NCAA Softball Umpires

[etn_ump]

Steve,

You slay me!

[jimpiano]

Originally Posted by HokieUmp

You're kidding, right? Sure, the ball in SP is in play most of the time, 'cause the game's been slowed down so ANYone (even me) can play it. And it's only live until it gets back to the infield, where ASA (used to, at least) says to call "time."

But I umpired SP at a US base in Japan, and in a town beer league in Australia (teams had umps for each other), and there's no WAY it was harder work - virtually every call is obvious. And most every SP game I did had a 2nd ump present.

And my baseball games have required way more interpretation - or rather, more circumstances that required a interpretation - so I'm really not sure what you base this one.

I'd even argue the running 2x farther bit - maybe more running, if there's just one, but I think you overstate it. And I'm probably more inclined than others to be sympathetic to the softball cause, having also done FP softball in Hawaii for a couple years, too.

Three games vs.one
Ball in play on most ever batter
More plays, more situations, more action, and more chances for rules interpretations.

The baseball umpire has a tougher job on balls and strikes,

The softball umpire, in most leagues, has no partner.

[jimpiano]

Softball umpires work two to four games a night.

The baseball umpires, two of them, come to their one game after me and leave before me.

I deserve more money.

[jimpiano]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

This reminds me (on a tangent) of a middle of the road, backup soccer player in high school that quit and became a fencer (he was dating one I guess). Long story turned short, the kid picks up a fencing wand (stick, sword? ) and wins a state championship, individually, 2 months after just knowing how to put on equipment.

So baseball umpire : softball umpire :: soccer player : fencing player person

That never happened.

[jimpiano]

Originally Posted by VanStanza

I too am a person who umpires both baseball and fastpitch softball at a ratio of about 50-50. I have umpired both for about 12 years now, and have officiated both at a high level.
When I first began doing both, it was mostly out of necessity due to the low number of good officials in our area. Long story short, it has been 12 years of ups and downs with respect to my feelings for both games, and the umpires that work them.
I can, with honestly and respect for both games, agree that each game is very different with respect to the skillset required to do them.
A comment has been made that you need to be in better shape to do one game or the other. It has been my experience that you need to be in great shape to do a great job in either game. On one hand, in a softball game, the plays are quicker and shorter, requiring good instincts and reflexes. It is true that there are more bangers at 1st, and snap throws by catchers. In baseball, the plays take more time to develop, but the distances you must cover are greater. Your hustle to get to the best position is difficult, requiring good athleticism.
The mechanics (another topic many have touched on) are different for both. Many baseball umpires criticize the "robotic" mechanics. I think they are appropriate for the game in that they are crisp and uniform from official to official. I do not agree with some NCAA mechanics, and do feel they are over the top (check swing mechanic), but many look good. In baseball, many softball umpires criticize baseball umpires for their "lazy" mechanics. I believe that the mechanics, regardless of the game, need to be executed properly, and a certain level of personality can be injected into mechanics.

The bottom line....both games are great. Both games are challenging to officiate for different reasons. In both games, there are poor umpires (who think they're good) and there are great umpires.

On a final note, if you have never done a high level fastpitch softball game, or have never done a high level baseball game, you do not have the grounds to criticize the other game's officials. Have pride is one thing, being assinine is another.

Nice post.

The argument from here is only that softball umpires have to be is as good of shape as a baseball umpire to do a good job.

And, for most of us who do summer ball, the stress factor grows much faster in slow pitch since there is only one umpire.

[GarthB]

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Ahhhhhh. Technology. Gotta love it.

[UMP25]

Indeed. Same here.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Well, I don't have him on my ignore list, but trust me when I say you're not missing anything by not reading his posts. I will spare you any quotations!

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by GarthB

Ahhhhhh. Technology. Gotta love it.

I really should start using that feature.

You know, I've done slow pitch softball and on the whole, it is garbage. One umpire is probably sufficient for that "sport". I respect both the games of fastpitch softball and baseball. Slowpitch...well not so much.

Frankly I think the football scores are boring, as is the constant stream of base hits. I'll take a 2-0 pitcher' dual any game, even on the bases.

Edit: That said, I still respect all umpires. As I've said, I've done both sports and while I prefer baseball, I will never criticize a softball umpire. The mechanics and attitude towards calling games is different, but I guess variety is the spice of life or some other cliche such as that.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by GarthB

Ahhhhhh. Technology. Gotta love it.

Me too. Me too.

[ctblu40]

Originally Posted by jimpiano

Nice post.

The argument from here is only that softball umpires have to be is as good of shape as a baseball umpire to do a good job.

And, for most of us who do summer ball, the stress factor grows much faster in slow pitch since there is only one umpire.

Ummm... no, the argument was that softball umpires must be in better physical condition than baseball umpires.

And let me break some news to you. To work softball, an umpire needs to be in the same, if not better, physical shape as anyone needs to do baseball. If you don't believe it, you are only fooling yourself

Nice try though.

[greymule]

I have umpired countless baseball, SP, FP, and modified pitch games over the past four decades. At the top levels, SP is extraordinary. The players are extremely talented and constantly push the boundaries. And very few umpires can handle those games. Sometimes you feel like a single cop who has pulled over a biker gang.

However, as for regular umpire assignments, I agree that most of the SP games are garbage. This area was once a hotbed of SP, but if you attend a game now you'll see a bunch of overweight guys crushing pitches with their hot bats and trotting from base to base while the defense throws the ball who knows where. As an assigner, I had to cover a SP game a couple of nights ago, and a bunch of guys I used to play with (I'm 58) clobbered their opponents by 19 runs in 4½ innings. Nobody broke a sweat. At least the game took only 57 minutes. Yes, garbage.

Of course, many of the rec league FP games are pretty weak, too. But the atmosphere is usually positive and fun (in stark contrast to SP), even if you sometimes have to show the batter where to stand and the offense is limited to 5 runs an inning. On the other hand, there are practically unlimited high-quality FP games for good umpires to do.

We know that high-level baseball requires a great deal from an umpire, but of all the game assignments in a season, for what percentage would the assigner say, "This game requires two excellent umpires"? Baseball also has a disadvantage in that so many of the games are long and slow and, frankly, boring. I hate to say that, since I've loved baseball forever. But I stopped by high school game the other day (two middling teams), and after a couple of innings I couldn't stand it any more. Why does it take 15 minutes for three batters to make outs?

So at their high levels, baseball, FP, and SP are all good games that require competent officials. Perhaps it's a matter of which sport offers the most good games in your area.

[jkumpire]

When you say "SP at the top levels is extraordinary", what exacxtly do you mean?

Are there lots of close plays, tough calls, and great defense and hitting? I am trying to understand what you are saying here. From what I have seen, top level SP is really glorified HRD unless you have limits on homers.

I hope there are places where SP is a great game to work, I just don't see it.

[greymule]

Are there lots of close plays, tough calls, and great defense and hitting?

Absolutely. It's not HRD, since there hasn't been an "unlimited" game around here in almost a decade. But the best SP teams—and I admit they make up a very small percentage—are made up of fine athletes who excel in all aspects of the game. Many if not most were top-notch baseball players. They hustle, too. No trotting to 1B on singles. They take wide turns and keep going on the slightest bobble. Some of the infielders are astoundingly good. These are not the beer bellies of the stereotype.

Umpiring at that level of SP has nothing to do with umpiring most of the SP you see. These teams get into tournaments; they generally don't play in local leagues. Still, I think the long-term future of SP is in doubt.

I agree that you don't see much of the kind of ball I'm talking about. I played SP for many years on some pretty good teams, but at this point I don't care if I ever do another SP game.