, instead of owning up to being wrong in making that statement.

That kind of takes the statement in question from "inaccuracy" to "outright falsehood" in my book.

Are you serious?

Please tell me that this isn't a common occurance in <i>beisbol</i>. Even at the LL level, no one should be <b>deliberately</b> umpiring a relative's game. That's an absolute no-no in the sports that I officiate, even at the kiddie-ball level. We simply won't assign officials with an obvious conflict of interest like that to a relative's games.

Given a choice between a competent official or a parent from the stands I think it's best to use the competent official even if he has a relative playing. I don't like to do it, but I've had to umpire games that my sons were playing in because there was no one else to do it worth a darn.


Tim.

You gotta admit, how hard is it to be better than Bob Engel, or Fred Brocklander, a couple of scabs ? I never said I was freakin' Doug Harvey, did I? I said some umpires, not the best ones. Lighten up a bit there, sport.

I'm surprised Steven used the word scabs. When the MiLB umpires were on strike, he vehemently opposed the use of the word. Something about it being derogatory. How about picking a side of the fence to stand on, sport?:confused:

There's a rumor going around (I just started it) that SDS has to lay off umpring for awhile. He threw his shoulder out of joint patting himself on his back.

Bob

Were they umpires who just weren't up to par or were they dads in shorts and sandals who were drug from the stands? I think it makes a difference.


Tim.

Yeah, but steve made it seem like there WAS an association filling his nephew's league and he just wanted to officiate that game. If there was NO officials, then yes, i agree with your assessment.

But around here, that's a no-no. We're barely even allowed to officiate games at the high school we graduated from...

Exactly. I'm amazed that any officiating association in any sport would allow such a blatant conflict of interest. There might not be anything there, but there also certainly is the appearance of impropriety. The constitutions of the football and basketball associations that I belong to state emphatically that officials shall not work games in which relatives are involved under any circumstances. That's a pretty common rule too, the way I understand it.

Of course, if the association isn't informed of potential conflicts of interest, then it's a whole 'nother matter. The onus is usually on the each individual official to let the association know about any relatives playing on teams that they service.

I would like to think that after a few years, any competent umpire wouldn't even be questioned about their "conflict of interests".

I've umpired and referreed many games with people I knew and even a family member(son, daughter, nephews and nieces) and have never been called out for favourtism. In fact, I coached many, many years before getting into umpiring and in most games there was at least one or two players that I had coached or I knew families involved and I never had an issue. If your a competent umpire your completely blind to the players involved, they're all uniforms running around on a field.

Sort of like a priest never swears on a Bible because that would mean that there are times that they do lie. By saying an umpire can't officiate a particular game because of the players or teams involved it calls into question the integrity of the umpire not only in that game but every game they work.

Having said that, the only game I wouldn't want to call is one where my wife was pitching. In that case, I think the strike zone would be unbelievably big. Fortunately, she can't stand the sport.