How do you handle this...

[bigblue68]

Varsity Game, one of the top programs in the state that has to play an area game against a second year fast pitch program. The second years pitcher can hardly pitch legal, let alone pitch a strike, the game is dragging on and it's like 22-0 at the end of the first (we gotta play 3 to get the 15 after 3 call). Is there anything that you do as an umpire to 'speed' the game along?

[wadeintothem]

There is really not much you can do. Sit and hope at some point the coach has his runners step off the bag.

Thats why they pay us the big bucks.

[MichaelVA2000]

If you are a religious person, praying could help.

[bigblue68]

come to find out its a carry over from basketball, when the second year program beat the fire out of the softball power, didn't sub till the last minute, never broke the press, won by 60. Coach was just getting some retribution.

[Steve M]

Like Wade said - there's not much you can do. Sometimes the games are just lousy games.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by bigblue68

come to find out its a carry over from basketball, when the second year program beat the fire out of the softball power, didn't sub till the last minute, never broke the press, won by 60. Coach was just getting some retribution.

Two schools with a lot of class. I'm comforted knowing our kids are being taught the lessons of life by such fine educators.

[7in60]

Originally Posted by bigblue68

Varsity Game, one of the top programs in the state that has to play an area game against a second year fast pitch program. The second years pitcher can hardly pitch legal, let alone pitch a strike, the game is dragging on and it's like 22-0 at the end of the first (we gotta play 3 to get the 15 after 3 call). Is there anything that you do as an umpire to 'speed' the game along?

My strike zone would get bigger in a game like this. The batters should be swinging at anything hittable.

[SRW]

Some of you may remember that, one year ago, sleepy little Woodinville made national news with a 64-0 softball score...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...9381_ko28.html

Heck we talked about it here for a while...
HS Blow-out

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by bigblue68

Varsity Game, one of the top programs in the state that has to play an area game against a second year fast pitch program. The second years pitcher can hardly pitch legal, let alone pitch a strike, the game is dragging on and it's like 22-0 at the end of the first (we gotta play 3 to get the 15 after 3 call). Is there anything that you do as an umpire to 'speed' the game along?

Just keep remembering the game will be only 3 innings, not much longer than the regular 7, and use the boredom to improve.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Just keep remembering the game will be only 3 innings, not much longer than the regular 7, and use the boredom to improve.

Of course, that is if the local Fed association utilizes a slaughter rule. If not, then you pray for solar eclipse.

[NCASAUmp]

Sounds like one game I had where it was 33-1 after only 2 innings (and 45 minutes). Unfortunately, the home team was the team that was getting pounded, and we had to go the full 1:05 time limit.

Fortunately, the team winning had all 3 of their starting batters intentionally get outs (out of the box, stepping on the plate, etc.) in the third inning to help get the game moving.

You call long enough, you're bound to have one of these games eventually.

[NM FP Ump]

Dave,

Your game reminds me of an ASA game I had a few years back. I didn’t know either of the teams, but I guess they knew each other. Coaches joking at pre-game, that sort of thing.

Visitor pounds out 5 runs in the first inning without even making an out, home team isn’t that bad, it’s just that visitor is so much better; you’re classic A vs. B. After the five run outburst, visitors hold “practice” for the home team, bunting to pitcher, squeeze plays, etc. Plays designed to get an out. Home team comes to bat and the result is a 1 2 3 inning. Second inning, same thing, but this time the visitors have the umpires call them out (coaches interference, leaving early, moving from 1 box to the other, etc.) After 3 full innings, we have 15-0, visitors win.

That’s one game I could have called from the bleachers!

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by NM FP Ump

That’s one game I could have called from the bleachers!

We should try that sometime. Apparently, the view's much better from there.

In that same game, the team that was getting slaughtered was down in the pits. The best female player (coed team, obviously) struck out swinging, which was very much unlike her. As she's going to the dugout, I start brushing off the plate. Suddenly, I hear, "**** you, mother ******! You son of a..." blah blah blah, you know the drill. I look up, confused, and the girl who just struck out is cussing out her teammate at the top of her lungs. Then, she starts yelling, "give me the bat! Give me the bat!" I'm thinking, "oh hell no." She grabs the bat, slams it down into her bat bag and walks off the field, her boyfriend or husband, embarrassed as can be, walking about 15' behind her, not looking anyone in the eye. Frankly, I was too stunned for words.

Later, I found out that the guy she was cussing out had accused her of striking out intentionally, blaming her attitude as the reason why they never win any games (not that the fact that most of them had never played before had anything to do with it).

I also found out that the guy she cussed out was, coincidentally, her boss.

That team never did come back. Such a shame, too, because there's a lower league in the same town playing the same night that probably could've been fun for them.

The moral of the lesson is: Know what level you're signing up for. Your job may depend on it!

[argodad]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Just keep remembering the game will be only 3 innings, not much longer than the regular 7, and use the boredom to improve.

In Florida HS we have to go 5 innings (10 after 5). Fortunately our really bad team has improved. They still don't make it to the 6th, but they usually only lose by 15-20 runs.

[Chess Ref]

maybe because our schools are so close to each,basically 140 HS within an hour of each other, the coaches all seem to know each other and act with a heart. Now we have our 22-0 games after the first but the winners generally start looking for outs to get it over with.

Had one last year,winning team is ranked now liked 4th in nation and the losers were a pretty typical urban. After about 10 minutes in the top of the first the winning coach pleads with me to call anything that doesn't land in the parking lot a strike on her team a strike. I do they still win by a gazillion.