What I Never Want to Hear
 

Rec league softball tonight. I know, it's not basketball, but I think this instance covers all sports.

My team is down by 20 or so. We actually have something brewing, runners on and the heart of the order up. One of our guys hits it, and there's an eventual throw home. The ball gets away from the catcher, and crosses the threshold of our dugout area, clearly out of play, as was described to me in the pregame conference.

The umpire refused to call the ball out of play, and never gave us a reason why he didn't call it out of play.

After the game I asked him why, especially since the same play happened to us a couple of weeks ago, and even though we were down by 15 in that game too, the umpire called it out of play.

His response to me? "Eh, I didn't think it would have mattered." I just walked away at that point, and our league commissioner will be getting an email in the morning about this umpire.

I hope that none of us ever use that line with a coach, especially a losing coach, no matter the time, score, or situation. I think it's one thing to let a close foul go, or to widen the strike zone, but it's a whole other deal to not make a call on a black and white rule.

Oh my
 

Down 20 in a wreck SOFTBALL league? Come on!

Perhaps that wasnt the right answer but it was an honest answer & probably an official to official answer.
Now you, as an official, are going to tattle-tell on a guy over a wreck softball game... Come on!!

He had no idea that I'm an official too. Again, I get that it wouldn't change the outcome, and that's fine, I'm not about to protest the game because of it. All I want is integrity (by no means am I suggesting he was cheating...believe me the other team didn't need the umpire's help). By integrity, I mean calling the rules as they're laid out. We don't stop officiating basketball because it's a 40 point game, no matter the level. That's all I'm asking for.

I agree that was not the best thing to say to a participant. But the reality in games like softball/baseball is umpires will open up the strike zone a little when the game is getting out of hand. For one thing coaches in those sports are not trying to be there all day and want umpires to call strikes. But that is a different sport and I would not compare it to what we do in basketball with the clock constantly running and eventually the ending in realistic sight. Now something like the ball going in DBT is not something that should be ignored. I would also bet that this league you got a guy that is doing it for the money or he would not be out there. I do not see a slow pitch men's league as a major officiating assignment for most, so you get these kinds of attitudes even if you do not like them, so to compare what happen in this game or a basketball game are not really fair or a good comparison IMO.

Peace

I agree with stiffler. I see a big difference between widening a slow-pitch strike zone and ignoring a ball out of play.

I work 50-60 slow-pitch games every summer. Rut is correct that these aren't major assignments. These gigs are for fun and to make a little extra scratch. Still, you have a job to do, and your integrity will be judged, regardless of the level.

If the ball goes out of play, give 'em their bases, period. No-one could possibly think the lesser of you for that.

I do agree, but when I worked those games several years ago, most of the guys were going through the motions and did not care about specific rules or the games themselves. Now usually this kind of thing was not an issue, but I can tell you guys did not lose sleep over not hustling or not being dressed properly. It was a money grab for most plain and simple. And even if they did a bad job, no one was firing them as they would be there for those games to make that money. This is why I would not compare this to even a JH basketball game. It is more like a Men's league basketball game and you get the same attitudes there. It might be sad, but often true.

Peace

Tattle-tell??? Come on!!

It's a piss poor excuse to not make a call. If you told someone that and I was working with you, I'd write the email the next morning!

dude, down 20 in a softball game?...




you're kidding right?

See post number three...blue font (but not sarcastic). Our second game started at close to 10:15. No reason for a softball game to start that late.

I'm with Stiffler on this. I think he understands the relative importance of the game, but that statement is another way of saying, "you know, I just dialed this one in."

Is that a mid-western usage? Never heard it that way.
'round these parts it would come out "mailed it in"

Agreed, I think Snaqs meant "mailed it in". In fact, dialed in is basically the opposite...meaning being really focused on the task at hand.

Nothing to worry about there, I'd never work THAT sport.

BktBallRef, you wouldn't happen to play on a softball team with Snaqs & bainsey, would ya? :D

Tref - I'd do the same. This guy doesn't deserve to be sucking up games and paychecks that could go to someone who actually cares to be there. Bad umpiring happens in games like this... but intentionally ignoring what happens in a situation and using "I didn't think it would matter" as your excuse? I'd report him too.

I think this cliche sums up my point here...

We're playing hard no matter the score, we paid to play. I'm sure part of our league fees contributes to the umpire's pay. We deserve the umpire's best efforts.

Just got a response from the league commissioner, and he agrees with me that the call was missed, and for the wrong reasons.

I'm not out for blood, just want to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

I am a realist. I love ideal stuff that we all like to hold onto, but you get what you pay for. Unless you start paying guys $100 for these games you will get a $20 to $30 effort for a game that might not take more than an hour. And why I would not compare any of this to what we do. The better comparison would be to those that work Men's leagues and see their effort. I know officials at those leagues take those games as a money grab too.

Peace

I guarantee you he doesn't. I can't play worth crap. :D

By the way, we say "phone it in" around here. Mailed, dialed, phoned, same thing: didn't bring your best effort. That said, had the umpire just owned it and said, "You're right. I should've called that," I'm sure no-one would have been notified.

Agreed on all counts. Well, except how you play softball. I wouldn't know. I meant "phoned it in." Same as "mailed."

Yes. It was his comment to me after the game that bothered me more than the non-call.

So do you feel a bit better now, knowing the umpire will receive a talking to about applying the rules as written? :D

Seriously, for me, this is like the coach who calls your assignor after losing by 20, to b!tch about a 3 second call he didnt get late in the 4Q. :rolleyes:

I hope his assignor takes the validity of those type of complaints from the slaughtered team into consideration.

On the outside:
"Yes you are correct, we will talk to the umpires about this & thanks for the email."

On the inside:
Dude, you've got bigger concerns!!

IJS, I think complaints should be saved for sh!t that actually matters in the outcome.

+1

As I said in post #2:

Depending on how long/how often we've worked, I've found that we unknowingly are known by many people. He probably thought you could relate.

In the mens wreck basketball environment, I speak to HS coaches/officials/ex-players that play different than I do to the typical player, because they should be able to relate to the differences between the real world vs. wreck world.

"As far as the dugout play goes, that is totally wrong. The score shouldn't make a difference in the call. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will check to see it was the same guy or not. "

That was the response I got. This particular commissioner is a good one, and I wish every single one was like this.

Whether he talks to the guy or not, I felt he should know.

Tref, this isn't complaining about a missed 3 sec call. It's ignoring a five step travel and, when asked, saying you didn't call it because you didn't think it mattered. It's not the missed call, it's the attitude behind it.

Got it! Yeah, I would go with "I'm missed it, sorry coach I'll get better" in this case :-)

tref ... as assignor, I'd rather people tell me about this stuff. When I get emails or calls that sound like, "So and so missed a call at first base that cost us a game." it goes in one ear, out the other. However, calls about umpires that just stand at home plate regardless of what happens ... or calls about umpires that actually say out loud that they didn't make a call because the game was out of hand ... I don't care the score, I want to know.

Now ... given that this call comes from someone that lost by 20, maybe it just goes in the memory bank - but I suspect that if this is really the attitude of the umpire, then THIS is not the only phone call I will get of this ilk on that guy. Even if it's not enough to act on, it could contribute to a pattern.

Like I said, I'd rather know.

No idea who assigns the league here.

This was the only problem was this guy. Other than that, he was great. Even made a great call when I was out by an eyelash at first. His attitude toward me irked me.

It's more like failing to call an out of bounds when the ball is bouncing in the bleachers. An overthrown ball out of play in baseball/softball is a call that makes itself and shouldn't ever be ignored. That's just being lazy.

I would not be surprised if it is someone over a park district (or whoever is over the league) and they get people they know from other events to cover the games. It is unlikely there is a vast pool of umpires around to take his place.

Peace