First Game
 

I first called with Matt when he was 18yrs old. He went on to Evans and graduated number 2. Did well at PBUC and was hired. After extended spring this year he was assigned to the NW League. First game as a pro his partner ejects Tom Treblehorn! Matt is the BU who rodeo clowns after the ejection. Textbook. Congrats to Matt! A terrific young man.

YouTube - ‪TOM TREBELHORN EJECTED, KICKS HELMET‬‏

Mike C

Knowing umpires no longer use the term "rodeo clown" as umpires are NOT clowns.

We simply use the term "to rodeo."

T

Really? I see/hear that term used on numerous boards, including this one, and at the NCAA meetings. It's not a pejorative or demeaning in any way. Anyone who has enjoyed rodeo knows that those guys are tremendous athletes and safety crew. Keeping unpleasantness away is part of the job description for umpires and rodeo clowns.

I first heard "rodeo clown" as it pertains to umpires at a clinic here in north Texas back in 2007. We were covering handling situations. It seemed then and now to be an apt description. Treblehorn was the clown, not the umpire.
I was using the phrase as a verb...not a noun.
Mike C

Considering rodeo clowns are well respected, undergo extensive training, and have to be pretty sharp to stay calm and react correctly in stressful situations, the nomenclature seems acceptable. I don't see a need to get uptight about this one.

I respectfully disagree--watching a rodeo clown in action, it seems that the umpire is playing the role of the rodeo clown in these situations. But I do not take this negatively against the umpire; rather, I take it negatively against the manager. Treblehorn was the out-of-control bull that needed to be distracted and guided off the field.

Wow, what a calm/collected crew! Can you imagine having to deal with a much older, and irate, coach in that situation when you're that young and new to the profession? They both did very well I thought (maybe let him go on a bit long, but what are you supposed to do, bodily remove him from the field?). I'm a coach and can only hope my first ejection (may it never come) is handled that professionally.

I know they go through scenarios/role-playing in their schools (at least according to As They See Them) but that was pretty impressive.

Well,
 

Sorry, no matter how Dave Yeast failed in his job he was the one that at all NCAA clinics noted that the term "rodeo clown" was not to be used.

The term is "to rodeo."

You be a clown if you want.

T

The entire video, from ejection to end, is about 1:30. That's not too long and those umpires did a great job. It takes two to argue and those guys weren't giving Trebelhorn anyone to argue with.

Call it whatever (and I'm not working NCAA ball so anything their instructors might have said don't apply to me).

But just don't do what a recent partner of mine did...

I'm in "A" and the first base coach starts laying into me about a call. I calmly tell him to knock it off and the guy goes ballistic. This was at the end of a half-inning, so his players were filing past us on the way to the dugout.

So now I'm surrounded by a coach and five players and they're all jawing at me. Partner comes over and instead of "rodeo clowning" or "rodeoing" or "peeling them off me"...he get's nose to nose with ME and starts pushing ME away! Way to go, partner (or, with all the rodeoing going on, maybe that should be "pardner").

You just left the six screaming idiots, that had no business being on the field, on the field and made it look like the umpire was the aggressor. The view from under the bus sucks...

Wow...deliberately inflammatory. Baiting the hook Tim?

Mike C

~Sigh~
 

I have no idea what you are talking about.

It is universially accepted that Yeast made grievous errors in his managment of college umpires.

T

"To rodeo" is the perfect expression! What what the umpire does at the 38 second mark: He puts his hands on his belt buckle in a classic cowboy pose!

:D

Tim,

I was'nt clear I guess. Your comment about Yeast was not controversial. It was the "You be a clown if you want" comment that I was referring to. I've never been a "clown" on a baseball field. In my OP I was using jargon that I thought was exceptable within the umpire community. I've had many a post game "session" with fellow umpires where the phrase "rodeo clown" was used in context. I dont recall that anyone was offended.

Mike C

Rodeo clowns are flat out studs. I see no problem with using that term in situations like these, as it perfectly applies.

I also respect the opinions of those that don't agree.

In other words, I ain't gonna lose any sleep over it, fellas. Well, unless you roll a barrel on the field.