Who Does the Plate?

[JJ]

If it's not assigned, how do you decide who does the plate - what if BOTH of you want it, and what if NEITHER of you want it?
Flip a coin? Senior umpire decides?
Is there a way to gracefully say "I don't want it tonight?" without the other guy thinking I'm just dodging the dish?

JJ

[johnnyg08]

If you ask the person what they prefer and he says, he doesn't care, and you really don't feel like it, then tell him that it would be great if he took the dish tonight, then promise to take the dish the next time you work together. Pretty simple to me.

[Tim C]

We are assigned either stick or bases. We do not have a choice and the decision is never left "up to us."

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Tim C

We are assigned either stick or bases. We do not have a choice and the decision is never left "up to us."

I wouldn't assume this is normal. You know how many places I've lived and the plate/base assignment has never been assigned in games I've worked.

[Toadman15241]

I've never been assigned one or the other. Normally if both want/don't want the dish for a game then the senior man gets to make the call the first time. After that it is customary for it to rotate back and forth.

IMO an association should never assign the dish unless it is a playoff game. If the two umpires can't decide in the dressing room then there are much bigger issues in the association than who is working the dish.

[lawump]

Originally Posted by Tim C

We are assigned either stick or bases. We do not have a choice and the decision is never left "up to us."

That's the way it is done in central SC in high school and American Legion. We even assign a crew chief for each game. That crew chief may or may not be the plate umpire. The crew chief is almost always the more/most experienced umpire.

[yawetag]

Here, we decide when we talk to each other the night before. Every time, I say "Do you want the plate or bases?" If he makes a decision, he gets what he chooses; if he says "It doesn't matter to me," I'll usually take the opposite of what I had the last game.

The only exception is if we've worked together. Before asking, I'll say "We worked together last year at ... and I (1) had the bases, I'll take the plate. (2) had the plate, so what would you like this time?"

Personally, I don't care what I do. I find, though, that most umpires will find excuses to not take the plate. It makes no sense to me.

[collint1993]

I normally want to do the plate and I am normally assigned to it. But every now and then we aren't assigned and there have been days when I just didn't feel it and me and the other guy flipped a coin. Normally you'll work with the same guy more than once.

[umpjong]

Originally Posted by JJ

If it's not assigned, how do you decide who does the plate - what if BOTH of you want it, and what if NEITHER of you want it?
Flip a coin? Senior umpire decides?
Is there a way to gracefully say "I don't want it tonight?" without the other guy thinking I'm just dodging the dish?

JJ

You mean you actually own plate gear? I've been lied to for 25 years...

[jicecone]

Never worked in an area were the position was pre-assigned and I usually try to cover it in my phone call the night before. I prefer the dish but, always give the other official the option. A lot of times I ask just to see the response I get. For the most part it is assumed that you switch off game to game. There are those (and every association has them), that habitually have an excuse of why they can't do it though.

I especially like the ones that never return the phone call and show up at the last minute. At one time I used keep track of the times I did the dish and it was always way more than the times I didn't. Not complaining but sometimes I just wish some officials would just say, "hey, I never do the dish, I don't feel like it, I am afraid to sweat a little, I suck at it or I am just too lazy to put the gear on" instead of all ridiculous excuses I hear sometimes.

Once, I actually had a partner show up after the game had started in full gear and said "I always do the dish for these games". Of course he never returned a phone call the night before and was fifteen minutes late. I told him to go back to his car and take the equipment off and either go home or come back and do the bases. I could write a book on this topic. It was always more common for HS ball and below because usually the College Associations didn't allow these slackers do officiate in the first place.

[cbfoulds]

Originally Posted by JJ

If it's not assigned, how do you decide who does the plate - what if BOTH of you want it, and what if NEITHER of you want it?
Flip a coin? Senior umpire decides?
Is there a way to gracefully say "I don't want it tonight?" without the other guy thinking I'm just dodging the dish?

JJ

Around here it is always "assigned" plate or bases; it's a function in Arbiter. Except for playoffs and "purpose" assignments [evaluation or elephant hunting] the position assignments are subject to change at the choice of the crew.

-I had the dish with these guys last time, would you mind?
-I've done my last three on the plate [/or bases, but you almost never hear that]; would you mind?
-This will be my first live pitching this season [all scrimages rained out - happened to me this year] - would you mind if I took the dish for this [JV] game? I'd like you to give me some eval. post-game.

In the event of "conflict", the most senior/ highest rated [in my assn. such positions are relatively unofficial/ informal, but generally well-recognised] umpire makes the decision. Never had it happen [disagreement] in one of my games. Helps that we get paid the same plate or bases; and official policy is EVERYONE brings plate gear to ALL games.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by JJ

If it's not assigned, how do you decide who does the plate - what if BOTH of you want it, and what if NEITHER of you want it?
Flip a coin? Senior umpire decides?
Is there a way to gracefully say "I don't want it tonight?" without the other guy thinking I'm just dodging the dish?

JJ

There is no formula. Someone has to do it so I go to every game being prepared to work the plate and sometimes based on who is playing, if my partner or I had the teams recently or if I will work with or have worked with the particular partner previously we decide based on those things. For example if my partner had the plate 5 days in a row and I have had the plate only once in that same time, I will offer to work the plate. If we worked previously and I worked the plate then I will let my partner work the plate this time. And that is just two common examples, there are often times other factors that it would take too long to decide. As I said before, I prepare to work the plate just in case.

Peace

[IowaMike]

Never a problem with high school games here in Iowa; they're all doubleheaders. The only discussion is whether you take the first or second game behind the plate. Most guys seem to prefer to take the first game; I used to feel that way but generally don't care that much anymore. Sometimes it's nice to have the dish for the second game once it cools off a little and the sun starts going down. Nearly everyone I have worked with rotates first game; if they had it last time you worked, it's your option the next time.

The guys who are already there in full plate gear before you arrive irritate me, it's something that should be discussed out of common courtesy. There is one guy around here who only works soph/frosh level games, who puts on the plate gear at home and gets to the game about 50 minutes ahead of time to ensure he will get that first game behind the plate. He is generally disliked and a pretty crappy umpire to boot. I work nearly all of my high school dates with the same guy now so we just rotate first game back and forth.

I do work a few lower level games that are singles before the high school season starts here at the end of May. I always show up assuming I will work the plate because I figure the guy I will be working with will either refuse, give some excuse about a bad back etc, or say he "forgot" his gear. I don't understand why guys umpire if they don't want to work the plate. I wouldn't want to work every game on the dish, but I would be bored to death working every game on the bases. I like doing both.

[DG]

Plate always assigned and rarely changed. A couple Sundays ago I woke feeling like H*ll and had a DH to do. I knew assigner was out of town so called a few guys trying to get myself replaced with no luck. So I went.

I had been assigned first game but partner said he would do it and I happily agreed. After the game he said he would work the 2nd game too, if it would help. We discussed for a bit and finally I told him I would be eternally gratefull and pay him back some day.

I made it through, went home and showered, and went to bed.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

MTD, Jr. and I have two assigners for H.S. baseball: One for our OhioHSAA sanctioned games and one for our MichiganHSAA games. Our MichiganHSAA assigner assigns the PU and BU; if it is a DH then it really doesn't matter who does the P the first game, but when we are assigned together Junior always takes the P the first game and if it is a single game then Junior usually takes the P for his "old man" no matter who was assigned the P. For our OhioHSAA sanctioned games Junior usually takes the P for his "old man" because he really likes working the P.

If we assigned OhioHSAA games separately then whoever gets to the game first usually works the P because there are far too many guys that like to arrive at the game site about the time the crew should be walking onto the diamond.

Junior is a good son.

MTD, Sr.