Little League Problem

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Forest Ump

Great advise.

Varsity game last week. I called the runner safe at first. Hard sell, very loud. Jog out to B and low and behold home manager is coming out to see me. He gets up close and says "What did you see". I responded “Batter touched the base before the ball got there". He looks at me for about 3 or 4 seconds and starts walking away. He gets about 15 feet away and turns and says “You want to know what I saw". I said "Nope, not interested". Next time I'll just say no.

My oldest son, MTD, Jr., is a senior in H.S. and became an OhioHSAA Class 2 (jr. varsity and below) baseball umpire this year. Two weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon he was umpiring a boys' 14U travel team baseball DH at a diamond close (2.5 mi) to home while our assigner had me umpiring a girls' 12U ASA fastpitch softball DH not so close to home (25 mi). At the family dinner that night he told me how he handled the offensive head coach on a bang-banger at first base where he called the batter-runner out: The OHC asked him what he saw and Mark, Jr. calmly told him that he saw an out. The OHC stopped dead in his tracks and couldn't think of anything else to say. And the game resumed post haste.

By the way, Jr. made $80 for his DH, while his bald old geezer of an ol' man made $60 for the softball DH. There is no justice in this world, except that his monthy room and board fee went up $20.

MTD, Sr.