Buying yourself (and your partner) trouble

[Tim C]

Canada:

Let me explain something:

When I first heard of "internet umpire message boards" it was explained to me that these boards were the same as a group of umpires sitting around a favorite watering hole sharing an adult beverage and talking about "stuff."

That was exactly what I was looking for: a group of people with a common "hobby" that could interface about an entire spectrum of ideas, concepts, thoughts and passions.

In my neck of the woods I don't remember a time when the conversation of the group of umpires didn't drift off to subjects such as hunting and fishing, family, girl friends, movies or other extraneous items.

It seems that every time a thread on this site moves off to some off direction you always complain. Tell me: if you were sitting in a group of umpires after a tourney final talking umpiring and someone started talking about Tiger Woods would you tell them "get back on subject!"

I have a small suggestion: when a thread goes a direction you don't care for just quite reading it.

Just like any group of people we have various interests and hot buttons . . . maybe you take this whole thing to seriously.

Regards,

[SethPDX]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

If you are really a psychology major, you probably do...just not under that label.

It's been around for decades and recently repackaged and sold to the gullible who just discovered the sun comes up in the morning.

Really? From what I've heard it seems to be helpful.

So people who don't know as much as you are now gullible? Hmm...

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by SethPDX

Really? From what I've heard it seems to be helpful.

It is, and has been for at least the past 60 years.

So people who don't know as much as you are now gullible? Hmm...

Never said that. I implied that anyone believing it was something new or even something that much of the world didn't already use in some form or another was gullible.

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

It is, and has been for at least the past 60 years.



Never said that. I implied that anyone believing it was something new or even something that much of the world didn't already use in some form or another was gullible.

Did anybody state that they believe that? Or was your post simply a way to take stabs at somebody bringing up the concept?

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

If you are really a psychology major, you probably do...just not under that label.

It's been around for decades and recently repackaged and sold to the gullible who just discovered the sun comes up in the morning.

So again, I ask the fair question, was this post just an attempt at starting a flame war? I am not sure how this post was constructive in the conversation that was ongoing, and seemed to be going along great until this post. You see, people were just discussing how to do game management for adult leagues. I brought up Verbal Judo. You post this stuff about it being recycled stuff for the "gullible who just discovered the sun comes up in the morning".

Tell me, do you bait coaches like this? My bet is you do.

[canadaump6]

Tee,

My complaint was due to the fact that the thread will soon be locked. I have no problem with discussions going off topic now and then.

[Pete in AZ]

I don't get it. If my partner opens his mouth to the dugout on a chirp about balls and strikes he is going to hear it from me after the game. That is what I expect to see from newbies and screwups, not guys who are working MSBL. Around here those leagues are filled with ex college and former MiLb guys. Sure they whine and act like chicken**** some times but I don't need my partners heaping more on the plate. This incident sounds like the base ump overreacted. I'll take the slow trigger over the kid who thinks he's ready for more but shows otherwise everytime.

You can be friendly without being friends to these guys too. I don't say nice hit or great catch like I've heard before, but I have been known to smile at a guy who says nice to see you again blue. Knowing when too much is not good separates some of us from the rest.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Pete in AZ

I don't get it. If my partner opens his mouth to the dugout on a chirp about balls and strikes he is going to hear it from me after the game. That is what I expect to see from newbies and screwups, not guys who are working MSBL. Around here those leagues are filled with ex college and former MiLb guys. Sure they whine and act like chicken**** some times but I don't need my partners heaping more on the plate. This incident sounds like the base ump overreacted. I'll take the slow trigger over the kid who thinks he's ready for more but shows otherwise everytime.

You can be friendly without being friends to these guys too. I don't say nice hit or great catch like I've heard before, but I have been known to smile at a guy who says nice to see you again blue. Knowing when too much is not good separates some of us from the rest.

The typical MSBL umpire is a screwup.

[IceGator8]

Originally Posted by Pete in AZ

I don't get it. If my partner opens his mouth to the dugout on a chirp about balls and strikes he is going to hear it from me after the game. That is what I expect to see from newbies and screwups, not guys who are working MSBL. Around here those leagues are filled with ex college and former MiLb guys. Sure they whine and act like chicken**** some times but I don't need my partners heaping more on the plate. This incident sounds like the base ump overreacted. I'll take the slow trigger over the kid who thinks he's ready for more but shows otherwise everytime.

You can be friendly without being friends to these guys too. I don't say nice hit or great catch like I've heard before, but I have been known to smile at a guy who says nice to see you again blue. Knowing when too much is not good separates some of us from the rest.

Are you speaking of the original post or one of the replies?

[IceGator8]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

The typical MSBL umpire is a screwup.

Come on. This comment is a load and you know it. It is possible that in your area the MSBL uses inferior umpires but to apply that to leagues across the country is a stretch.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by IceGator8

Come on. This comment is a load and you know it. It is possible that in your area the MSBL uses inferior umpires but to apply that to leagues across the country is a stretch.

You are correct. Here they don't let you do any adult baseball unless you've been around awhile and know what you're doing. They don't send the screwups because they know they'll be eaten alive by the douche bags that play in these leagues. If you work adult ball here, there are liable to be anywhere from a couple to 5 or 6 former minor and big league players in any given game (depending on the level), as well as former college players, and they don't put up with bad umpiring.

If you can't umpire, it gets back to the assignment secretary, and you don't work the adult baseball anymore. Out here, if you suck, you do low-level youth ball and JV games only. The better umpires get the varsity, palomino and adult league games.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by IceGator8

Come on. This comment is a load and you know it. It is possible that in your area the MSBL uses inferior umpires but to apply that to leagues across the country is a stretch.

We don't have MSBL here, but I have worked some MSBL tournaments as an out of town umpire on a subsidized vacation.

[PeteBooth]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

You are correct. Here they don't let you do any adult baseball unless you've been around awhile and know what you're doing. They don't send the screwups because they know they'll be eaten alive by the douche bags that play in these leagues. If you work adult ball here, there are liable to be anywhere from a couple to 5 or 6 former minor and big league players in any given game (depending on the level), as well as former college players, and they don't put up with bad umpiring.

It all depends upon availability.

The adult league games are NOT our Bread and Butter.

The bread and butter leagues are

1. Legion ( we get all their regular season games plus tournaments)
2. CBL - Collegiate Wood bat league.
3. 19 and under -These are teams which are not in Legion but have high quality Varsity players and first year college players.
4. The youth leagues ranging from 17 and under to 12 and under. All Regular season games plus tournaments


In other words the mens leagues are 'last on the totum poll" meaning the more advanced level umpires are covering the "bread and butter leagues" mentioned above. It's been my experience that you can send Gerry Davis and his ML umpiring crew to a mens league game and it wouldn't make any bit a difference. The mens league would say that Gerry Davis et al suck just like they do your average Jo Smo.

The only reason (until this year - Thank God) that we even serviced the mens league is because no one else would. This is the first year we do not service them and as mentioned Thank God. Yes you have some decent players but any decent college player is playing in the CBL league not some beer league.

There were certain teams that we used to have over / unders on meaning how many would get thrown out today. The winner bought the brew on the way home.

and they don't put up with bad umpiring.

and they do not put up with good umpiring either.

Pete Booth

[Publius]

This thread shows again how different baseball is in different parts of the country.

Where I live:

The adult leagues (+30 & +40) generally are fun to work, with the exception of Musial (+18), which I will not do for any money. The caliber of play is far below what the players think it is, and good umpires are rare. They'd rather golf and pay $60 than earn $60 listening to whine, whine, whine every night.

All, and I do mean all, the better college players head for the coasts. Even the second-liners play CICL, Great Lakes or NBC. Our college league consists 90% of D3, JUCO and future (HS grads who have signed, but have yet to play a college game) players.

U18 summer ball is vastly superior to HS ball, both in quality and in pay. I understand in most parts of the country, that is rare on both accounts.

The HS fall league pays 20% more than HS varsity, largely because once football starts, they'd be umpiring their own games otherwise.

Blanket statements concerning the quality of both specific leagues/levels of baseball and umpiring that are intended to encompass what one finds throughout the USA are either careless or ill-informed. What you find varies greatly by region, and even within regions.

[DG]

Ny experience here is that adults over 30 are happy to still be playing and those over 40 are really happy to still be playing so neither give a lot of grief to umpires. The problem with adult league is the under 30 crowd who think their sh*t don't stink and they should all be playing in the BIGs. They just don't get it.

Although it has been several years since I have worked a 60 foot game, or an adult league game for that matter, it is infinitely more enjoyable to work games with some 12 year old kids and 38 year old coaches who don't talk much than work games with 25 year old kids who like to hear themselves talk loudly.

And games last forever in adult league...