Made some bad calls today, just need to vent..

[artar]

Yes, I had that figured out about sticking with middle school games for nowo and no two different games at multiple locations in one day.

[biggravy]

Wow.

Only thing I can tell you that hasn't been mentioned yet: SLOW DOWN. Just seems like between the dropped ball and the other couple calls you mentioned maybe you are in such a hurry to get it right that your not getting the whole picture. Just pause for a second, find the ball, make the call.

[ManInBlue]

Pretty dang good advice you're getting here - and it's free!!

Buy a mechanics CD of some sort - and then watch it. When you're finished watch it again. Then, yep you guessed it, watch it again.

If you have a friend, wife, Mom who will video you that would be good for you to learn from too. I know I've seen a few videos of me and cringed a few times

[pastordoug]

Quote: "send evaluaters out to my next game, so I'm getting my rebuttal together just in case"

May I suggest that you not worry about the evaluator and forget writing the rebuttal for a couple of reasons. 1. Game over, you learned and now move on... 2. When you start worry about evaluators coming to the game, there might be a tendence to worry more about him than the game... Like many have already said, game over, learn what NOT to do, and work on timing and mechanics (use that mirror).

Welcome to umpiring!

[Sco53]

"The coach complained to me that this was the worst umpiring he had ever seen, that I was working with the worst umpire in the city"

Don't let him get away with this- dump him for ALL of us

[TussAgee11]

I think my first game I missed maybe 4 CIs. Not kidding. Total deer in headlights.

What has helped me over the course of my still young career:

1) Try to emulate those one or two steps above the level you are working now. Then, when you get there, repeat.

2) Relax and use good timing. Be set for plays. Before calling an out, always look for firm and secure possession. This applies to catches, force plays, tag plays, anything.

3) Any time you have a rule situation in a game, or one that could have happened, go to your rulebook that night. You should be reading and researching at least 3 rules after a game. If you can't think of one, let your mind play the "what if" game. Overtime your "what ifs" will turn into 3rd world plays, I figured out one the other night myself.

4) Understand its a never ending process.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Sco53

"The coach complained to me that this was the worst umpiring he had ever seen, that I was working with the worst umpire in the city"

Don't let him get away with this- dump him for ALL of us

+1

This violates one of the 3 P's, and is an easy EJ.

Don't get defensive with your evaluators. Listen to them and nod: usually they're right, but not always. Tell them you're working hard to improve on X, Y, and Z (which they've brought up). If you think they're wrong about a rule, say nothing until you've studied the rulebook carefully and looked hard for a way in which they might be right.

[SAump]

Originally Posted by artar

Yes, I had that figured out about sticking with middle school games for now and no two different games at multiple locations in one day.

Did the coach show any concern for the umpire who was struck in the head? If you were the worst umpire in my league, I still wouldn't accept the coach's version in your story. Perhaps he is just the worst coach in the league. You may as well quit now if that is how you feel about yourself. You will never be able to pay for the investment in equipment at that level of ball. I would hate for you to walk away from the game so soon. Advancement is all about sticking it out through a coaching "rain or snow" storm. Hell, I'd have my *** chewed during a game only to have the coach tell me he was showing off for the crowd, or to fire his team up or that I missed a judgement call.

Don't worry so much about that rule about that thrown bat {an ejection versus an out}. I would have asked the coach for an explanation of why I missed it. After he tells me it is an ejection, not an out, I'm going to eject the player and the coach and take the out off the board. That should really fire the guy up.

The bad news is that there are alot more "gray" areas within the rules to discover and I am afraid you'll give up after missing one or two. There ain't no better teacher than experience. I come here for that so I don't show my inexperience on the ball field. The good thing is that most of the stuff I see here never happens there.

Buy the book, Baseball Rule Differences by Carl Childress. Its a nightmare to read, but it is thoroughly enjoyable baseball reading material. Get a rule book every year and write all over it. Get a new one the next year and do the same. Never toss them out. Throw em into an old box. After about ten years, you'll open one up and discover you haven't thought about a particular aspect of the rule for a couple of years and may have forgotten how to deal with a situation. It take a step to ... complete a journey. Get back up, and ... don't quit so easy. If a few arguments rile your nerves and you can't seem to shake 'em, ... find another field to play in.

[JRutledge]

We all make mistakes. You do this long enough and you will continue to make mistakes. Most mistakes will not be things the average person will even know you made. It is really not that big of a deal, just learn to deal with it or you will not be in this thing very long.

Peace

[artar]

I've been calling high school freshman games and middle school so the pay isn't all that different. I like what somebody posted here, to get a feel of the timing.
I have plans to call Legion B level games as soon as the season is over in a month so no, I'm not giving up.
I think the major disappointment was wanting to do too good of a job, there was a little more pressure out there to do well because it was at my wife's high school where she works and I visit every day and know the kids.
I am in a hurry to make the call and it probably comes from my nearly 20 years of being a sports photographer where I got used to having to react instantly when I would see a play happen. It's an instinct that I have to work on getting rid of.

[billken]

I'm a teacher at a school...and I don't work ANY games at my school. If my wife was employed by a school, I'd not be working their games either. It's too easy for someone to point a finger...or worse yet...expect you to favor them. Often officials are harder on the team they are close to because they try not to look like a homer.

The best policy is to just go elsewhere. People don't think rationally about what we do.

[w_sohl]

Originally Posted by billken

i'm a teacher at a school...and i don't work any games at my school. If my wife was employed by a school, i'd not be working their games either. It's too easy for someone to point a finger...or worse yet...expect you to favor them. Often officials are harder on the team they are close to because they try not to look like a homer.

The best policy is to just go elsewhere. People don't think rationally about what we do.

amen!!!