How much of a beating do you take behind the plate before you do something about it. I just got done with a varsity game and got plunked no less then 8 times in varies assundry places. It wasn't because of foul balls. The pitcher was pitching at 50 to 55 mph and about 35 feet consistintley. I have umped her games many times before but she just wasn't on tonight. The coaching staff just sat on their hands until I walked over and told them that one of them needed to go talk to her and calm her down. What are some ways that you guys have delt with this. I'm not a light weight but I'm not a backstop either.

Ed,You were talking to them about the wrong player. The catcher is the one
that needed the talk. :D

I'm with Glen on this, the catcher is the one that needs the talking.

I also had a game like that but in a small age group Midgets (11-12). The catcher would catch the ball that would hit in front of the plate, but would not catch a ball that would come in the strike zone. Balls would get by her and runners where stealing left and right.

Coach after the game wants to speak her mind about the game. "My catcher said "You where telling her to catch the ball," I answer "YES! I did!". All I ask her is to catch the balls or the runners would steal and score. The game ended after the bottom of the third. They got run ruled on!!!

POINT FREAKIN BLANK!!! CATCH THE FREAKIN BALL!!!!!!!!!!

A few years ago,I was doing a 10u FP game and the catcher wasn't catching anything either. I must have took 15 pitches off of my arms and hands and thighs. I asked her if she would try a little harder to catch the ball (in a nice way)to which she told me that her coach stuck her back there since it was her time to catch. I waited until we were in between innings and I called the coach over and told her that I am doing the umpiring and I did not want catching duties also. I told her to either tell the girl to make an effort to catch the ball or get me another catcher. She got me another catcher. I guess she thought I would take it out on her team if the girl wasn't going to catch it which I wasn't going to do.

you're a patient man to wait til you got hit the 15th time.

I was working a U10 and the catcher, who was only 8, would actually dodge, dip, duck, dive, and dodge out of the way. I got hit on just about every pitch. As I was working for an neighboring association, I did not want them to think our association was weak or afraid, so I just took the beating. After it was over the tournament UIC told me I should have asked for a better catcher. So the new guys didn't think I was afraid, they just thought I was stupid.

I have also told catchers that I don't really care if the catch the ball, but they can at least deflect it. That works for adult co-ed, but not with U10s.

Love these guys that tell other umpires they should request that the manager make changes in his lineup solely for the extra comfort of the umpire. How do you know that's not their best catcher (this is 10U afterall - and no one has had to stop a pitch at all before this age)...

What if the only other girl that can catch is their best fielder? You "demand" (I've heard umpires use that word in this context) a better catcher, so he has to put the only athlete he has behind the plate, and now, because the umpire is afraid to get hit... by a pitch thrown by a 10 year old girl... this team loses the game because they have to put a lesser fielder at first base.

Buggbob - you were not stupid. Your UIC may have been.

The initial post, about VARSITY ball, is a different story. I just can't believe the number of times on here I read about this at 10U.

The only times you wish you would have brought the External Chest Protector :)

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This much
 

Not really, at a varsity game last week, I had one go between the catcher's legs and bounce straight up. The cup didn't help one bit. I lost the count!

Re: This much
 

I hope the count was two.

Re: Re: This much
 

2 and 1.

The count was really 2 and OHHHHHHH!

Original question (paraphrasing): How long do you take the beating before you do something about it?

Answer: Till the game is over.

I'm definitely no macho man but I would never tell a coach at any level to put a different player in the game. I might (and have) set up in a more protective stance if it gets ridiculous (and it sometimes does). Wear all the gear and take the beating if the softball gods so deem it that game.

I wouldn't tell a coach how to do his job but I wouldn't take it either. I would move behind the mound to call the game and to he11 with what proper mechanics are.

I worked a 10 and under B tournament this past weekend. The first pool game, the coach decided his pitcher needed to work on drop pitches. They all hit the groind in front of the plate. The catcher was sort of trying but she is 9 and could not block them. I was hit 18 times the first inning. Some of them where I had no protection. After gieeing hit with the first 3 pitches in the 2nd inning I asked the coach to quit calling drops and explained why. He talked to his catcher about trying to block the pitches. The coach continued to throw drops, the pitcher bounced them in front of the plate, the catcher still could not block them and I continued to get hit. I finally backed up to about 5 ft in front of the backstop to call pitches. The coach called time, told me I could not see the pitches from that location and I could not tell him what pitches he could call for his pitcher. I agreed with him o both counts. He told me I was getting paid, to do my job and I needed to move up. i told him I was getting paid to call balls and strikes, not be a backstop and I would be calling from this position when his kid pitched. I moved back up when the other team pitched. I don't mind getting hit occasionally and I know it is part of the game for 10 & unders, but I will not continually take a beating for something that should be worked on in practice. Fortunately, we had 55 min drop dead with 5 runs per half inning during pool play.

Folks,
Just my opinion, but we sign on to do the job.
Sometimes it is easy and sometimes it is not.
But we do our job.
I am not a coach and I don't care what skill level the competitors are. I stand behind the plate and do my job. As was mentioned earlier, how hard can a 10, 11, 12 year old throw, that my equipment ( which I wear at the varsity level ) won't protect me? I'm going to stay there and do my job. If the catcher can sit back there and face her pitcher, can I do no less? I will let my equipment and my reflexes do the job and pray for only one of these type games a year.
Just my humble opinion.

I have watched this thread develp with some amusement and some dismay.
If the cathcers ability or inablity is the issue, you need to make some decisions.

If you cannot call YOUR game because the catcher is so poor, you should talk to the coach.

I don't think you should tell the coach to make changes BUT you can tell him he may not get too many strkes called if you can't see it.

NOW, let me qualify this by saying that I worked a Gold team that decided to try out a "new" catcher who quite frankly sucked.
The pitcher was hitting her mark perfectly but the catcher never got a glove on it.
After getting hit in the exact same place on five pitches in a row, I told the coach we needed a "real" catcher or the game was going to get real long.
The coach objected and so did I.

I had a serious bruise for over two months.
I mean getting hit in the exact same spot by a Gold level pitcher 5 times in a row, that hurts.

I stayed in the slot and took the hits But when the point came that I was twitching and jumping, I told the coach a change was needed.

I have been beat up by many younger kids and had a few bruises too but I never remember telling a coach he had to make a change.
I sure encouraged it though!

Dude, how hard can that hurt? She's 9. Get some shin guards and man up. Your strike zone should NOT change from one pitcher to the next, regardless of the fact that you're taking a beating.

I don't think I have purposely changed my strike Zone during a beating, but I have started to involuntarily flinch when a bean ball is coming my way. And flinching does change your zone.

Dude, how hard can that hurt? She's 9. Get some shin guards and man up. Your strike zone should NOT change from one pitcher to the next, regardless of the fact that you're taking a beating

Dude, she probably threw 45 mph, with no idea where her drop was going (except into the ground. The pitches that hit my shin guards, chest protector, mask and cup did not hurt. The ones that hit the back of my hands, fingers, and arms did hurt and it happened several times. I do not rely on my quick reactions to keep from getting hit. I do not move or flinch. If this coach wanted to mix in her drop as practice once in a while, I would stayed where I was, but he every pitch he called was a drop and none of them reached the plate. He was not concerned about throwing strikes. We played a five run max per inning and all 5 runs scored each inning were walked in. I did not have to worry about my strike zone changing. I could clearly see that the pitches did not reach the plate.

Who catches or pitches and how well they do it is none of our business. If you want to tell the coach that you can't maintain your strike zone (and your image) because you expect the next pitch to hit you, that's your prerogative.

The only catcher I asked to have removed was one in AA slow pitch whose odor was making me nauseous. Not even the Varsity catcher who called for high and inside and deliberately dropped her glove because she didn't like the call on the previous pitch.

Confession
 

I have put up with a lot of crud...like a fractured hand last summer because a coach wanted this girl to "try out." Couldn't do it during practice, of course...

But in a men's fastpitch game last year, I did tell the catcher to either use the glove or give it to me and I would use it, but I was not the backstop.

I wouldn't say that to anyone's DD, but this "gentleman" got the point real quick. Most catchers in men's are pretty good...but the regular catcher was at the hospital with his wife, and the other catcher was pitching...and they had literally drawn straws to see who would catch. After my little comment, which was strictly between me and him in a quiet but firm voice, he was fine.

A lot of times a quiet, firm, non-sarcastic comment can help out with a young catcher.

I'm curious as to how you could see the strike zone being so far back. How could you see the plate, more especially the outside corner? Can you see if the catcher turned her wrist, or framed it? How can you judge the location of the ball in relation to the front of the plate?

By moving back to the backstop, your strike zone changed. Whether you admit it did or not, it changed. You had a different perspective of how the ball crossed the plate with one pitcher compared to the other.

So often on this board (and others) we talk about the vantage point of different umps, different positions, who saw what, etc. An example is the mechanics of the PU trailing the runner to 1B to see if F3 pulled her foot - all because it's more difficult for the BU to see that. If you had to move because you were afraid of getting hit, you altered your view... and yes, your strike zone changed.

How the coach calls pitches is his business. If he's willing to make every pitch a ball, then so be it. It's not our place at all as umpires to demand that a player be replaced solely on the fact that they are less adequate than another player. It's also not our job to change how we umpire based on the abilities of various players. Do the job as trained. Remain fair and partial to both sides, and have fun in the process.

I agree with the rest of your post... but if you knew this was intentional, I've seen this catcher dumped before.

Have seen this twice in National tournament. Both catcher and coach were dumped each time.
One time they allowed the pitcher to remain, but in the other incident, they dumped all
three.

Thanks, but couldn't prove it. Luckily, it hit my chest guard, so I didn't have to react.

CecilOne,

How long did your Varsity catcher stay in the game after she dropped her glove?

Shouldn't have to "prove" that one, your judgement would suffice IMO.

I agree with trying to be professional and doing the job you are being paid for, but I think you take as much as you can take and when a team makes it impossible for you to do your job it is time to talk to the coach. We are all human and we all handle pain differently. I did a 12 and under rec. game several years ago. Pitcher didn’t have a lot of velocity but it was still hard enough to hurt when it hit. The only thing the catcher was doing was giving me a little shade from the sun and not dong a good job at that. I kept getting hit on the hands, arms and legs. I still stuck with it. Even with shin guards it still stings if you get hit so you start dodging. I got hit on the side of the leg and notice it stung a little more than some of the others. Finally the coach came out and said he needed to change the pitcher. I looked at him and said he needed to change the catcher too because I am getting beat to death. He just looked at me and went on about his business. I made it through the game with the same catcher. I didn’t have to worry about calling strikes because they never got one in the zone. After the game I started to take my shin guards off and couldn’t un-hook one of the straps. The pitch that hurt so bad had mashed the hook shut. I had to use a screwdriver to pull the hook back apart.

Re: This much
 

It was two balls and one strike!

Re: This much
 

It was one strike and two balls!

yall are fussing about being hit by softballs tossed by girls under 10 years old? :D

what am I missing here?

There ain't nothing soft about a softball.

Some 10 year olds can throw pretty hard. And most that do don't have a great idea where it's going. It can hurt.