CABA Tournament games at Cleveland Ohio
 

I took some time off to go watch my stepson play in the CABA tournament games in Cleveland, Ohio.

We Started the Round Robin series on Saturday and I will have to say that the umpiring have left a lot to be desired.

The Umpires all wore FED shirts and Heather gray slacks. Some wore two ball bags while others wore a single gray one. At least one has worn a belt with a silver tip during his game when he worked the plate.

I’ve watched the UMPs during the Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday games and I have to say that the pair I saw Monday night were a joy to watch. These two older gentlemen were true Pro’s that used very good mechanics and applied the rules consistently throughout the game. The PU used the scissors stance and was rock steady on his strike zone the entire game.

I must say these two were the only two who were consistent and up to the job.

If calling balls and strikes is only half the game, then most of the umpire I have seen at this tournament should only get paid half because that was all they did and they did that poorly.

if you have that big of a problem, then why didnt you umpire the games yourself?

Nice rant, feel better? If you have a secific issue to discuss, do so. If not, thanks, move out.

Nice rant, feel better? If you have a specific issue to discuss, do so. If not, thanks, move out.

I worked 5 of these games myself, and I was rock solid. Did you see me? ;)

Wow! A guy in the stands complaining about umpires. :rolleyes:

At least the interesting twist is he is doing it at an umpires BBS. ;)

Just curious, what's wrong with Fed Shirts and heather gray slacks. They are standard requirement for all high school games in Ohio. And since CVBA is little boys ( under high school age ) baseball, they should have been pleased to have high school umpires.

Just curious, what is wrong with two ball bags - if they match? MLB umpires wear two. Many college umpires I watch wear two. Heck, I wear two - and I have them in black and in blue.

OK the silver tipped belt probably wouldn't fly in a high school game ( shouldn't anyway ). But CVBA. . . . .?? It's little boy ball ( again, under high school age ), or maybe freshman at best. Is it THAT important in summer ball?

Just curious.
Of course it is just my opinion.

Not sure what the rest of the state does, but if you are in the Central District you are not supposed to wear OHSAA logo'ed shirts or hats in games that are not goverened by the OHSAA.

Our association has made this clear in meetings and follow-up emails throughout the summer. They even threaten folks with a potential $100 fine, so I guess they really mean it! So far I am unaware of anyone actually getting fined, even though I still see lots of OHSAA gear being worn for summer ball.

Tony,

Just as a point of information, the CABA World Series Tournament being played in Euclid, OH (near Cleveland) this week is the High School Age Division - falls between the 16U and 18U CABA tournaments. I'm guessing this is the CABA tournament the aptly-named Charlie is referring to. So, while CABA certainly does do "kiddie ball", it is most certainly not ALL kiddie ball.

As to the rest, I find myself puzzled by Charlie's observations as well.

I have no idea what a "FED shirt" is. Heather gray is a perfectly acceptable color for pants. Maybe he likes the Sage gray or darker MLB gray better.

I was taught that Navy, Black, or Gray ball bags were all acceptable, and the choice of wearing one or two (as long as they match & go with the shirt color) was a matter of personal preference.

While I would agree that the silver-tipped belt is "pushing the envelope" for an umpire, sartorially speaking, who give a f**k.?

I found it interesting that he chose to initiate a post generally bashing the umpires at this tournament, but the only thing he commented on was their attire - which, from his description, sounds entirely appropriate (other than the silver-tipped belt).

JM

I think you've got the wrong org. The games I worked were all 18 year-olds.

I was making some comments about the level of umpiring I saw for this tournament. I expected to see more consistent umpiring. I was commenting on the attire to draw attention to the level of skills and the level I expected to see from the umpires. I sat and watched a number of games and overheard the umpires making comments as they left the field. One such comment was "If it had been a closer game I would have call that". This was in reference to a slide into second base that broke up a double play where the runner slid out of the base path and no call was made. This was in the 7th inning that would have ended the game where the next play ended it anyway.

As a spectator I did not comment about what I saw there. We all comment on this board about what we see on the field when we go and work games.

As I stated, I took time off to go watch my son play. My son is also a registered Ohio baseball/softball class 3 umpire. After games where he plays, we will talk about calls and why they were made and what rules were used in making them.

We are out of the tournament and have left to come home. So I will not see the finals, but I hope the level of umpiring is better.

We all make mistakes and that is not what I am commenting on. I am commenting on the lack of rule enforcement poor mechanics I saw.

charlie,

CABA games are played under (modified) OBR rules and do not include a FPSR. As described, there was no violation and the umpire's "no call" was correct.

What the umpires say to one another after a game is their own business.

I still don't understand what you perceived to be improper about their attire (other then the silver-tipped belt, of course).

JM

Bretman, A Question
 

Is that your local association who fines guys? If so, I applaud them. In my part of Ohio limiting OHSAA stuff to HS would never fly, with good reason. But it is bad enough we have to buy branded uniforms in the first place, without havign to wear it all summer.

Do you think there are enough people in your association who would like to wear other colors than Navy in the spring that they would support as an association a request to OHSAA to change the uniform rule?

There were also CVBA games going on this last weekend on the far west side of Cleveland. THOSE games were little boy ball. Without any more geography specific in the OP, I thought that the OP was about those games. My apologies for the little boy reference to the Euclid, Ohio CVBA group.
I withdraw from the thread.

JK,

To the best of my knowledge, the fines would be leveled by our local association, and not by the OHSAA. I don't really worry about it too much because I have sprung a few bucks for plain shirts and hats!

I can't speak for our association as a whole, but my suspicion is that the members would be fine with loosening up the strict "navy blue, OHSAA logo" requirements for high school play.