Future of Officiating

[Publius]

What Garth said.

Why do guys find the need to fight over the stick? Nearly all my partners and I resolve the position debate by flipping a coin in the dressing room. We respect each other and each other's ability without having to have some junior-high-like bravado show.

Nearly all the guys I know who display the "I'm the man, and the plate is MINE!" attitude in the dressing room are miserable pr!cks outside it. More than one of them has a FUBAR strike zone to boot.

[Rcichon]

work with a guy that is (or guys that are) push-overs. You most-likely will find yourself in a game that is tortuous and burdening.

You will have to cover your partners posterior repeatedly or face an unfair judgement of your game management skills.

Best to have a competent, self-assured individual that is unwavering and intrepid. Games will be much more smooth.
Mind you....self assuredness and competence can be misconstrued as ego, especially if the rat has a big one and is set to make the excuse of blaming game officials for his short-comings as coach or manager.

Of course, that never happens.

My $.02

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Rcichon

work with a guy that is (or guys that are) push-overs. You most-likely will find yourself in a game that is tortuous and burdening.

You will have to cover your partners posterior repeatedly or face an unfair judgement of your game management skills.

Best to have a competent, self-assured individual that is unwavering and intrepid. Games will be much more smooth.
Mind you....self assuredness and competence can be misconstrued as ego, especially if the rat has a big one and is set to make the excuse of blaming game officials for his short-comings as coach or manager.

Of course, that never happens.

My $.02

Sheeesh. Nobody argued that an umpire that can be walked over is desirable.

There is something between an overbearing pompous egocentric umpire and a dress wearing namby-pamby. Why do you guys have to argue in the extremes?

[Rcichon]

Originally Posted by GarthB

Sheeesh. Nobody argued that an umpire that can be walked over is desirable.

There is something between an overbearing pompous egocentric umpire and a dress wearing namby-pamby. Why do you guys have to argue in the extremes?

IOW: I agree.

[fitump56]

Originally Posted by Rcichon

Best to have a competent, self-assured individual that is unwavering and intrepid. Games will be much more smooth.
Mind you....self assuredness and competence can be misconstrued as ego, especially if the rat ..

Is justified when he finds out you call him that.

[ozzy6900]

Well I have no problem with what Tim was referring to. We too are assigned our positions when we get our games. So if I show up to a game where I am assigned to work the plate with a younger member and he takes out his gear wanting to do the plate, that fine with me! I welcome partners that come forward wanting to handle the dish because I've had more than my share of partners that:

• forgot their plate gear
• just did a plate 3 days ago and are tired
• have a bruise on their thigh and want to take it easy
• going to run a 5k tomorrow and don't want to get tired
• have a headache
• forgot their cup
• have a boil on their butt so they can't wear their jock.

You see, I was brought through the ranks as a "plate man" in the old days. Almost every assignment was the plate in the early years so I am so used to the dish, I used to treat being on the bases almost like being in exile! Of course now, I welcome the break when I can get it. But if the young buck forgot his gear again, I show him how the old fart can still get the job done!

Regards

[SanDiegoSteve]

My first year and a half umpiring I worked the plate almost exclusively, as most of my games were solo jobs. My partner was Harvey the Rabbit and I was Jimmy Stewart.

As I moved along, working 8 to 10 games a week, I would often have the plate for 5 or 6 of these games. We take turns working the plate here depending on who had it the last time you worked with that partner. Many times I would "owe" someone the plate. Sometimes it would just work out that it was my turn with everybody I was scheduled to work with. On days with multiple games with the same partner, we would of course rotate each game. But I know I've worked many more plates than bases over the years.

As much as I love working the plate, when it came time for me to have my turn on the bases, it was usually a welcome treat.