Tough game...couple of questions

[Durham]

Originally Posted by scarolinablue

Where I got into trouble, and the basis for question #1 is: Batter foul tips, I heard, but wasn't sure of, a possible catcher's interference . . . but should I have overturned this?

Question #2: Opinions?

Coach comes up and says, to the catcher, but of course directed at me "what did you see." Pipsqueak says "I saw a foul ball", coach says to me "how could you call that fair?" I explain that it bounced fair, crossed the base in fair territory, and that yes, it landed in foul territory, but that is irrelevant since it both bounced fair and crossed the base in fair territory. He blows up as he turns away and screams "how could that possibly be fair if it lands foul. Unbelievable!" Maybe I could have dumped him too.

Q1) If you think you kicked it, tell your partner what happened, and that you think you missed it and then say, "Are you ok with me changing this and getting it right?" The reason for asking this quetion is there is probably gonna be an argument, a big one. And your partner may have to deal with a little crap because you messed up and now you are fixing it. If he says it is ok, change it and get ready for war, if he says, let's stick with the call, then you looked like you were trying to get it right and he had nothing new or different to give you.

Q2) Ok, so we screwed up and kicked a pitch, fine lets move on. But now that we have moved on, let's not screw up a stich by letting a coach get away with something extra. Yes, you will listen more, but after your second warning, if he continued, throw him out, he just ran HIMSELF. Don't let one screw up turn into two.

Q3) Ask the coach if he called time to talk to his catcher or to you. If he wants a charged defensive timeout, then let him have it, if he wants to talk to you then let him, but don't let him do both. When he blows up as he did, warn him and then eject. If his actions are an obvious attempt to show you up and serve no other purpose, then just run him. You are there to work a game and not stand there and be target practice for the snipers and peanut galleries, and I would say that you just found the president of that peanut gallery.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by scarolinablue

I went from having my best game (IMO) of the season last night (4-2 1:40 7-inning game between two local HS powers and rivals) to my worst game of the season tonight (18-13 3:15 uglyfest between a good 4A school and a so-so prep school in a spring break tourney). I say it was my worst game of the season because I felt my strike zone tonight was a tad on the inconsistent side, mainly on the low strike. Probably had 6-8 pitches that I muffed...maybe that's not too bad in this length of game, but I hate missing that many, or even feeling like I did.

First of all I do not think it is unusual to miss from 10-15 pitches a game. Now when I say miss pitches, I mean calling a couple of pitches strikes that should be balls and some balls that should be strikes. Now that number can change based on the ability of the pitchers and how many close pitches batters are letting go by. It is a lot easier when batters are swinging at the ball and not giving you as many chances to call pitches. I would not beat yourself up about that part of the game. If you have a game with 31 runs scored, that is a lot of batters and probably a lot of different pitchers with different styles and abilities to watch. That is not easy for even the best umpires to deal with. So if all you felt is you missed 6-8 pitches, that is pretty damn good.

Peace

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

First of all I do not think it is unusual to miss from 10-15 pitches a game. Now when I say miss pitches, I mean calling a couple of pitches strikes that should be balls and some balls that should be strikes. Now that number can change based on the ability of the pitchers and how many close pitches batters are letting go by. It is a lot easier when batters are swinging at the ball and not giving you as many chances to call pitches. I would not beat yourself up about that part of the game. If you have a game with 31 runs scored, that is a lot of batters and probably a lot of different pitchers with different styles and abilities to watch. That is not easy for even the best umpires to deal with. So if all you felt is you missed 6-8 pitches, that is pretty damn good.

Peace

I think that the plate umpire feeling he missed 10-15 pitches is a LOT.

[JRutledge]

What you think and what is reality are two different things. I know I probably miss pitches that I think I got right.

Peace

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

What you think and what is reality are two different things. I know I probably miss pitches that I think I got right.

Peace

If I think I got them right, in honest self-evaluation, well that's all that's important to me. I know when I've missed a pitch and I usually know whay I've missed it, too. 99% of the time it involves timing.