Umpiring Moment of the Year
 

What memory from this year's umpiring season sticks in your mind? This is the place to list your best games, most funny moments and most memorable incidents. I'll start off by recalling a game at CDP where the coach called in a site convenor to appeal an unnannounced substitution. While this is totally legal, the team's scorekeeper, complete with a "CDP Grandpa" shirt came onto the field and argued to the convenor that the unannounced substitute hitter should be called out. The kicker was when the coach said "and he's been umpiring for 30 years as well". I thought of you guys at that moment and did my best to keep a straight face.

My favorite moment of the 2007 high school season was being selected to work the plate for the Iowa High School Class 4A Championship game. This was only my 3rd trip to the state tournament and I got to work the dish for the largest class. They play the tournament at Principal Park where the Iowa Cubs play. Beautiful field. At night, the state capital's dome illuminates in the background to create an awesome sight. I am hoping to get back to Des Moines again this summer.

My most memorable is a rules screw up I made. Won't forget that again, I promise you that. And, IMO, it should be my most memorable.

As far as incidents, a coach who I had already ejected once in the year telling my "partner" after a close call at 2nd that went against his team to "watch your partner out there" without any response from the PU other than "ok, coach."

Signing off for 2007, with some humor below

Tuss

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9...atexch2al9.gif

Mine
 

Is a 16U D5 playoff game I did with my eldest son.
I had the dish, he was BU. Pleasant game in almost all respects except for one mouthy daddy coach.

Bang bang at 1 for the final out of the game. BU called it right.

As we exit, daddy coach was too prolonged in his complaint.

I turned on my heel a mere 2 feet from the exit and toss him. With a look of astonishment, he says, "game's over, what are you gonna do now?"

Me; "I'm gonna go tell your Manager that you're banned from your next two games, which are your last two games of the season."

:)

I my area, an umpire would not be allowed to decide the amount of games a participant is disqualified.

Maybe that is his league's required suspension for an ejection?

As an (ahem) NCAA umpire, no doubt you are aware that there are times when it is the umpire's job to notify a coach or player of his punishment, e.g. when a coach makes physical contact with the umpire, the umpire ejects him and informs him, "That's a suspension."

Perhaps that practice is in place where Rcichon works.

I worked my first HS State Tournament. Hopefully I'll earn more opportunities! Not in the State Tournament, but I also had my biggest rule f-up of my career...never to happend again.

Two high points of 2007: First was working with two of my best friends in an exhibition game between our local AA MiLB team and a local D2 college.
Second was advancing to the semi-finals in the High School playoffs.

I interpreted from the way Rcichon's post was written that he was deciding the punishment. If that' common practice in his area or if Rcichon was only notifying the "daddy coach" about the required punishment of his being ejected, I stand corrected.

I am just a bit confused here.

Was this a triple-elimination playoff game? If it was a playoff game, and the team with the ejection lost, wouldn't that be the end of their season? How come they still have two games left? Isn't the regular season already over if it's a playoff game?

And just out of curiosity, how come your son didn't eject the coach since it was his call that was being argued?

Just asking for some clarification. Thanks.

I was PU for my second game of the HS season. 1-0, winning pitcher pitched a one hitter with about 10 K's, the other a three hitter with about 8 K's. One hour 15 minutes. Great game.

I also worked a HS game with my son where he tossed a coach. I was PU, close play at 1b, runner was banged, asst coach goes nuts and my son tossed him, instantantly Catcher turns to me and asks "what happened?" I say "I don't know but it he must have said something personal or profane because it sure wasn't prolonged". That was memorable.

mine was monday, july 9th.

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:D

Day or night game?

night game on getaway day before the all star break. ridiculous.

in case you have follow up questions...

Weather: 97 degrees, clear.
Wind: 7 mph, R to L.
T: 3:34.
Att: 2,481.

You worked a Florida Marlins game?

Wait, that's like 2,000 too many in attendance. Never mind.:p

I forgot to mention, working the Right field line at the AA Eastern League All-Star game was pretty cool.

It was so foggy out nobody could see anything and the job was actually pretty difficult. The game, played after the derby, was stopped after 2 innings due to the fog.

A thanks goes out to the umpire in our association that took me under his wing for an enjoyable experience (including the mentoring on the car ride).

Mine is my first National Championship. My first plate game of the tournament started at 10pm and was suspended at 12:15 am and continued 8 hours later. Had two games go into extra innings, one coach's interference, two time plays, and nearly a coach's fight.

Playoff Plate
 

September 5. Worked the Plate in Game 2 P/O game.

~Sigh~
 

Most memorable?

Reading the tripe by CanadaUmp!

That would be doing the bases at a Cal Ripken game where the home team dragged a umpire out the bar,wanted to be able to run on dropped third strikes and didn't understand obstruction when the F6 ran over a runner trying for third.:eek:
Or maybe it was the first game of the season where the home team won a one hit game against a state finalist from 2006. Single home run was the only hit the team produced all day.Final 1-0.:D

Toss up for me -
#1 While in Venezuela for a Team USA tournament, I got to ride a local bus 10 hours over two-lane road in 90 degree temps with no air conditioning and Mario Andretti driving (we went from one tournament city to another), OR

#2 On the same trip I got to ride (with two of the teams) BACK from one city to the other on a HUGE Venezuelan military transport plane. WAY cool!

JJ

My # 1 is waking up this morning to find my Holiday Wishes thread closed because instead of being used to promote a joyous season's greetings, it got used for a petty argument.:mad:

any time i think i might be surprised about what a thread contains or the path it goes down, i look up at the address bar and say to myself, "oh yeah, im on official forum, this is standard posting procedure"

After all the scraps you've been involved in, after all your posts that have been deleted by management, this is your number one?

Wow. I'm flattered.:D

That said, Steve, I do apologize to you and other posters on this forum for letting my intolerance of lying get out of hand.

My respect and appreciation for MiLB umpires and what they endure to remain MiLB umpires precedes my son's involvement in the professional ranks. It goes back to my first fill-in at a MiLB game 70's. After witnessing what great young men those umpires were on and off the field, I was both impressed to learn what they went through, how they lived, and how hard they worked to get to where they were and where they hoped to be.

My intolerance for lying has been with me all my life, but was amplified after a subordinate's lie cost my company and me personally, thousands of dollars and the loss of several clients. And, make no doubt about it, misrepresentation of the truth, is a lie.

When one adds a title to one's signature, whether it is MD, PhD, EdD, Attorney-at-Law, whatever, it is perceived as part of a resume and statement of "This is what I am." People can perform all the moral and verbal gymnastics they want to justify misrepresenting themselves in this manner, but it is what it is. (Grandpa Appleton once told me "You can put perfume on a cow-pie, but it's still sh!t.")

I know from many emails, that I am not the only one annoyed by Michaels use of MiLB in his signature. I am, for better or worse, the only one who gets annoyed to the point that silence is not an option.

Michael, and anyone else who inflates his signature, for that matter, know exactly how it is interpreted. They apparently need that kind of validation in lieu of real ability, or lack of confidence. If he were truthful, he write, "MiLB-fill in", if he really is or was.

If he were confident in his abilities, he'd write nothing. I know of at least six, and counting Michael, maybe seven posters here who have worked as fill-ins at the one MiLB level or another. Guess how many feel the need to list what they have done or continue to do?

I have filled in for a friend who teaches an evening class in Jazz History at a local university. He is a full professor with PhD and that is the rank and education required for his position. Should I include "Professor of Jazz Studies" with my signature even though I do not qualify for the title and don't have the required training?

I suppose reminding people that Michael is, at best exaggerating, isn't really necessary. One only need to read his writings on rules and mechanics to see that he doesn't have the training or knowledge to an MiLB umpire.

With that off my chest, I'll go back to just being amazed at how brazen he is, in silence, and understand that his track record indicates he can't be trusted.

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My best moments in umpiring:

1. Working a three-man AAA Legion game with my two sons.

2. The first time I watched my younger son work as a real MiLB umpire.

Give it a rest Garth. He put MiLB in his signature with no harm intended. The professional umpires you defend probably couldn't care less if someone claims to be an MiLB umpire. They'd probably laugh at a non-professional speaking for them. Quit being so self-righteous and let the pros decide if putting MiLB in a signature is something to make an issue of.

I can see where those situations would be a toss up. Which of the two do you consider to be the most brutal?

Those certainly are moments to be proud of and thank you for catching my typo per your #30 post in this thread.

This year my best moment this year was being able to get back on the field and umpire after two major cancer surgeries and months of chemotherapy.

Canda, my boy, once again you know not of what you speak. To date I have heard from six active MiLB umpires who think he's an idiot for listing MiLB without actually being an MiLB umpire. Why don't they come on and tell him? They are prohibited by contract from posting on these forums.

Additionally two former MiLB umpires have emailed me agreeing that his practice of putting MiLB in his signature is, at best, misleading, partly because he's the only one who thinks it means what he claims. One has suggested that he thinks Michael worked during the strike.

The best comment I've gotten from them is that most everyone will recognize him as a phony when they read his posts.

If having zero tolerance for liars is self-righteous little one, than I am indeed guilty.

Riddle me this, Caped Crusader:

Why are they prohibited from posting on this forum, but not prohibited from posting on Hunter Wendelstedt's forum?

The prohibition applies to all sites. Bobbybanaduck surmises that some of them haven't read the fine print of their contracts.

Other than that, I have no idea.

Why?
 

Make it 6 Garth. I find it ridiculous for someone to portray themselves as someone who works at a level they do not. By being arrogant towards others does not make you look better either. Just be yourself and move on.

Are there major league guys posting on Hunter's forum, who are bound by a different contract? We've all heard the MiLB guys aren't allowed to post, but does MLB make its umpires play by the same rules?

Hunter is the only MLB umpire I have seen on the forum. The other pros are minor league instructors and umpires.

I stopped posting there when some guy came on and flooded every thread with TWPs. I became too much for me. Perhaps I'll go back and check and see if it's still the same.

Such is the case.

Regular season playoff. They won this game. If they lose the next, then they still have one more. FYI they won the season without daddy coach.

He was still a little too junior to fully understand what daddy coach was trying to do. I guess you HTBT.

When you have accomplished something in you life, that you spent a great deal of time, money and effort to achieve, then spend years proving yourself time and again, only then will you understand. Until then it's beyond you.

I just happen to agree with Garth on this one. I truly have no tolerance for a liar, cheat or thief.

My best moment would be to see an end to this ridiculous thread!

My umpiring moment of the year was at a 15 and under girls softball tournament. I go near the backstop, take off my base pants, put my jock on over my underware, then put my plate pants on........no, wait, that wasn't me......nevermind.

Now that's funny !

Most memorable moment:

The six ejections in five minutes (as discussed in an earlier thread ).

great day
 

I got called on my cell to do a make-up double header. I said, ok. The secretary asks if I can get a partner...Sure, let me call acouple of guys. I called Rick and he said, sure but there won't be any games. The severe thunderstorm will hit within ten minutes of game time.

We each got a check for $95 for standing in the dugout watching the AD follow the radar on his blackberry. It rained so hard that we could not even see the other dugout.

Joe in Texas

It was not just one event but a series of events for me that stuck out in 2007. I had perhaps the weirdest series I've ever worked when I worked a 3-game weekend conference series with Bob Jenkins (doubleheader on Saturday, single on Sunday). The two schools were rivals in the CCIW Conference, and they happened to be two area teams, so they were quite familiar with each other. Moreover, the head coach of one team used to be an assistant at the other school. While there was no bad blood between the two teams or staffs, there were a myriad of freak plays, weird occurrences, rulings, you name it. I even had an ejection in game 1 of the series. It occurred early in the game, too.

To tell you how weird it was, Bob and I had a bunch of whackers and weird plays in the first two innings of the first game! We knew then we were in for one helluva series! I'm sure Bob would be happy to elaborate on specific plays. :D

BTW, when the 2008 schedule came out, I put Bob and me on the same series. We figured we're gluttons for punishment, and like one of my colleagues told me, "With Bob and you on the field, there's no way anybody can get a rule past you guys!" :)

Ump25,

Isn't that kind of like saying Michael Jordan and Will Perdue combined for 46 points in the game? :rolleyes:

JM

Actually, I'd liken it to having Jim Evans and Chris Jaksa on the same game. :)

Or Wayne Gretzky and younger brother Brent are the highest scoring sibling duo in the NHL. Brent: 1 goal, Wayne: all the rest. :D
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My two memorable moments:

1) EJ of former major leaguer, Mike "Tiny" Felder, after which he says, " Do you even know who I am?", I said, "sure Mike, you're the guy who warms up the bus today".

2) Plate, NCS Semi-final Playoff game, location is Mayberry RFD, drive time is 8 hours round trip, game time is 70 minutes. Dinner at Applebee's, priceless.

Or Henry and Tommie Aaron...... :p

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

Coach JM's experience reminds me of one I had last year. Regional championship tournament round robin game between two neighbouring cities, that have a good rivarly with one another. It was more or less an average ball game at the start, with team A taking the lead. Team B (losing) coach comes up to me between innings and mentions "you've called the best game of this tournament so far". A little bit later, team A coach (still winning) says "you're all over this guys curveball; it's nice to not have some old bag who won't call the curve". I mention to him that people miss curveballs because they miss it way too quickly.

Team B would later have a comeback to tie the game, we would go to extra innings where team A walked off with the win. It was just a really intense game with variations in tempo. I thought it was neat that both coaches appreciated my work, and doubt they were saying it to suck up to me.