You make the call

[jkumpire]

Geez,

Eject the PU:
Interferes with F2,
Hat on backward,
Takes mask off with wrong hand,
"Flapping wing" safe signal,
Doesn't brush plate, uses foot to clean it.
Looked like Black hat with old style light blue shirt;
and if I looked again I could probably find more nits to pick.
Worst thing, he looks bored out of his mind, like he doesn't want to be there.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Those too-cool-to-look-like-they-want-to-be-there young umpires all need to shape up or go away until they grow up. The guy in the video is a perfect picture of everything that's wrong with these leagues that take umpiring so casually.

[mick]

Originally Posted by jkumpire

Geez,

Eject the PU:
Interferes with F2,
Hat on backward,
Takes mask off with wrong hand,
"Flapping wing" safe signal,
Doesn't brush plate, uses foot to clean it.
Looked like Black hat with old style light blue shirt;
and if I looked again I could probably find more nits to pick.
Worst thing, he looks bored out of his mind, like he doesn't want to be there.

I have seen that alot.
But I think it is more useful to give a younger/newer umpire advice and time to grow.

[Umpmazza]

Im not gonna EJ the runner, but i will talk to him, he didnt slide with his leg up as to take somone out, yes his slide was high and ugly and late but I didnt see again wrong. JMO

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Umpmazza

Im not gonna EJ the runner, but i will talk to him, he didnt slide with his leg up as to take somone out, yes his slide was high and ugly and late but I didnt see again wrong. JMO

Watch it nine more times. It looks more and more malicious each time.

[Umpmazza]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Watch it nine more times. It looks more and more malicious each time.

Watched it about 10 times and he started to slide before the batters box, yes he jumped, but I don't think it was malicious, and this is just my opinion nothing more.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by Umpmazza

Watched it about 10 times and he started to slide before the batters box, yes he jumped, but I don't think it was malicious, and this is just my opinion nothing more.

I just saw it for the first time. What i saw was a player leaping into the air before the batter's box and actually beginning to "slide" at the plate.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Advice is dismissed, because the young player/umpire knows all he needs to know about playing and umpiring. He needs to go away until he grows up.

There are those who heed advice of course, and those guys I help to no end with advice, equipment, accessories, uniforms, etc. I've done my part, and there are many young guys who are right for umpiring and can and should be brought along.

But the guys like the guy in the video and most of the ones who look like him are not open to advice or criticism and should go away before they hurt the vocation and the game any more than they have.

[mick]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

[snip]
But the guys like the guy in the video and most of the ones who look like him are not open to advice or criticism and should go away before they hurt the vocation and the game any more than they have.

Oh, my.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by mick

Oh, my.

Why do you think people show up day one to watch their kids play ball in high school with a dreadful opinion of umpires and the vocation? Half the hell we catch from those clown parents is because of prejudices that are formed watching slouches like that guy.

More clinics; more mentorships; more equipment; higher fees; more responsible supervisors---those are some of the things that are needed.

[mick]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Why do you think people show up day one to watch their kids play ball in high school with a dreadful opinion of umpires and the vocation? Half the hell we catch from those clown parents is because of prejudices that are formed watching slouches like that guy.

More clinics; more mentorships; more equipment; higher fees; more responsible supervisors---those are some of the things that are needed.

I really don't think about dreadful opinions very much. If the shoe don't fit, I ain't wearing it. If it fits, it must be mine.
I cannot be silent when I see one of those guys wallow away without some sort of assistance, assistance which was rarely offered to me by umpires that didn't wish to make me uncomfortable, or by umpires that just didn't care.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by mick

I really don't think about dreadful opinions very much. If the shoe don't fit, I ain't wearing it. If it fits, it must be mine.
I cannot be silent when I see one of those guys wallow away without some sort of assistance, assistance which was rarely offered to me by umpires that didn't wish to make me uncomfortable, or by umpires that just didn't care.

Okay, you are obviously not reading everything before you respond.

I have the thickest skin possible. It's not a complaint, it's an observation. And mostly, the shoe doesn't fit. That's the point you missed by crafting your folksy slogan before getting the message.

Some kids know it all and don't accept help. It's the first time they've been put in charge of something and they go nuts with it and it takes over their ability to be humble and accept discipline or instruction. The game needs to do a better job of training players and umpires. It's a borderline disgrace. But when the game allows slouches like this to continue to infect it just to save a few bucks, it's pathetic.

There's a league around here that has three current major leaguers and a current major league umpire that all played there in the 1990s. The league is full of wealthy families as well as their major league graduates. They allow umpires like the slouch in the film routinely and allow some of the most slovenly and lazy and disrespectful umpiring you'll find. They have state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, and a full restaurant for a snack shack, but they do nothing about having decent umpiring. It's shameful.

[DonInKansas]

Safe, no ej. I've seen this "hop-slide" at lower levels before. I put it in the same realm as diving headfirst into first base. No matter how stupid it is, some people are still going to do it.

[Klokard]

We really can pick this PU apart but why? Strong possibility these kids would not be playing if not for this volunteer. Many youth Leagues rely totally on volunteer umpires to keep participation fees affordable for everyone. Now, if I knew for a fact that he was collecting a game fee, I believe I would have more a problem with the instructional chair of his group than the ump. Just my dos pesos.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Klokard

We really can pick this PU apart but why? Strong possibility these kids would not be playing if not for this volunteer. Many youth Leagues rely totally on volunteer umpires to keep participation fees affordable for everyone. Now, if I knew for a fact that he was collecting a game fee, I believe I would have more a problem with the instructional chair of his group than the ump. Just my dos pesos.

The league that I referred to is in an affluent area, does pay its umpires, and does have an instructor/supervisor. And still these kids who have little or no respect for the game are thrown out there with little training and orientation to stain the diamond just to save a buck.

The same parents for whom the leagues are trying to keep things affordable are the first people to complain about how horrible the umpiring is. It's a joke. If the priority is keeping the playing fees low, then the priorities are skewed.