Umpiring Moment of the Year

[UmpJM]

Just to get back "on topic" (at least partially because, IMHO, the OP on this thread is the best post canadaump6 has ever made on this forum), I would say...

My most memorable experience this past season was getting assigned a Summer HS Varsity Regional playoff game between two schools who both have very good baseball programs and who also happen to be "cross-town rivals". This was the 2nd varsity game I had been assigned in my life.

I had the bases. Probably 20 pick-off & steal attempts during the game, many of them close, as well as a number of close plays on the bases on batted balls. Around the 4th inning, the pitcher catches the R1 leaning the wrong way and fires to 1st with a "low" throw. R1 recovers & dives back to 1B in a cloud of dust, but the F3 slaps the mitt on him before he can reach the base. I'm about to give F3 a "show me" when I see the ball lying in the dirt and step into a big "SAFE!!! Ball's on the ground!" I believe that everyone in attendance had initially thought the runner was out. Timing really is important.

Second most memorable was at a 14U travel game I did. I had done a couple of the home team's games earlier in the season. Decent game, lead goes back & forth a couple of times. Home team enters their last bats down 3 runs, manages to plate 2 and, with 2 outs, has the tying run at 2B & the lead run at 1st. I punch out the last batter looking at a called strike 3 to end the game.

As I promptly begin to exit the field, the home team head coach approaches. While I'm expecting to get something along the lines of "How could you call that...", he shocks me by telling me that he wanted to let me know he'd sent an e-mail to my assignor letting him know what a good job he thought I'd done in their previous games and letting me know that he hoped I'd be able to do some more of their upcoming games.

Kind of caught me by surprise, so I just said "Thanks" and left.

JM