partner????? i guess not...

[newump]

i had the plate at an american legion game tonight. good crowd and good teams. my partner is a veteran high school umpire who happens to be the president of a local high school association (not mine).

bottom of the first, no outs, R1. ground ball to F4, he flips to F6 for the force and F6 attempts to relay to first to turn the DP. R1 clearly slides out of the base line in an attempt to disrupt F6. both of R1's legs are on the outfield side of the bag. he reached out with his left hand to grab the bag. He was out and BR was safe at first. I was close to the mound watching the play develop at 2nd and immediately called interference and indicated that BR was also out due to FPSL. text book call.

3rd base coach - (head coach) and 1st base coach descend on me and both are eventually ejected after lengthy arguments. they both hit the magic words - "you suck" and "you're an *******" they then con'td to rant and rave and refused to leave the field. my "partner" did not budge from the "A" position the entire time. i tried walking away, turning my back, ignoring the coaches, threatened forfeit, etc. my "partner" never once came to my assistance. this lasted at least 10 minutes. eventually, we realized that the team did not have any additional coaches remaining - i declare a forfeit. on my way off of the field i'm cursed at and bumped by a player - i eject him. a fan refuses to let me out of the field and threatens me, the asst coach follows me into the parking lot and another fan acosts me at my car. never once did my partner say a single word or take a step in my direction to assist me.

this coach has a reputation for being an a..hole. i've never had any issues with him in the past. but, i think my partner was actually afraid to get involved!!!

i still can't believe it all went down the way it did.
i've sent an ejection report to my assignor and the league commissioner.
any suggestions with how i should deal with this "partner" in the future?
i've just starting doing college ball, so i don't really deal with him much at all during school ball.

[LMan]

:shrug:

Sorry for your trouble.



..............

[DG]

Originally Posted by newump

any suggestions with how i should deal with this "partner" in the future?

He ignored you so....

On the situation, toss the assistant as quick as you can and deal with the manager. 10 minutes is way too prolonged an argument. 2 minutes tops...

[newump]

i tossed them both after a minute or two. everything else after that was post-ejection and pre-forfeit hoopla.

[budjones05]

Originally Posted by DG

He ignored you so....

On the situation, toss the assistant as quick as you can and deal with the manager. 10 minutes is way too prolonged an argument. 2 minutes tops...

Your partner ran you over, back up and ran you over again. But 30 seconds tops. 2 minutes is way too long in my book

[Jim Porter]

What were you doing out by the mound and why would you make a call that's not yours?

[newump]

are you kidding?

2 man system.

not my call?? please.

[DonInKansas]

Originally Posted by newump

are you kidding?

2 man system.

not my call?? please.

Actually, any INT at 2B on a possible double play ball is the PU's call. You're supposed to be following the ball to 1B.

[Jim Porter]

Okay, well I've been out of baseball for a few years. I guess things have changed.

Back a few years ago the proper mechanic for the plate umpire with R1 on any batted ball was to move up the third base line -- not out to the mound.

Never heard that interference at 2nd is the PU's call. I don't care for that. No reason the BU can't make that call.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by DonInKansas

Actually, any INT at 2B on a possible double play ball is the PU's call. You're supposed to be following the ball to 1B.

Well Don, he said that he was the plate umpire, and the INT at 2nd was his call. The BU is supposed to be following the ball to 1B.

I would not want to work with any umpire who doesn't have the balls to stand up to any game participants. He should have been insuring you a one-on-one conversation with whoever was in charge after each ejection, not standing out at "A" chewing seeds and kicking dandelions. A good partner has your back regardless of what he thinks of your calls on the field.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Jim Porter

Okay, well I've been out of baseball for a few years. I guess things have changed.

Back a few years ago the proper mechanic for the plate umpire with R1 on any batted ball was to move up the third base line -- not out to the mound.

Never heard that interference at 2nd is the PU's call. I don't care for that. No reason the BU can't make that call.

That's strange Jim, as I've been umpiring since 1986, and at least since then it has always been the plate umpire's call on INT at 2nd base when there is a throw following the play. If F6 had not made the throw to first base, then the call remains with the base umpire. The reason the PU takes the call on a throw is that many times, the INT happens after the throw, when the BU has already turned with the play.

[Jim Porter]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

That's strange Jim, as I've been umpiring since 1986, and at least since then it has always been the plate umpire's call on INT at 2nd base when there is a throw following the play. If F6 had not made the throw to first base, then the call remains with the base umpire. The reason the PU takes the call on a throw is that many times, the INT happens after the throw, when the BU has already turned with the play.

Is this a FED thing? How can you have interference that the BU can't see after the throw?

[newump]

thanks SDS. i was PU, and obviously, it was my call.


if F6 eats the ball and does not make the throw to 1st b/c of the INT - i imagine that call is open to PU or BU - right?

[DonInKansas]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Well Don, he said that he was the plate umpire, and the INT at 2nd was his call. The BU is supposed to be following the ball to 1B.

D'oh...re-read it, and saw I skimmed over the first words. All I saw was "out near the mound," so I guess I assumed he was BU. Guess this round's on me.....

[Jim Porter]

You know, I'm thinking about this even more because I'm perplexed, and I can even remember learning the mechanics quite clearly. Not only was I taught to clear the catcher and move up the third base line as PU, but I was also taught as BU not to drift and anticipate the back-end of the double play so that I would be in position to see and call any possible interference.

I've never heard of a PU clearing the catcher and coming out to the pitcher's mound. I've also never heard that the PU's responsible for interference on the front end of a double play. Both of those are news to me.

Is this a result of me coming from a backward OBR state? Or have I been doing it wrong for 20-something years?