It is time to say, look at the source! Don't bother, L.A.! This guy is more than likely a previously removed poster trying to get a rise out of us.

You're so right.

... So, how you been, Ozzy? And just so you know, I always took your quote at the bottom as a quip and not your credo. ;)

We weren't tearing each other apart...but we are ripping you a new one.

Don't try to spin this one. If you were serious in your post, you were wrong.

Perhaps not. He has been a member since April of 2006, with 49 posts. I think he was dead serious, unfortunately.:(

I always wonder how people have spent their entire officiating career working subvarsity games at tiny schools and wonder why they aren't getting varsity games at larger schools. People are always watching and listening.

I've gotten my "big breaks" working games for rec leagues (be it wooden bat leagues, men's leagues, etc) and someone of importance just happen to be there to watch their son/nephews/etc. I quickly went from working subvarsity high school games to working interstate high school varsity rivalry games and competitive woodbat championship games (in a few short years). It's amazing what a little hardwork, good attitude, willingness to learn hustle, and ethics will do for a student of the game.

-Josh

No, we would have expressed our sympathy to the coach for getting a good old fashioned screwing by a useless umpire with no sense of ethics..........


Tim.

Holy cow! I have not read this much malarkey in years!

The depths of hypocrisy here is astounding!

There is NOT ONE OF YOU who haven't done this very thing. There are two types of umpires in this world: Those who have called a "safe" out because of a blowout; and those that lie and say they haven't!

Time to put away the soap boxes men. Seriously, most of these posts reflect badly upon you, and are plain ridiculous. Save your arms for strikes, instead of patting your own backs for your "integrity". :rolleyes:

I agree with the posts comparing "opening the zone" to "calling a close safe an out". It is all "cheating", and ALL of you have done it. Get real!

I am not a fan of calling things differently because of the score. The truth is though that the "close ones" ARE going to go for the benefit of getting the game done when it is a blow out. MANY MANAGERS AND COACHES WANT THIS!!! What I was taught is that this has to go both ways though! You open the zone for one team, you open it for both. Hell, the CCA manual even covers this! The NCAA standard for plate work has a section "knows when and how to expand the zone for a blow out". Nope, it doesn't cover the "banger" at 1st.

I KNOW that every single one of you will and/or bias your close calls if a certain team/manager has been all over you. It is human nature. You may call them safe to keep them off your back, or out to "screw them". ALL of you have done it one way or another. To pass harsh judgement on the guy that just admitted to it the way many of you have is some of the worst displays of hypocricy I have ever seen! :mad:

On the other hand, with metal bats, anything less than 10 runs is "close" in my book. So, a 9-1 ball game IS still the time to be altruistic. A little common sense helps.

To the original poster. I am not going to say you were wrong to call it this way. I WOULD NOT EVER admit it to a coach. That is career suicide. I will give you points for at least being smart enough to realize that. But, some great points have been made about biasing calls like this. Don't write all of these guys off. I think the right intention is there.

With all due respect, there is a big difference between opening up the strike zone and blatantly calling a play the opposite of what you observed. Opening up the strike zone (of course equally) is a way to help both teams with struggling pitchers. If one team is struggling, I may still open it up but I sure and sh*+ don't call one strike zone for one team and one for another.

Intentionally calling a play despite what you saw is against all ethical standards. I would and have NEVER done that. In fact, this spring I made two calls that sent games into extra innings. Yeah, I could have called the plays otherwise (especially the obstruction call at HP) but I always call the play the way I see it. I sleep better at night that way.

-Josh

Rei, I can speak for no one but myself.... I have never done anything even close to what you or the OP is saying! Maybe it was my upbringing and the way I was trained but I have enough problems dealing with myself when I blow a call. I could not dream of doing any of this crap!

Maybe I'm old fashioned! Maybe in today's world, you guys do this. Well, not in my world and not on my crew! So put that in your pipe and smoke it!

:rolleyes:

One of my favorite memories of Portland is one meeting when I heard a couple of guys sing a slightly altered Beatles song, "Here Comes the Son".

Not me, pal. Not even once.

I've had many opportunities to end crap ballgames and get to my air conditioning and martini, but I never intentionally got a call wrong to do it. I've had borderline pitches that would have walked home the winning run in deep extra innings, and never wavered in my correct strike 3 call.

I call it integrity on the baseball field. People can and have called me "one flaky SOB," along with other not-so-nice remarks over my umpiring "career," but nobody has ever been able to accuse me of any improprieties such as you describe.

Yes yes yes.

If you want to say there is a subconcious bias in the 11th inning of what has become a 20-11 ball game with 2 outs, that's fine.

But don't accuse me of actively fixing a game.

Salute!

I also would never and have never thrown a single call for any reason. I too have way too much respect for the game to do it. Period!

... It's easy to speak for oneself, but to speak for everyone and condemn them in one stroke is pretty risky. Rei should speak for himself.

LOL...you guys crack me up!

Only a bunch of guys on the internet will state they have never biased a call based on the game being a blowout! :rolleyes: This is rich!

I have heard top level guys in NCAA and pro ball admit to it, but NOOOOOOOOOOO, not the members of officiating.com!