Is whining & *****ing more prevalent this year?

[Rich]

Thanks for starting this thread. I was thinking maybe I was missing college baseball, but I know now I'm not.

I decided to pack in D3 baseball 2 seasons ago after I ejected a Wisconsin head coach for grandstanding in front of his bleachers after a fair/foul call he had absolutely no angle on (from the coaches box). In the second game, I almost ejected the other coach for arguing an obstruction call I made during a rundown when F3 decided to stand in the way without the ball. My only regret was *not* running him, but I really didn't want to get both of them the same day, so I took a bit more than usual. My bad.

What convinced me I was done with it was when the assigner asked me if I had a good look at the fair/foul call and then asked me if anyone would have argued if I hadn't called the obstruction between first and second. When I asked him why it sounded like he was taking the coaches' side without even asking me what I had seen (or even really reading the report) he told me that he just isn't going to take our word for it.

I knew then it was time to walk away. I quit all three conferences I worked and I went back to being a HS umpire only. In 8 games thus far, I've had one comment from a dugout on a single pitch that wasn't even close to the strike zone. That's it. It's been blissful.

[DG]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

In 8 games thus far, I've had one comment from a dugout on a single pitch that wasn't even close to the strike zone. That's it. It's been blissful.

My partner tossed a JV HC in the first game of a JV/V DH last week for cussing at him and the dude had to forfeit for not having an assistant. Then he picked up 3B and tossed it about 15 feet. It would have been a lot more if some cooler heads on the sidelines were not hollering at him to not do that. First time I have seen that in a HS game. B*tching about pitches from the fans is pretty standard stuff around here, so you just block that out.

[UMP25]

Whatever works for each of us, yourself included, Rich, is all that matters. For me personally, I quit high school ball a few years ago because of the politics involved and the serious @ss-kissing I was expected to do in order to get in the good graces of the high school coaches. No thanks.

I do enjoy college ball, but I get more biitching from the DIII and NAIA coaches than I do from the DII and DI coaches.

In the situation at hand, I found out that the assignor who gave me the doubleheader yesterday talked to the head coach who told me I didn't know the rules. Summary: the head coach thought I was "big timing" him by telling him I do know the rules and that he was arguing rules with the wrong umpire. Because of this, he didn't want to see me anymore this year. I wasn't scheduled to go to his place anymore, which is fine (a 170-mile round-trip for that kind of ball wasn't worth it), but then my assignor removed me from a DH in May in which this head coach's team was the visiting team, and because my assignor has nothing else for me that day, I lose money.

Great. I make the absolute correct call, the head coach argues vehemently, calls my assignor between games to complain, and I'm removed from a future DH because the assignor tells me the coaches have the right to request not to see a certain umpire. It's one thing if an umpire is incompetent or cannot handle a specific level; it's another thing if it's an umpire with a good reputation and a superb knowledge of the rules.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by UMP25

Whatever works for each of us, yourself included, Rich, is all that matters. For me personally, I quit high school ball a few years ago because of the politics involved and the serious @ss-kissing I was expected to do in order to get in the good graces of the high school coaches. No thanks.

I do enjoy college ball, but I get more biitching from the DIII and NAIA coaches than I do from the DII and DI coaches.

In the situation at hand, I found out that the assignor who gave me the doubleheader yesterday talked to the head coach who told me I didn't know the rules. Summary: the head coach thought I was "big timing" him by telling him I do know the rules and that he was arguing rules with the wrong umpire. Because of this, he didn't want to see me anymore this year. I wasn't scheduled to go to his place anymore, which is fine (a 170-mile round-trip for that kind of ball wasn't worth it), but then my assignor removed me from a DH in May in which this head coach's team was the visiting team, and because my assignor has nothing else for me that day, I lose money.

Great. I make the absolute correct call, the head coach argues vehemently, calls my assignor between games to complain, and I'm removed from a future DH because the assignor tells me the coaches have the right to request not to see a certain umpire. It's one thing if an umpire is incompetent or cannot handle a specific level; it's another thing if it's an umpire with a good reputation and a superb knowledge of the rules.

Sounds like the politics exists in more than just HS baseball there. As it does here in some cases, too.

Why don't you call the assignor and ask him why you should be forced to lose $200-ish dollars because the visiting team's coach is a major league douche? Don't you have a contract?

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Sounds like the politics exists in more than just HS baseball there. As it does here in some cases, too.

Why don't you call the assignor and ask him why you should be forced to lose $200-ish dollars because the visiting team's coach is a major league douche? Don't you have a contract?

We don't have contracts for those assignments. The only contract that exists is is between the assignor and the conference to provide umpires. The contract was given to this gentleman with the promise that whenever a coach didn't want to see an umpire, the coach's wish would be granted. To this I ask: why have a conference assignor? Just have the coaches assign, because that's what they're basically doing.

I work for 4 assignors and am one myself. When I assign an umpire to a college game for which I am responsible to cover, the coaches expect the umpires I assign to be competent, knowledgeable, etc. It's more than just my reputation on the line as an assignor.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by UMP25

but then my assignor removed me from a DH in May in which this head coach's team was the visiting team, and because my assignor has nothing else for me that day, I lose money.

That's the only home date in that conference on that day? Why not just swap you with another umpire so all originally assigned get to work?

(Or, tell me what day it is and if I'm open, I'll take the game and withdraw the above suggestion. )

[Durham]

Originally Posted by UMP25

Whatever works for each of us, yourself included, Rich, is all that matters. For me personally, I quit high school ball a few years ago because of the politics involved and the serious @ss-kissing I was expected to do in order to get in the good graces of the high school coaches. No thanks.

I do enjoy college ball, but I get more biitching from the DIII and NAIA coaches than I do from the DII and DI coaches.

In the situation at hand, I found out that the assignor who gave me the doubleheader yesterday talked to the head coach who told me I didn't know the rules. Summary: the head coach thought I was "big timing" him by telling him I do know the rules and that he was arguing rules with the wrong umpire. Because of this, he didn't want to see me anymore this year. I wasn't scheduled to go to his place anymore, which is fine (a 170-mile round-trip for that kind of ball wasn't worth it), but then my assignor removed me from a DH in May in which this head coach's team was the visiting team, and because my assignor has nothing else for me that day, I lose money.

Great. I make the absolute correct call, the head coach argues vehemently, calls my assignor between games to complain, and I'm removed from a future DH because the assignor tells me the coaches have the right to request not to see a certain umpire. It's one thing if an umpire is incompetent or cannot handle a specific level; it's another thing if it's an umpire with a good reputation and a superb knowledge of the rules.

I am a little late to this thread, but why didn't you warn and then eject this guy?