He really did say it

[L.A. Umpire Guy]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

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!

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

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.

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! 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!

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by rei

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! 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!

I didn't umpire on the internet, I umpired well over 3,000 real ball games, and never intentionally called one wrong. I got enough calls wrong unintentionally as it was (one in every 100 calls or so ), so why would I do it on purpose? Now, I have had both coaches say, "let's get out of here, Blue," but I would just give them the option of calling the game at that point. I never artificially speeded up a game.

Yeah, I've actually seen a pro ump in spring training call a guy out that was 4 steps past the base on a routine infield single. It was in extra innings in Yuma in 110 degree heat. Despite the heat, I thought it was still bush league when I saw it, and I wasn't even an umpire yet. If teams don't want to play anymore, they can tell me to stop the game, and I'll gladly oblige. But I will not make ridiculous looking calls and call my integrity into question.

Now, you can say that you do this crap all the time, I don't care. But don't speak for the rest of us and presume to think you know us better than we know ourselves. Continue to speak for yourself, and stop calling us liars.

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by rei

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! 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!

I don't care what NCAA D1 people have to say. When you throw out your values you put yourself into a pit that you will never crawl out of. If this is what is going on in NCAA, it is no wonder that many of my comrades are leaving that fold! I am surprised that one of your accomplishments would brazenly and openly defend such actions. No, I am disgusted.

Finis

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by rei

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! 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!

Once. Something like 27-0 in the second inning of the second game of a DH. First game ended something like 35-2. I called an out at first when the lead foot hit the bag before F3 caught the throw, but the trail foot hadn't yet crossed the base. It was as much a "game management" call (the defense was well past "resigning themselves to losing" and on the way to "taking out their frustrations on the winning team") as an attempt to get home early.

[jdmara]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Once. Something like 27-0 in the second inning of the second game of a DH. First game ended something like 35-2. I called an out at first when the lead foot hit the bag before F3 caught the throw, but the trail foot hadn't yet crossed the base. It was as much a "game management" call (the defense was well past "resigning themselves to losing" and on the way to "taking out their frustrations on the winning team") as an attempt to get home early.

I am never going to justify purposely calling a play incorrectly to get out of dodge, but comparing 27-0 and 6-1 (later 9-1) in the same conversation is ridiculous. They are two entirely different situations. I agree with the other fellows here, I miss enough unintentionally to miss one intentionally.

-Josh

[mbyron]

I suppose that we'll all have to reconsider our stand on the question of shaving calls on the bases when there's a blow-out. Would you do it at 9-1? 20-1? 50-1?

Reminds me of the old story about Lord Beaverbrook. At a dinner party, he found himself seated next to a beautiful young lady (he himself was, of course, none of those things). He turned to her and ask, "Young lady, would you sleep with me for a million pounds?"

She responded, "Well, I suppose I would for a million!" To which Beaverbrook replied, "I see. Would you sleep with me for 10 pounds?" The young lady flushed with rage, and declared, "Lord Beaverbrook, what do you take me for?"

Beaverbrook eyed her calmly and said: "My dear, I believe we've already established that. Now we're merely haggling over price."

[jdmara]

Originally Posted by mbyron

I suppose that we'll all have to reconsider our stand on the question of shaving calls on the bases when there's a blow-out. Would you do it at 9-1? 20-1? 50-1?

Reminds me of the old story about Lord Beaverbrook. At a dinner party, he found himself seated next to a beautiful young lady (he himself was, of course, none of those things). He turned to her and ask, "Young lady, would you sleep with me for a million pounds?"

She responded, "Well, I suppose I would for a million!" To which Beaverbrook replied, "I see. Would you sleep with me for 10 pounds?" The young lady flushed with rage, and declared, "Lord Beaverbrook, what do you take me for?"

Beaverbrook eyed her calmly and said: "My dear, I believe we've already established that. Now we're merely haggling over price."

I already know that I'm a prostitute, I sell myself for a price all the time. The price is dependent on the companion(s) involved and how much abuse (whether that be baseballs caroming off my body or the occasional verbal assault) I want to take for that price. But I provide a very important service to the community

I'm not condoning either situation should mean one should 'shave a call'. However, a 6-1 (and 9-1 later on) game is still close in most high school baseball contests. If an umpire chooses to lower himself to incorrectly call a play s/he knows to be false, then so be it. However, it shouldn't affect the overall outcome of the game.

-Josh

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by mbyron

I suppose that we'll all have to reconsider our stand on the question of shaving calls on the bases when there's a blow-out. Would you do it at 9-1? 20-1? 50-1?

Reminds me of the old story about Lord Beaverbrook. At a dinner party, he found himself seated next to a beautiful young lady (he himself was, of course, none of those things). He turned to her and ask, "Young lady, would you sleep with me for a million pounds?"

She responded, "Well, I suppose I would for a million!" To which Beaverbrook replied, "I see. Would you sleep with me for 10 pounds?" The young lady flushed with rage, and declared, "Lord Beaverbrook, what do you take me for?"

Beaverbrook eyed her calmly and said: "My dear, I believe we've already established that. Now we're merely haggling over price."

Are you by chance, Lord Byron?

[Rich]

Originally Posted by jdmara

I am never going to justify purposely calling a play incorrectly to get out of dodge, but comparing 27-0 and 6-1 (later 9-1) in the same conversation is ridiculous. They are two entirely different situations. I agree with the other fellows here, I miss enough unintentionally to miss one intentionally.

-Josh

My fear in doing this has nothing to do with my ethics - it's just that if I intentionally kick one, there's likely to be a contingent who simply thinks "that terrible umpire kicked one again." Why bother with that?

I'd like to say I've called things differently based on the score when it's truly lopsided, but I just don't bother. Maybe the 32-0 game Bob was mentioning. Maybe my strike zone widens a bit once we've established a game is well out of hand. But out/safe calls? It would have to be defensible (close enough to be called an out in the first place) for me to call an out there, and most of these ones just aren't.