Elephant hunting?

Old term from the 70's. When a coach got a reputation for being a real a$$ or bully and would take it out on newer or younger members that didn't know how to handle him, the assigner would send an older experience crew to work his games and put him on a very short leash, dumping him at the first provocation.

Elephant hunting in many areas has been replaced with better training of newer umpires.

Rat trapping?

I've come to the conclusion (when working with people I don't know well) that if an umpire is trying to ditch the plate job, I'm better off working it. Those that pull out every excuse to ditch the plate are, without fail, crappy umpires who will make my game on the bases a nightmare.

If I'm working with people in my small circle of friends I prefer to work with, we'll simply take turns. If there's a reason one of us needs a day off the plate, we pick up for each other. Except for the guy earlier this season who told me it was my turn and made me drive (driver works the plate) and do the plate after I ran in a 5K a few hours earlier (and I'm not a runner). No heart, that guy. ;)

Here in Kansas, all the games are DH in HS ball. I prefer to work the plate first, that way I can pack my gear between games, and just leave straight after the 2nd game. It seems to have been raining more this year, so It makes for a quick and easy getaway when the 2nd one gets rained out.

Here in Texas, for the most part HS Varsity games are single game and usually we decide the previous night over the phone on who does what. My rule of a thumb is usually that if I had the team previously within the week and I worked the dish, I usually let my partner know the situation and if he would do the plate, can't think of an instance where a guy has said no. I always pick up my partner next time we are together.

This past weekend, I worked a DH with the same partner on both Saturday and sunday, and boy was it hot. Saturday i took the first plate and on sunday he took the first plate.

Earlier in the HS Season during tournament play sometimes we were assigned three games and we flipped to see who did two. The loser would end up doing two and decide which two he wanted.

However, there are times I just don't want to do the plate and if I know my partner very well the conversation usually goes along the lines " Hey Mike, I don't feel up to the task of the doing the plate, do you mind taking this one, thanks Bud got you on a beer after the game."

I'm sure your partners enjoy your "quick getaway."

Usually when people want to get away quick I consider the source and actually prefer the solitude.

Really? So the assignor should have no say in this? There may be reasons for the assignor wanting a specific PU/BU - I can think of LOTS of reasons.

I can't remember the last time I was assigned a game where I didn't know where I was going beforehand.

agreed
 

this is exactly my method........

There are only a couple reasons I can think of, the most common being evaluation or playoff games (as I mentioned in my first post). Want to assign for those? Fine.

With every other case one of the following two rules applies. 1) If the crew can't recognize that one should be on plate, the other on bases then you have a bigger issue than which one is working which. (I've mentioned the game where I was the BU for my own high school numerous times. If my partner and I couldn't figure out I should be on the bases then both of us should have been kicked out of the association.) 2) If you can't trust both your guys to do the dish as an assignor then you shouldn't have one of them working the game. End of story.

Simma down about the quick getaway. I'm on the opposite side of the state and it's the same way here. All DH and sometimes I'm 90 miles from home with a local partner. I try to take the first plate on those and get away quick too. We usually work within the same small group of guys so we all understand. I'm sure it's the same out west too.

Plate is assigned by arbiter, but with all DH we decide the night before or at the game and usually let the guy w/ the longer drive take the first plate or we take turns. I always ask and where I have major respect for my regular partners they get to decide.

My assignor for Sou Ohio OHSAA games uses Arbiter but with a twist. Umpires call him preseason and verbally schedule the spring HS games with the understanding that he may move us to another game as the season progresses.

When initially scheduled, we know if its plate or base(and if 1st to discuss that game, we can pick PU/BU). In any case, then the Arbiter sends those games to be accepted.
We know when we arrive at the game site where we are working.

Coaches as supposed to rate the umpires performance after each game, they being 1 of 6 entities that are involved with choosing who gets playoff games.
I always prefer the plate, but switching pregame means that when the coaches rate each umpire(postgame or days later), he uses the PU/BU positions listed on Arbiter(unless he personally knows me/us). If my partner had a bad game, I wouldnt have a problem asking the assignor to switch the positions on Arbiter so I'm not hit with a coaches bad rating...

I am assigned plate/base in my association for ALL games whether HS summer or fall ball.

It makes 'life easier" Let's face it unless you work in an elite association there is a handful of umpires that do not mind working the plate. if you do not assign base / plate you will get guys who will say "I left my gear at home". "I am not feeling that good" etc. etc. In other words all kinds of exuses.


If plate / base assignments are NOT assigned then at least have some criteria like number of years at that level etc.

I do not mind the dish but on the same token especially when the weather gets hot I do not want 6/7 dishes in a row which happens when plate / base assignments are not predetermined.

Pete Booth

I just don't see why someone would fly out of the parking lot -- it only takes a plate guy 5-10 minutes to get undressed and put things away. I'm just not comfortable leaving a partner alone while changing -- you never know what idiot will come along and it's nice to have numbers.

Hey, to each their own.