Buying yourself (and your partner) trouble
 

Worked an MSBL game last night on the bases. My partner is around fifty and has been officiating for quite a while. Unfortunately his mechanics have deteriorated to the point where his strike zone is suffering.

In the second inning he calls a high strike three. Batter and bench are all over him. Batter is openly hostile arguing toe to toe at the plate. Bench is going nuts. Plate ump allows the arguing. When I hear, "that's horse#$%" come from the bench I draw the line and tell them to knock it off. Being that I was the base ump I didn't want to be the one ejecting for arguing balls and strikes. However, had I been behind the plate I would have ejected the batter for sure and quite possibly the person in the dugout screaming about horse excrement.

Things simmer down a bit but three innings later a similar call sets the batter and his team off again. This time my partner finally gets around to warning them. Again, the arguing should have warranted an ejection.

Bottom of the ninth and the same team is trying to even up the score. Batter goes 0-2. Third pitch is a check swing. Partner comes to me and I signal out. All hell breaks loose. Batter comes down the line and I chuck him. Father of one of the players sitting behind home plate comes unglued (these players are all over 25) and starts screaming profanities and plate ump finally gets off his duff and tosses him. In the meantime I'm dealing with the bench threatening that one of them is next to go if they can't figure out how to be quiet. The result of another ejection would be a forfeit as they only had nine players left.

Anyway, the team calms down and ties the game. We go two more innings in this four hour marathon with the other team winning by one.

One of the problems with this league is that the same group of umps work the games year in and year out and become chummy with the teams. This makes it rough for some of the umps to dispense punishment when it's warranted. I believe that this is the case with what happened in the game. Plate ump, in an effort to be all things to all people, compromised his ability to do some of the less than pleasant functions of his job. His inability to nut it up in the second inning caused the huge problem in the bottom of the ninth and made it so I had to do his job for him.

What have we learned from this incident?

1. While it's ok for umps to be friendly with the teams this warm relationship should not compromise your ability to do your job.

2. By being too lax in your responsibiities you make it tough on the next group of officials who have a more normal view on rule enforcement and do not give the same lattitude.

I also do MSBL on Sundays in Las Vegas. I know alot of the players from doing there games from LL, HS, some that went to college. Then MSBL. They know that I have no problem ejecting them. When they argue balls and strikes and other judgement calls I offer them a umpire uniform to help us. I have also been known to tell them that they only play 1 game a week and that if I called a tight zone there games would go 5 hrs. They few times I might have a tight zone they will tell me Jim open that zone up.

[QUOTE=IceGator8]One of the problems with this league is that the same group of umps work the games year in and year out and become chummy with the teams. This makes it rough for some of the umps to dispense punishment when it's warranted. I believe that this is the case with what happened in the game. Plate ump, in an effort to be all things to all people, compromised his ability to do some of the less than pleasant functions of his job. His inability to nut it up in the second inning caused the huge problem in the bottom of the ninth and made it so I had to do his job for him.

What have we learned from this incident?

1. While it's ok for umps to be friendly with the teams this warm relationship should not compromise your ability to do your job.[QUOTE]

They aren't called rats for no reason. There is nothing to gain by being their "buddy" during the game. We're there to be impartial, and you can't be "buddies" with ANYONE and be impartial.

JJ

Do not umpire MSBL games.

They are by far the worst no matter if you call a great game or not. They are cry babys.

Pete Booth

"Guys, I am not going to listen to you argues balls and strikes today. If you want to play today, keep quiet and play ball" always seems to work. When it doesn't, the first ejection usually takes care of the rest.

I agree that MSBL tends to be a bit whiney, but it is still game management that gets you through it looking good. If you can't manage it, you probably shouldn't be doing that "level" of ball until you learn how to manage it.

I have plenty of "friends" and "buddies" that play MSBL too. I have tossed a few of them and we have a good laugh about it when we see each other away from the field.

It is starting to look like some of you around here can't handle ANY critical comments towards you.

Not really. Familiarity = contempt.


I have had this same issue before...old(er) partner, been umping since the earth cooled, EVERYbody knows/loves the old man, but he's been at it too long and when the game starts they run all over him and he can't/won't defend himself.

When it got bad I started ejecting on his behalf and cleaned up his mess, just to regain some semblance of control over matters. That's a 'team' aspect of umpiring, when your partner's failure reaches the point of threatening the game. It's a near last resort but if you gotta, you gotta....

I was never too crazy about MSBL and NABA games, as the players were usually former minor and major leaguers who still thought they were the greatest thing to ever come down the pike. I had these guys on short leashes as far as taking any BS.

I did really like working the Mexican-American adult leagues, however. They still whined and argued, but they always had some great Mexican food and cold cervezas after the games. You could be friendly with them and still throw them out of games when needed. Like rei said, we'd have a good laugh about it later over beer and other nice bennies :). I would never allow what the umpire in the OP allowed to happen.

No, familiarity breeds contempt. I always wear my Familiarity Condom :p .

Pfft, this is the IntardWeb age...... we use symbols now :p

Trust me, these players were over the line. My partner should have taken care of it.

Are you SURE you don't live in Birmingham ? 'Cause I'd swear I know this gentleman.....

I think we all know him. ;)

I won't do MSBL anymore, for all the reasons sighted above.

I do agree with Steve, the Mexican league games I have done have been fantastic. The level of play is pretty good, all the pitchers want to be the next Fernando Valenzuela. And, the after game picnic was a thing of beauty, I must say.

My comment was not directed at you per se.