Embarrassing Moment

[TussAgee11]

I ate it one night retreating back to home after rotating to third. There was a stupid astroturf ondeck circle right off of the dirt circle, just there for aesthetics. And for me to trip over, my head was turned towards the ball over my shoulder and WHAM.

Probably about 30 college umpires were in the stands. One of them brought a Tide on the go stick to the locker room after the game for me.

[yawetag]

This past weekend, I was at a clinic in Springfield, MO. On Sunday, each umpire was observed by instructors for 2 innings each on plate and bases. The instructors were in the press box, located behind home plate.

As one group was on the field, a batter hit a clean double. After play relaxed, one of the instructors called the PU back to talk to him. The second the PU turned his head, F6 overthrew to F1 and the runner took off for 3B. A second later, you hear "s**t" from the press box. The play was covered by BU, but it was hilarious to hear someone say what every umpire thinks in those situations.

[piaa_ump]

In my first year of umpiring....I was working solo on a youth game......wearing my league issued mask and balloon.......a ground ball to F3 and I come out from the plate trying to get a good angle on the play..........


I trip over a dangling strap on the balloon and fall face first in the dusty infield.....I mean a real face-plant.........and miss the whole play....

I got up looking like a powdered donut.........

No place to hide.........

[Steven Tyler]

I gotta say the ball bouncing off Jose Canseco's head and into the stands for a home run takes the cake for most embarrassing play of all time.

BTW-Who hit the home run? His last name was Martinez, but I don't remember his first name.

[zm1283]

I was BU this summer for a game in a college wood bat league. We had R1 and a single hit to the outfield. I take R1 to second base and as the ball gets thrown back in, I glance over my shoulder expecting to see the PU headed back toward the home plate area since he should have been going to third for the rotation. Turns out he never got out of the dirt circle to begin with because he had face-planted as soon as the ball was hit. It was very hot so he was drenched with sweat, which turned the dirt into mud. He was absolutely covered from neck to toe.

I went and talked to him between innings and poked a little fun at him and we had a good laugh. I made sure to bring it up the next time we worked together.

[jkumpire]

What Should I Have Called?

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by jkumpire

What Should I Have Called?

+1

[ManInBlue]

BU in a 16 yo u-trip tourney about a month ago. R1 and slow roller hit between short and 3B. F5 charges in to field the ball. For some unknown reason I'm drifting toward the mound from B - apparently I think I'm opening up the throwing lane. As F5 picks up the ball, I realize we're looking face to face. I think "oh, $h!t" and drop to a knee as I turn to see the throw. I never did see the throw - it hit me squre between the shoulder blades!!! Base coach said the throw was so far off the mark that it would have bounced 5 feet in front of me had it not hit me. That didn't make me feel any better about it. My partner tells me, "well, you know better than to turn your back on the ball." I told him, "yeah, but if I hadn't, he would have hit me in the chest!!!"

They called the UIC out there to check on me. He told everyone when he got there that I was going to get a stern talking to after the game. All the coaches told him not to get on to me too hard b/c it was a bad throw. He never said a word. He knew I had beat myself up more than he ever could.

[jkumpire]

My Embarrassing moment....

Many years ago I was first starting to do college BB.....

I was asked to do the opener at a small D3 school in Ohio, the year after they won the D3 title. I was as nervous as a deer walking through a camp full of hunters.

I get to the game site, 90 minutes ahead of time, start to unpack, and I have no plate pants, just the gray pants I had on that were not umpire pants at all. In fact I had no other pants with me, so I put these pants on and went at it. I called my wife, asked her to bring my pants down, she said she would.

My partner shows up and asks me to do the first game. No problem right? He's a D1 umpire, I'm just a guy, so behind the plate I go. My pants lasted 1 and 1/3 innings, then ripped out all the way down the inside seam of a leg. In front of 1000+ people, and at least one radio station My sorry rear end was exposed for the all the world to see. Thank the Lord I have gray McDavid tights on that day. I heard every line in the book, and the home team manager (The Old Man, for those of you who knew him) spent the whole game laughing his butt off about it. Now I 'd love to tell you that my rear end looks good enough to be in the SI swimsuit calender, but the only thing my butt needs to have is coverings, lots and lots of coverings.

My wife shows up, 2 kids in tow, and with two pairs of plate pants in between games.

I kid you not, after that experience I carry at least two of everything to every game except a chest protector, since I never wear anything else than my Carlucci. I never have less than three pairs of pants. I was so embarrassed I almost quit umpiring that day. It sure took me a long time to be confident enough to try to get back into the college ranks after that season.

[7in60]

Originally Posted by Steven Tyler

I gotta say the ball bouncing off Jose Canseco's head and into the stands for a home run takes the cake for most embarrassing play of all time.

BTW-Who hit the home run? His last name was Martinez, but I don't remember his first name.

Carlos Martinez