The Official Forum  

Go Back   The Official Forum > Softball

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old Fri Apr 16, 2004, 07:28pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: The Land Of The Free and The Home Of The Brave (MD/DE)
Posts: 6,425
Lightbulb

"Coach, if I am asked to check with partner about a call which I am not absolutely sure about, I will ask my partner for his view. If I believe my partner had a better look and convinces me the call was wrong, I will change my call."

That's my view and I had to say it to a coach. I know some of you don't agree so please tell me why. Please don't just say "a call is a call, never change a judgement call".
__________________
Officiating takes more than OJT.
It's not our jobs to invent rulings to fit our personal idea of what should and should not be.
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old Fri Apr 16, 2004, 07:55pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: north central Pa
Posts: 2,360
Cecil,
I kinda agree with your post. If a coach has a very specific squaek - and only if a coach has a very specific squawk, I'll check with my partner - regardless of what sanctioning body that I am working under. The checking with my partner will consist of a prvate talk that may consist of "Don't say anything. F*** this clown, the call stands and this is just for appearances sake" to "Did you see a pulled foot..."
__________________
Steve M
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old Sat Apr 17, 2004, 12:05pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Idaho
Posts: 1,474
Thumbs down Don't make and then change your call.

Check to see if help is available FIRST. Was your partner watching the play?

If yes, your partner may have had a view, and you are unsure, ask for his help SECOND.

THIRD and finally make your call. Avoid CHANGING your calls.

All of that can happen in less than a second.

If help was not available, make your call and stick with it - it's the best you're going to get.

That's my opinion.
__________________
"There are no superstar calls. We don't root for certain teams. We don't cheat. But sometimes we just miss calls." - Joe Crawford
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old Sat Apr 17, 2004, 03:23pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 548
Send a message via AIM to TexBlue
I have never had a problem checking with my partner, if I'm not sure of something, like a pulled foot or bobble ball, etc. To me, it's a lot more important to get the call right, than to worry about changing my call. I don't change a terrible lot of them, but I don't mind doing it if my partner saw something I didn't. Now, I absolutely will not go to my partner, if the ooach is a nuisance with the appeals. I personally think it's good for the game and the atmosphere on the field if the coaches know I'm open minded and confident enough to go to my partner and ask for help on a call. Most of the time, even, if I don't change my call, I get a " Thanks, Blue " just for going to talk it over.

And, yeah there have been a lot of those " Where we going to eat tonight?" conversations also.
__________________
Rick
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old Sat Apr 17, 2004, 05:16pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: woodville, tx
Posts: 3,156
Rick wrote:

And, yeah there have been a lot of those " Where we going to eat tonight?" conversations also.

"I will bet that there have been more, who's buying the first round."


[Edited by whiskers_ump on Apr 18th, 2004 at 08:44 AM]
__________________
glen _______________________________
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things
that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."
--Mark Twain.
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old Sat Apr 17, 2004, 11:59pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 508
I agree with the man from Texas...get the call right. I'll always ask my partner, in fact, depending on a situation, I'll ask the coach if he wants me to ask for help.

Here's one from today...I'm working the plate, we have a batter crowding the plate, high-inside pitch. I track the ball all the way to the bat handle, right on the knob. To me, the ball never hit the batter in the hands. In fact, girl just stands there, and only goes to first after coach calls her. I stopped her about three steps into her jog and said it was a foul ball. First base coach insists it hit her in the hands (and the fans sitting behind first base dugout 20 feet in the air saw it clearly too). I say to him, "would you like me to ask my partner what he saw?" He looks at me, so I repeat it. I heard his head rattle so I asked. My partner gives me this reply:

"Now, I saw the ball go towards the handle area and she didn't swing."

SO I ask him, "did you see the ball hit the girl on the hands or not?" And I get:

"The ball hit near the hands." So I ask if he saw the ball hit the batter.

He said no.

Foul ball. "THANKS BLUE"



Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old Sun Apr 18, 2004, 06:56pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 298
Always get the call right. You may have to eat something short term, but in the end, you will earn more respect from the coaches.
__________________
We Don't Look for Problems.....They find Us.
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old Mon Apr 19, 2004, 10:36am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Little Elm, TX (NW Dallas)
Posts: 4,047
Always try to get the call right.

That's what should override any of our thoughts.

However, as often as possible, if you have a question, YOU decide when to ask your partner for help, not the coach. If I've gotten myself out of position for whatever reason, and I can't see something (pulled foot, bobble, swipetag, etc), I should be the one to ask partner what he saw, whenever possible - NOT the coach.

The only time I'll go talk to partner after talking with a coach is when he brings up something I TRULY didn't see or think of until he brought it to my attention.
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old Mon Apr 19, 2004, 10:41am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: north central Pa
Posts: 2,360
Mcrowder -
That's true for Fed & ASA, but different sanctioning bodies have different requirements. The Kellers do a lot of college ball, I do a bit myself. If a college coach sez "I think there was a pulled foot... check with your partner", that's a requirement and we will check.
__________________
Steve M
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old Mon Apr 19, 2004, 10:56am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Little Elm, TX (NW Dallas)
Posts: 4,047
Point taken.
Reply With Quote
  #11 (permalink)  
Old Mon Apr 19, 2004, 01:11pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 298
Another Example of Going for help that is mandatory(NCAA) is the check swing. I may KNOW for certain that the batter didn't swing, but if a coach requests it, I have to check.

Really, no matter what level, if a coach asks correctly and we have something kinda screwy, then I have no problem at all asking my partner what they saw.

More times than not you will gain a little respect from the coaches. Just my thoughts.
__________________
We Don't Look for Problems.....They find Us.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:05am.



Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.3.0 RC1