Smittyisms

BigUmp56. I have a LOT of things to keep track of on the diamond during a game. I am going to see a LOT of plays throughout the year. There are going to be a LOT of "what if" scenarios.

The one thing that is going to be consistent is that I am going to call what I see. If a see a tag, or BELIEVE I just seen a tag, runner out. If I don't see a tag, or don't believe there was a tag, runner is SAFE.

It is as simple as that. I am not out there to make decisions based upon others perceptions. I am out there to call what I see.

There is NO PLACE in the rule book that says I must adjust my decisions on a tag attempt to assure the safety of the fielder applying the tag. That seems to be the main reason given for the "phantom tag" with a runner sliding in. A fielder who is well coached knows that he can move his lazy butt up the base line a bit and tag the runner on the leg if he is worried about a cleat in the hand.

I played baseball. I never once expected a tag attempt I made that was not actually a tag to go my way. NEVER. Most players accept this. Time and time again in college games where I see a lot more unsuccessful tags the fielder does his little "sell job" about not believing I didn't see the tag, but usually admits the next inning that he didn't actually put on a tag and sort of grins about the whole thing. What keeps his coach off my butt is that he usually tells the coach that he didn't apply the tag. Sometimes a teammate who has a great angle give the little signal to the coach that I actually got it right which avoids a big blow up.

On and on. I have mostly good experiences with just calling what I see (certainly, I am not going to suggest that I always see it right though! ). I have fewer arguements now about calls than I did when I was trying to "umpire by popular perception" of the play on the field. I can now sell my calls with conviction, and any coach who has had me twice knows that I am going to call what I see, both ways, consistently.

Also, I spell my username "rei", not "Rei". I will extend that same attention to detail while writing your username in a post.

[BigUmp56]

There is a difference then in how my association want's this called as compared to yours. We've always taught that our umpires should call the phantom tag to protect the fielder from being spiked in the hand or arm if the runner slides directly into the bag effectively giving himself up. If the runner does anything unusual like a hook slide for instance, we teach to look for the tag to be applied.


Tim.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by rei

Also, I spell my username "rei", not "Rei". I will extend that same attention to detail while writing your username in a post.

I apologize?


Tim.

[JRutledge]

I agree with you "rei" only to a point. Of course I want to see an actual tag, but working 2 man and sometimes 3 man mechanics, we are not always on top of the play to make a call. I am going to call most things with what likely happen. So if a throw clearly beats a runner and the runner slides directly into the bag, I am not going to nitpick that call. I will call what likely happen. Many times what likely happen is not always easy to determine when players do goofy things. I will also see I do not buy the safety issue that many buy into. I just know that when dirt is flying and the angle is bad, I am going to get outs when I can. But if a throw is bad and a slide is to avoid a tag, then I call completely what I see or what I think happen.

Peace

[charliej47]

I remember once doing a HS game where I was the PU and I was trailing the BR and the throw drew F3 into foul territory. As F3 came back to tag the BR, F1 blocked the view of BU I could not see the tag. I ruled the BR safe. The DC came out screaming about "How could I miss that tag!" I held up my hand and told the coach, "Your pitcher blocked my partner, it was a bad throw, I was trailing the runner and if you come out of that dugout again yelling at me today I will run you and at least one other person!" He stopped, accepted my explanation and asked me if I missed the tag. I stated yes I did not get the angle, but that does not excuse your behavior. The coach excused himself and went back to the dugout.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Last night in the Padres/Mets game, there was a play in which the ball was hit to F3 down the line and close to the outfield grass, and Il Duke Hernandez (or whatever his name is - F1 for Mets) covered first base. He was fed a perfect strike, yet Hernandez never came close to touching the base.

I rewound and played it over and over on my DVR just to be sure. He jumped completely over the base, not coming remotely close to the base. He then turned to run off the field along with his teammates, as this was the "third out." The umpire, using his delayed timing, waited until everyone was leaving the field to make the "out" call, like it was routine. Nobody argued, nobody complained, as the runner was beaten to the bag by 3 steps. The BR and first base coach for the Padres were talking after the play, but I don't know what they were talking about.

I guess this is another "neighborhood play" when the play isn't close at the base.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by charliej47

I held up my hand and told the coach, "Your pitcher blocked my partner, it was a bad throw, I was trailing the runner and if you come out of that dugout again yelling at me today I will run you and at least one other person!"

YGTBSM! You actually threatened to dump another person based on the actions of one coach?

How would you have decided which person you'd run for not doing anything wrong?

Just unbelievable..............


Tim.

[UmpLarryJohnson]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

YGTBSM! You actually threatened to dump another person based on the actions of one coach?

How would you have decided which person you'd run for not doing anything wrong?

Just unbelievable..............


Tim.

WOW, "charlie" is named WELL-- now you talk about making NIEGHBORHOOD calls and THIS guy wants to RUN PLAYERS who arent EVEN INVOLVED. WIERD.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by UmpLarryJohnson

WOW, "charlie" is named WELL-- now you talk about making NIEGHBORHOOD calls and THIS guy wants to RUN PLAYERS who arent EVEN INVOLVED. WIERD.

Hey LARRY. . .it's NEIGHBORHOOD and WEIRD. Just for your INFORMATION!!!

[jicecone]

rei,

I believe that 99.99% of officials go out there to do the best job they can with the tools they have. But I believe you are discussing specifics about calling the obvious, when most of us are talking in general.

It doesn't sound like your a nitpicker but if that is what you do, fine.

Any good college ball or semi-pro ball I did, you were expected to hustle and be in position, look professional, act professional and call the game "as expected" by the players and coaches. If there was no tag, you were also expected to make the right call.

I never worked MLB (somehow they missed my name), so I can not relate to what they do, nor do I officiate to expected standards (except those mentioned above) set by others in the Association either, as far as making the "expected call."

I believe we are talking about the "ordinary" here and not the "unusual."

However if you feel as though your job is to call the "unusual", ALL the time, (and I don't think you are), then all I have to say is remember, very ,very, very, very few people come to watch you umpire.

But if the shoe fits and it works for you, have a nice day.

"ordinary"? "unusual".

Holy cow! This is baseball we are talking here. There is ONLY "ordinary" and "unsual" things that happen! LOL

What I am saying is this. When I don't see a tag, I am calling safe, no matter WHAT it may look like. If a runner misses a bag and it is appealed, I will call the runner out. Etc...

If anybody cares to notice, I did say "if I believe I did/did not see" a tag, missed bag, etc... Of course I am out there just doing the best job I can. I know for certain that I will not get every call right, and that sometimes what I think I saw is not exactly what happened. That is why it is called a judgement call.

But to think I saw something and make a call contrary to that because of what I think everybody else saw? Never gonna happen here!

[Rich]

Originally Posted by rei

I started umpiring 21 years ago. Certainly, I umpired a long time in the "old skool" way.

So now the NCAA has this "Get the call right" concept going on. Great!

Here is what I have found.

Most coaches don't abuse this at all. If I seek help from my partner and the call goes against the coach who asked, they usually accept it and often will thank me for asking.

I have found too that many coaches are a LOT more accepting of the calls that seem to be "obvious" the wrong way (like it seemed like an obvious tag, except the fielder did not actually put the tag on). Some coaches I have talked to about this say "It is a good learning experience for the players".

MANY coaches I have talked to like that I don't call the runner out on the "neighborhood play" , and admit that they like that I call what I see, even if it goes against them.

One thing I have noticed about umpires. If it is for a strike or an out, you guys that subscribe to the "call the obvious ones the way everybody else sees it" are all for it. But when it concerns a ball or safe, you typically use the "we are out here for outs", and some even go as far as to say silly stuff like "Yeah, I missed it, but I missed it for an out!" complete with the wink.

Horsecrap!!! All of it is horsecrap umpiring.

I have moved on up the levels just fine calling THE GAME THAT I SEE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. Coaches, players, evaluators NEVER question my integrity, and players are usually quick to agree with my RIGHT call even though it went against them. They KNOW it will go both ways.

I do not find it that hard to call a consistent game just calling what I see. Are there arguements? Sure! But I don't have any more of them than the next guy.

If you think the neighborhood call, or the "ball beat the runner" call is a good idea, I first thought is you have become a dinasour in umpiring. It may still be "working" for you, but, you are losing the respect from players and coaches. Maybe you don't care about that. This would suggest you are on the downhill side of your "career" in umpiring.

Any of you "newer" guys that care to move up, consider your integrity before you subscribe to some of this old school thinking about umpiring.

Myself, I am proud to call a fair game, and have been rewarded for my hard work and integrity.

From another 21-or-so year guy: I couldn't have written it any better. Where I work college ball (only D-3 in my area) I call it exactly how I see it. I did call the runner safe for sliding into the back of the base last year and when the coach came out, that's exactly what I told him. I called a big missed tag in a D3 conference tourney this year and I expected to take grief for it, and the coach didn't even move out of his seat except to get on his fielder for sloppy play. Ten years ago, I would've called the runner out without a thought.

Now, do I go looking for a RCH's distance between the glove and the body? No. But the defense has got to do its job. Things have changed and the NCAA's "get it right" mentality along with the change in the show is responsible.

[Tim C]

I will freely attest to how rei calls games.

I worked an early spring high school game with him as my BU.

There was a play at third when the ball beat the runner by at least 15' . . . I am serious with that measurement.

rei had perfect timing and made a "safe" call . . . the defensive side went off.

The runner at third just happened to be F2 when he came out to catch the next inning.

I simply asked: "What happened down there on your slide."

F2: "He never tagged me -- then he lied to his coach and said he did -- I thought I would have been called out."

Regards,

[PeteBooth]

Publius]Umpires don't need math equations or the color-spectrum comparisons to make the call on tag plays. Just call what you see.

In the quiz II I presented earlier:

F8's throw beats the head-first sliding runner by a narrow margin,

IMO, the aforementioned is what is "getting lost in the translation"

The EXPECTED call IMO delas with plays in which the runner is out by a GOOD MARGIN not a narrow or close margin.

We are talking about plays in which the throw is "right-on" tag where it is supposed to be and the runner is out by some 3-4 steps not a Narrow margin. Whenever the play is close I think even the "old school" way is call what you see.

IMO, I think that is what is getting lost in this discussion.

Pete Booth