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

I just finished working two games today, a mid-school game that went great but the second game, a high school freshman game a disaster. My worst game. Vented to my umpire mentor on the phone for 45 minutes afterwards and plate umpire told me to let it go, that I'm learning
This game felt all the more bitter because it was my wife's high school where she works and know some of the players on the team.
We had five calls the home team complained about that went against them. Twice a batter was called out for letting go of his bat too early, the second time the batter let go of the bat and it struck the plate umpire in the mask.
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.
Then my calls. A wayyy too close to call play at first base where I learned I should have appealed to home plate. The second call was a missed tag between second and third, I didn't have the angle, said the tag was missed but fortunately hadn't signaled yet, so I was able to appeal to the plate umpire who called the runner out.
The coach said some things to me I didn't like, like "you just made two blown calls in one inning" I told him I had one overturned for him.
The game went o.k. until the last inning, last play of the game, a steal at second I was right there to make the call shortstop was in front of the bag, totally blocking the runner, I called him out, thought the ball was in his mitt.
Base runner said the ball popped out of his mitt, first base coach said it was out of his mitt, that this was the worst officiating game ever, cussed at us several times - it was the end of the game so he couldn't be ejected. I told him maybe he could see it from his angle but from my angle it looked like an out. Indeed the first base coach did have the better angle, he had a clearer view of the play even though I was right next to it but if the ball popped out it was on the opposite side of, totally blocked by the players and dust.
This is where I learned to say, "Show me the ball." (Next time I will, I learned something alright).
It all happened too fast, there was no time to think, the call was made too quickly.
Right after that the shortstop threw home, got the runner out and it was a game ending double-play. Final score was 17-3.
I felt awful, still feel down about it, like I said this is my wife's school, go there every day and will have to confront these guys again.
A lot to learn but I love this game.

17-3? I have this itchy feeling "bad officiating" didn't cost them the game!!!:cool::D;):eek: If it makes them feel better to blame you, let 'em.

You learned something, maybe a few things - that's a good day. You mention several things to learn from.

Twice a batter was called out for letting go of his bat too early, the second time the batter let go of the bat and it struck the plate umpire in the mask.


What?

Read the thread on appealing to other umpires. As you stated, you are learning. Learn to hustle, get the angles, and make your own calls.

Twice in one game you are appealing calls that you should make on your own.
Don't make the PU bail you out.

Keep it up, we all learned from our mistakes, just don't make the same ones again.

Thanks
David

Basically the batter let go of his bat before completely following through his swing. I'm not sure what happened with the first batter but the second one just let his bat go too early and it struck the umpire in the mask - he was called out for doing so.
I know the PU has other things to watch and hated to bother him, although he did say to appeal to him if I was unsure of a call.
Since this is only my first year and that was my 7th gatime, I'm just going to stick with middle school instead of high school for the rest of this year or until I get a better feel for my duties as an umpire. Next game is Wednesday.

Too bad you're a new umpire paired with an obviously poor umpire. Try not to emulate people like this unless you want to become someone like him.

Don't sweat it, even veterans have bad days. That bad feeling goes away by the next game you do. Try to learn from your mistakes. Concentrate on practicing something that you have learned at every game. Buy some good books on umpire mechanics and rules interpretations. Seek out good umpires to work with and to discuss game issues. Read the forums, this one, ABUA and Umpire Empire. Have a thick skin when you hear negative feedback. All of those bad habits will eventually shake themselves out and you will become a good umpire. Every umpire has been there and done that. Stick with it.

It’s good to get your “worst game” over early. Someday, when you’re behind the plate in game six of the ALCS, or working 2B in your state’s championship, you can think back to that game knowing that what you learned then helped get you to where you wanted to be right now.

While you're in learn mode, try finding a rule that allows an out for throwing (unsafe release) of a bat.

In his gentle and nurturing way, Rich is suggesting that NFHS rules do not permit the PU to call an out for the batter throwing the bat. You can warn each batter who does it and then eject the second time, but no rule supports calling an out for this.

Your assignor is probably trying to get you to work some HS games to get you ready to move up. Don't get discouraged by a bad game: sometimes those lower level games have all the weird stuff happen, and they're actually harder to officiate than a varsity game.

You need to keep working up at the highest level you can: this is the only way to move up. And keep working on your mechanics and rules knowledge: this is the only reason to move you up.

A few bad calls do not lead to a 17-3 outcome, so you didn't determine the winner of your bad game. Make a written list of your lessons learned, and review it before your next time out. Then don't worry about it, call a great game, and put this stinker behind you.

We've all been there, and all you can do is have a great next game.

Two things,

Don't make up rules unless you know there in the book, (read it).

You are expected to be perfect your first game and get better from then on.

PS: OK, now that your done sulking, get back to studying your mechanics and rules and go out and give them hell.

Welcome and Good Luck

I didn't get much sleep last night from that bad game - I spent my time, yes sulking and writing out a game report. Surely if a coach had five bad calls in a game against his team he is going to complain to our umpire and state association and probably send evaluaters out to my next game, so I'm getting my rebuttal together just in case and just work at that the next game, especially "Show me the ball.

I will work on everything that has been commented here.

Thank you! I guess this has all been baptism by fire.

You're right that often the younger the leagues are the harder the game can be to call, so much slopiness and turning my head like an owl.

Classic Case of Bigump56
 

I worked a summer LL league where the best hitter on a team did this in virtually every at bat of the season. Fortunately, the bat never hit the catcher or PU in a majority of those cases. I was shocked to see a coach argue in defense of his hitter when the hitter was ejected from one ball game. The young man was batting cleanup, but he never learned how to safely handle a bat. An injury to the plate umpire or catcher by an inexpeienced hitter who doesn't get as much instruction about handling a bat should be a concern to everyone. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, grown adults choose not to do anything about it.

I can only imagine the kid continued to do the same thing for the rest of his JV games throughout the city. The rules do not consider the batter's actions severe enough to warrant a harsher penalty than an immediate substitution, ala ejection. Oh. I forgot to mention that the substitute was much faster, usually stole 2B on the next pitch, and never batted cleanup either. I wonder how many other catchers and umpires were struck by the same flying bat.

You can eject after the game is over...
 

and should have if he was cussing you.

In my gentle, mentoring way, let me suggest that:

• Until you learn the rules
• Until you learn proper timing
• Until you learn proper mechanics
• Until you learn to get your own calls
• Until you learn when to dump a coach

stick with middle school games.

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.

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.

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 :confused:

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!

He'll do the same to you next time
 

"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

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.

+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.

Rats
 

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.

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

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.

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!!!