Would you ever send an idiot partner home in the middle of a game?

[Kevin Finnerty]

In the ways-for-a-batter-to-get-ejected thread, GA Umpire related a story in which a partner sat in the stands and quipped that since-it's-such-a-great-angle-maybe-I'll-just-sit-here-and-umpire. It's the kind of stunt that an idiot partner can sink a crew with.

Which begs for a question: If someone went that far over the line as a partner, would you ever send the idiot home and make it a one-man game? (Or, much worse, walk off?)

I was on the brink of sending a partner home once, but I took a long pause and stared out into the outfield and declined to even say a word to or about the guy, and just survived the game, rather than making myself the center of an even greater spectacle. The guy was such an a$$hole and was so dishonorable and volatile and was causing such an outrage that I almost did it, but I just went on and refused to throw him under. I have actually regretted it.

I had an umpiring buddy send a partner home from a varsity game when he showed up to the home plate meeting slightly late and wearing tennis shoes and a Nike pullover windbreaker. Have any of you guys sent a partner home?

[GA Umpire]

I would rather have walked off than to send him home. Leaving me to clean up the mess.

I have never sent one home or even thought about it. This was the only time I have ever wanted to leave the field in the middle of a game.

[aschramm]

I haven't, but I did hope for a partner not to show up.

Last week I had a JV game with a partner who I had worked with before. He has very sloppy plate mechanics, played the role of color commentator behind the plate after runs scored, and kept a horrible pace of game because he'd be talking to spectators in between innings.

I arrive about 30 minutes before the game, waiting for him. He ALWAYS takes the plate, so I'm sitting for a bit waiting for him. 20 minutes to go, he's not there so I decide to start getting ready for the plate. 5 minutes before the game as I'm about to take the field to give the team an option to a.) Play with 1 umpire (although the state association says we shouldn't), b.) scrimmage, or c.) reschedule for another date, he comes driving up the road. Gets in the parking lot with no sense of time and how close we are to game time. He can't find a base hat, so he takes the field with no hat at all, pants that have cuffs on them, and black baseball cleats.

I was really hoping for a no-show as I could report it to my assignor. As it stands, I didn't send him anything. Mostly because I'm only in my 2nd year, and don't want to seem out of place for complaining about a guy who has been umpiring much longer than me.

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by aschramm

I haven't, but I did hope for a partner not to show up.

Last week I had a JV game with a partner who I had worked with before. He has very sloppy plate mechanics, played the role of color commentator behind the plate after runs scored, and kept a horrible pace of game because he'd be talking to spectators in between innings.

I arrive about 30 minutes before the game, waiting for him. He ALWAYS takes the plate, so I'm sitting for a bit waiting for him. 20 minutes to go, he's not there so I decide to start getting ready for the plate. 5 minutes before the game as I'm about to take the field to give the team an option to a.) Play with 1 umpire (although the state association says we shouldn't), b.) scrimmage, or c.) reschedule for another date, he comes driving up the road. Gets in the parking lot with no sense of time and how close we are to game time. He can't find a base hat, so he takes the field with no hat at all, pants that have cuffs on them, and black baseball cleats.

I was really hoping for a no-show as I could report it to my assignor. As it stands, I didn't send him anything. Mostly because I'm only in my 2nd year, and don't want to seem out of place for complaining about a guy who has been umpiring much longer than me.

It's probably why he is working JV...it's probably not the first time he's pulled antics like that. If you do a good job...soon enough you'll be out of that loop and working with better partners who obviously care more than he does.

[mbyron]

I just recently heard a story about how two teams once paid a notoriously bad umpire in my association extra to go home, and then they paid his partner extra to finish the game.

The guy was THAT bad.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

I was on the brink of sending a partner home once, but I took a long pause and stared out into the outfield and declined to even say a word to or about the guy, and just survived the game, rather than making myself the center of an even greater spectacle. The guy was such an a$$hole and was so dishonorable and volatile and was causing such an outrage that I almost did it, but I just went on and refused to throw him under. I have actually regretted it.

What gives you the authority to kick another official off of the field?

[Rich Ives]

I've lived through a couple of games where I wished someone had kicked an umpire out of the game

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by LDUB

What gives you the authority to kick another official off of the field?

I had never faced it before. But, out of respect for the game, for the competitors, for the craft of umpiring, and out of my own sense of pride and integrity as a human being, I was on the brink of taking the authority.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by LDUB

What gives you the authority to kick another official off of the field?

9.02 (d) No umpire may be replaced during a game unless he is injured or becomes ill.

I would have to argue, in Kevin's case, that this guy was mentally incapacitated from birth!

[ozzy6900]

I got a call from a fellow umpire years ago to help him do a double header just 2 blocks from my house. I arrived roughly 10 minutes after the phone call and the first game was under way already so I waited until the half inning was over and joined my friend. He told me that this was game 1 and we were going into the top of the 5th inning. I was a bit puzzled as I went to the "A" position and the game went without a hitch.

During the break between games, my partner informed me the he sent his assigned partner home because the man stenched of alcohol and was having a little trouble getting into position. The individual is no longer on our board and no, he was not a diabetic, either.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Ozzy,

As a Type II diabetic, I'm curious as to what alcohol and not getting into position has to do with diabetes. Can you 'splain?

[cbfoulds]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Ozzy,

As a Type II diabetic, I'm curious as to what alcohol and not getting into position has to do with diabetes. Can you 'splain?

Not ozzy, but I'm guessing, re the alcohol, that he's referring to the fact that a diabetic with uncontrolled sugar level can sometimes have breath which smells "like" alcohol. A possible explanation for the apparent condition of the sent-home "umpire" in ozzy's post which would make the "umpire" not a douche.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by cbfoulds

Not ozzy, but I'm guessing, re the alcohol, that he's referring to the fact that a diabetic with uncontrolled sugar level can sometimes have breath which smells "like" alcohol. A possible explanation for the apparent condition of the sent-home "umpire" in ozzy's post which would make the "umpire" not a douche.

My sugar is well under control now, but when I was much heavier, it was pretty high, but I never noticed any sugar alcohol odor. It must not have been high enough to produce that.

[johnnyg08]

I've heard of teams here that have said that "if _______ shows up to umpire we're not playing." (both teams) He has since retired. This guy once answered his cell phone at home plate with no good reason to do so.

[SanDiegoSteve]

I had a guy that wore his shin guards outside of his pants and his hat backwards. He was ready to go when I arrived. I told him that in this association, we wear our guards inside and hat forwards like real umpires are supposed to, and I wasn't going to work with him until he changed. He fixed the problem, and actually wasn't as bad as I thought he would be when I first saw him.