Stupid Fan Quotes
 

I had two head-shakers in a HS District tournament game yesterday that I thought I'd share:

From a dad: "Three and two. It's gotta be perfect!" :confused:

From a mom after the game: "My daughter has a hurt wrist and she made a good throw, and you didn't give her the out." :rolleyes:

One of my favorites came from a parent and went like this:

Moron: Come on, blue, he was safe! I've got 20/20 vision with these glasses on!

Me: Sir, I read bottom line on the eyechart, and I don't wear any glasses.

Slight pause...

Moron: Good call, blue!

The pitch was way inside and about waist high. The batter squats way down to avoid getting hit, but still got beaned in the brain-pan. This dad starts in with, "She's got to make a better attempt to get out-of-the-way." When that didn't work, he then comments, "It's a strike blue when the batter is hit in the strike zone."

Those are the ones where you are tempted to turn around and say to the fan, "here's your sign."

We've all heard some idiot yell "Hands are part of the bat!" but this one took the cake.

Pitcher is throwing smoke, so batters are beginning their swings essentially before they see the ball. Pitch comes high and tight. Batter tries to bail and at the last second blocks the ball with a bare hand (a hand not contacting the bat at all).

"Hands are part of the bat, Blue!!!"

Here's your sign.

About a week ago in a High School game...

"COME ON BLUE THAT BALL COULDN'T BE A STRIKE, IT WAS AT HER KNEES!" :)

Top of the first inning ... pitcher walks her 3rd straight and some genius yells "C'mon blue, call it both ways!" :confused:

One last night that I'm still not sure I can argue with.

Second game of a three game night and we have to declare a forfeit. The coach wants us to give him five extra minutes. "I just talked to the guys, they are just turning on [ball field] road."

When we don't give the team the few extra minutes, coach says, "But we wait on you all the time when you have a previous game run into extra innings."

Come back I didn't think of until this morinng, "Okay coach, well next time the game ahead of you runs over, you don't have to stay. Y'all can just go on home."

I'm working a game out "in the hills" and some
fan yells out on a close call--
"that was a bush league call blue" !!
I just waved my arms out and scanned the scenery around me !!
priceless !!

Happened Monday:
I'm the BU. Bottom of 3rd, home team up something like 14-2. We're something like 55 minutes into the gametime. 1B coach asks me "Is this only the 3rd inning?" "Yes, coach, it certainly is."
About 15 minutes later, after about 6 runs have come in, and we're still bottom of 3, he has a batter who rounds 1B, and dances with the pitcher, who's got her arm ready, about to throw to F3. She does, and BR dives back, safe by a split second.

I ring her up. For the first out of the inning.

He picks her up, says to her, "That's ok, you were safe."
Next pitch, he turns and says, "Are we still in the 3rd inning?"
I say, "Yes, coach, that's why your runner was called out."

Laughing, he says, "And that's why I wasn't in your face about that call, either!" :D

???

http://www.southeastclimbing.com/images/brittonhill.jpg

This maybe a HTBT, but I was BU and one of my best friends was PU. He's a BIG guy - sort of looks like Eric Gregg did. He called a strike and someone sitting under a tree 20' past the outfield fence yelled - "STRIKE? YOU GOTTA BE FREAKIN' KIDDING!"

My buddy never said a word - stepped out from behind the plate, took off his mask and sort of bent over, shaded his eyes with he hands, squinted his eyes and stared at the guy. Stood up and looked at the plate, then struck the same pose again. Stood up, looked at me and the first base coach, shook his head and went back to the plate. We rolled! Priceless.

The other night.. college game.. I forget the peeps involved..

Ball bounces off safety knob of bat of a slapper. Foul ball

Announcer "It wouldnt have mattered if it had hit her hands, the hands are actually an extension of the bat".

Said on open air to literally dozens of fans watching it on TV.

Thus, my signature. :)

I have heard that before. I also heard, just a couple of weeks ago, a fan go ballisitic on a fly ball that I called fair. "That was foul. It was on the line!"

Next day of the same HS District Tournament as my OP. Runner gets picked off third by a sharp catcher. Angry at herself, she jerks off her helmet. U3 issues a helmet warning to the team. Coach says, "But Blue -- she put it back on." :rolleyes:

That's where the best interps come from. :rolleyes:

Maybe hard to visualize, but ...
Batter is about 6'3" - 6'4". Pitch is over, just below her waist for a strike.
Spec yells "cmon blue, she's not that tall". :eek:

Next pitch just below her knees for a ball.
Another spec yells "she's not that short, either". :rolleyes:
I hope he was needling the first guy, because the team doesn't have a resident shrink. :)

Good Fan Quote
 

I had the opposite in a HS game this spring. TINY batter (maybe 4'8"?). Ball one. Ball two. Dad to pitcher: She's got armpits and knees. There's a strike zone in there somewhere! :cool:

I'm still waiting for some of you FL guys to tell us where the hills are in Florida! :p

sorry Dakota--I've been busy--
did not think when I posted that--
it was back in central NY where I umpired many a game over
the years until I moved here in 2001--
-- lots of wooded rolling hills and valleys there--
not too many here of course !!

OK...here's a coach deal from Thursday. Juco game, second of a doubleheader, Team B got run-ruled badly in Game 1.

Game 2, I am in C with runners at 1 and 2. Catcher makes snap throw to 1B. 1B is running back to 1B and catches ball on the run and makes a great attempt to tag her. Runner for whatever reason goes back standing up (if she slides there's just about no way she can be tagged). She gets her front foot on the bag as 1B tags back foot. I have a great look at it, call her safe.

"Time!" Team B coach yells. He comes walking toward me. I just stand there patiently waiting to come on over so we can discuss it like gentlemen.

Nope. He stops just past 1B. "You're telling me you can see that from over there?" he yells.
"Yes, coach, I can see that," sez me, not yelling.
"Could you ask for help?" Coach B yells.
"No, coach, I don't need help. I got a clean look at it."
"So...you're not going to give me the courtesy of going to your partner?"
"Coach, I had a great look at it, don't need help."
Coach B storms off.
3B coach has a much higher IQ. He waits a pitch and says, not very quietly,
"Hey blue, if he had managed to make it over to you and asked you, you would have gone for help, wouldn't you."
I just smiled.

Breath-taking, isn't it?;)

My ears popped just looking at the picture.

:D :D :D :D

called 3rd strike at the knees and on the inside corner, right in that corner (low and inside) that I will call a strike at. I ring her up, I hear "That's ok, even if you hit that you wouldn't have been able to do anything with it." Then I hear a guy sitting next to that lady say "well I think that is why she has been throwing them there" ............priceless

Hands Part of the Bat
 

It happens every year. Just the other day, there was as girl was hit by a pitch...The defensive coach yells "Hey Blue, the hands are part of the bat."

I let it got, and as the same coach was going to the third base coaches box between innings he stopped and said "That ball hit her in the hands and the hands are part of the bat."

My response: "Coach, find me a sporting goods store that sells the hands with the bat, and I'll give you that call.":)

HS Game 3rd inning
Home team at bat
Girls in HT dugout are chattering away with all the usual chants and cheers which they had been doing in the two previous innings.
Finally the visiting catcher turns to me and asks, "Hey Blue, can you make their team be quiet?"

Last night -

Strike, inside corner

"Oh my God that was outside. How can she hit a pitch so far outside? That pitch was so outside. That is a terrible call. That was outside".


Good lordie, if youre gonna whine at least have the location a semblance of correct.