Parent/Umpire

[Blue37]

In the long post regarding the behavior of parents who are umpires, the following comment and reply were posted, then they were forgotten in the bigger dicsussion. Personally, I have no problems with a parent/umpire discretely advising his child's coach about a missed rule application, and am resurecting the posts with a genuine desire to see how other umpires feel about this issue. The names of the posters were removed in an attempt to keep the discussion from getting personal.

The comment:

Originally Posted by Redacted

What was really bad, Steve, was that he allowed the opposing pitcher tonight to continually pitch from the set without even a hint of a stop or discernable pause. I alerted Matt's coach to it and he went out and asked him why between innings. This mope told my son's coach that he doesn't have to stop or pause as long as he changes direction. I didn't say anything more though.

The Reply:

Originally Posted by Redacted

That's about as unprofessional as any sports official can get.

What's worse? A mope or a backstabber?

Unbelievable.....

Thanks for any feedback you provide.

[mbyron]

Sounds like Tim and Jurassic.

[Jurassic Referee]

I got redacted as a baby.

Never forgot it.

Never forgave the doctor either.

Or my parents.

[BigUmp56]

I think the only really subjective opinions you'll get are from those of us who wear both hats. It's easy to say that it's out of line for an umpire to ever bring something like this to light during a game the umpires son is particpating in. But before we make that judgment please consider what the umpires son has gone through to get deep into an end of season tournament. The long hours of practice, the sacrificed weekend get aways in order to play double headers on Saturday's and Sundays during the season. My son comes waaaaay before umpiring to me. When I saw the fruits of his labor being devalued by an incompetent hack I did what I thought was right as a parent. No, I'm not talking about the comment I made two years ago, this is about me alerting my sons coach to an obvious intent to deceive balk that wasn't being called.


Tim.

I see no problem with an ump/parent informing the coach of his umps team about a rules problem

What about an ump/coach. When he is coaching, can he not ask the umpire to apply the right ruling if a ruling is being misapplied?

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

I got redacted as a baby.

Never forgot it.

Never forgave the doctor either.

Or my parents.

It hurt so much that I couldn't walk for nearly a year or talk for nearly two.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

It hurt so much that I couldn't walk for nearly a year or talk for nearly two.

And I couldn't read or write until I was four.

[NFump]

We know, but what's your learning disorder got to do with being "Redacted"?

Ka-bong! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

[RPatrino]

Blue37, the coach didn't know that a pitcher has to come to a stop from the set position?

Fast forward to a game where parent/umpire just happens to be the partner of the above mentioned 'mope'. Or maybe you parent more then umpire?

[DG]

I have been a coach. Then I started umpiring and coaching (not in the same game obviously). Now I just umpire.

I don't think I would have any problem providing RULES assistance to my son's coach, only if he wanted it, during the game or after the game.

When I coached, I certainly had no problem attempting to explain a correct ruling to a fellow umpire if he was in the process of blowing it. Most of the time it was an umpire who did not work the same games I did and he did not know me as an umpire.

Hope that answers the question.

[Rcichon]

I hope if your sons' team lost that you advised him [Manager] to protest. Someone needs to know what this moron [Smitty] is doing.

I believe this addresses both questions.

The reply from the idiot [who is ignored so please dont quote] is more of a backstab than what transpired.

IMHO

[DG]

Originally Posted by fitump56

I think sons want to see their Father's going out to real work every day (not aimed at you unless you don't work), using their spare time to umpire.

Sons want to know their father is interested in them, and what they are doing. I don't think they look forward to seeing Dad go off to work. I hope my sons look forward to the day when I don't go off to work anymore.

Do you have sons?

[fitump56]

Originally Posted by fitump56
I think sons want to see their Father's going out to real work every day (not aimed at you unless you don't work), using their spare time to umpire. Not posting to forums all day ebery day continuosly for years on end.

Originally Posted by DG

Sons want to know their father is interested in them, and what they are doing. I don't think they look forward to seeing Dad go off to work.

Valid point.

I hope my sons look forward to the day when I don't go off to work anymore.

That will entirely depend on whether or not you become a homebody nuisance.

Do you have sons?

That umpire matter of fact.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

I think the only really subjective opinions you'll get are from those of us who wear both hats.

At one time I wore both hats too. I had a son that started as QB for his high school team while I was both evaluating and assigning football officials in that area. He also was the starting PG in basketball, and I was also assigning/evaluating that sport. He also played baseball in the spring/summer. I saw some officials in all 3 sports that just weren't very good. I also saw some very good officials in all 3 sports either miss or make a bad call on occasion. I shut my damn mouth though and refused to comment to non-officials on anything related to officiating. Why? Because it's (1) unprofessional as hell, and (2) backstabbing. Btw, I also refused to evaluate any officials who worked any of my son's games. I left that to other evaluators. That removes any hint of not having an objective evaluation. Quite simply, if I've got something to say to an official, then I'm going to say it to his face. I sureashell ain't ever gonna say it to a non-official.

If you want to help a rat over one of your supposed fellow officials, then you are a rat also imo. Did you ever think of going to your fellow umpire instead of the coach, and trying to help with that umpire's training? You know...telling your fellow umpire "Hey, you're mis-interpreting a rule. This is what the rule really says"? Wait....I'll save you the trouble. The answer is no, that thought never entered your mind. Instead of trying to help out or improve that "incompetent hack/mope", you threw him under the bus instead. You wanted to see your kid win, and to hell with any game officials that got in the way.

You still don't get it. After reading a few more of your comments in this and other threads, I don't think that you ever will get it either.

You won't believe this either, but when the word gets out about you, there's gonna be a whole bunch of umpires that won't want to work with you. It's a matter of trust. I know that from experience also.

That's my subjective opinion. Feel free to dismiss it.

[Blue37]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Did you ever think of going to your fellow umpire instead of the coach, and trying to help with that umpire's training?

Going to the umpire after the game is an excellent thing to do, but what if the error is correctable at the time? An incorrect base award immediately comes to mind.

I take it from a previous post you do not officiate baseball, but I seem to remember you do work basketball, so I will use a basketball example. The rule changed in high school a few years back regarding not shooting free-throws on a team possession foul. Assume it is in the last seconds of a tied game the first game of the first season of the rule change. The offensive post player pushes the defender in an attempt to get position. The officials forget about the rule change and signal a one-and-one for the other team. If an official/parent is sitting in the stands behind the bench, and he leans forward and whispers in the coach's ear to remind him of the rule change, is he a backstabber?