I've had it with SP!

LIIRISHMAN · #1 (**permalink**) Tue May 06, 2008, 01:47am

I had a men's F.D. SP game last nighi that was horrendous. Both teams were fielding challenged and rules challenged as well. Picture this B3 on 2nd base
B2 on 1st and B1 at plate with 1 out. Before Batter starts his at bat both my partner and I informed teams of there being 1 out. B3 hits a ball that glances off SS's glove some how 3rd basemen makes a dive gets ball and fires to 2nd to get the out. After smoke clears should be 2 outs,right? Both teams start to dugouts before realizing only 2 outs. 3rd base coach(who's also a player pushes B1 back to 3rd with both hands. I'm PU see the push and ring up B3 for the 3rd out. Armageddon occurs you know the drill. How could you do that blue? What, you want to get home early? Blue you can't make up your own rules as you go along. I've just lost my patience babysitting and have decided to stop doing SP after this year. I just can't take the insanity any more. Any comments?

IRISHMAFIA · #2 (**permalink**) Tue May 06, 2008, 07:02am

Quote:

Originally Posted by LIIRISHMAN

I had a men's F.D. SP game last nighi that was horrendous. Both teams were fielding challenged and rules challenged as well. Picture this B3 on 2nd base
B2 on 1st and B1 at plate with 1 out. Before Batter starts his at bat both my partner and I informed teams of there being 1 out. B3 hits a ball that glances off SS's glove some how 3rd basemen makes a dive gets ball and fires to 2nd to get the out. After smoke clears should be 2 outs,right? Both teams start to dugouts before realizing only 2 outs. 3rd base coach(who's also a player pushes B1 back to 3rd with both hands. I'm PU see the push and ring up B3 for the 3rd out. Armageddon occurs you know the drill. How could you do that blue? What, you want to get home early? Blue you can't make up your own rules as you go along. I've just lost my patience babysitting and have decided to stop doing SP after this year. I just can't take the insanity any more. Any comments?

Remember, you asked.

Why would you let their stupidity bother you? Who really gives a **** what they think? Do you let other folks decide what you will do next?

If I start insulting Islanders and keep it up, will you move to another location or just tune me out? Unless you are a fool, you will tune me out which is exactly what you should do to ballplayers.

Sorry, no sympathy here.

CajunNewBlue · #3 (**permalink**) Tue May 06, 2008, 07:41am

I had some of the same problems this year in co-ed..... and in your OP i have at least 3 ejections (if its 3 different people saying those things)... strangly enough after my total of 5 ej. this year the knuckleheads have learned. Well, at least till this Wed. night.

Dont give up... as long as you made the correct calls (and it seems so to me that you did) puff your chest out and be proud of a job well done.

wadeintothem · #4 (**permalink**) Tue May 06, 2008, 07:51am

I'm with you and went through a similar thing with beer league SP. There is no reason to work it. It is atrocious ball with a bunch of whining meat heads. I'm sure at the majors level SP is the greatest thing since sliced bread

but beer league is garbage. They should officiate it themselves.

NCASAUmp · #5 (**permalink**) Tue May 06, 2008, 07:59am

You have to nip it in the bud early and without delay. If one team starts jawing at you, pull their coach or captain aside and tell him to get his team under control or you'll start sending players home early.

There is no reason to accept disparaging remarks from anyone. Hey, wait... I think I read that in the book somewhere...

So if they're getting unsportsmanlike, start tossing people. Don't put up with their BS, but don't show them that they're getting a rise out of you. Doing so just eggs them on further. After a few ejections, it will eventually get through their thick skulls to their small brains - play nice, or don't play at all.

I've seen entire leagues ruined by one team coming in and causing problems that were not being addressed by the umpires. The blues weren't checking bats closely (and a number of altered and non-approved bats were never addressed), weren't tossing people when they should, and generally weren't enforcing a good standard of conduct for the players (and, sometimes, themselves). Uphold a higher standard, and encourage your partners to do the same. Otherwise, you're in for a very long year.

Dukat · #6 (**permalink**) Tue May 06, 2008, 08:33am

I had a similar situation last week but it was in youth ball. The kid hit a pretty good hit and tripped over first base. The first base coach picked the kid up and set her in front of first and pushed her toward second. It was the third out so I start declaring the out and the HC states "That was her only hit of the year and you are going to take it away from her" and from my wonderful time here I come back with this: "No sir Coach, your assistant did that, I only enforced the rule."

LMan · #7 (**permalink**) Tue May 06, 2008, 09:02am

Hmmm, I think yall should have thicker skin than that. That's what Bluefoot told me in his umpires' clinic.

HawkeyeCubP · #8 (**permalink**) Tue May 06, 2008, 04:06pm

Unless this was a championship game in a tournament (and maybe even then), I would strongly consider calling "time" as soon as I see both teams leaving the field and/or the base coach about to physically assist a runner, and inform everyone that there are only 2 outs. It'd be preventative umpiring, in my opinion - especially in crap SP. And fwiw, I've stopped working (for now) that game as well, because I'm in a frame of mind where I just can't stand it right now (and couldn't stand it at the end of last year) - both from a who-my-crap-partner's-going-to-be-tonight perspective, and also (and mainly) from a I-don't-want-to-deal-with-these-weekend-warriors'-crap-anymore-for-any-amount-of-money point of view.

archangel · #9 (**permalink**) Wed May 07, 2008, 02:15pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by HawkeyeCubP

Unless this was a championship game in a tournament (and maybe even then), I would strongly consider calling "time" as soon as I see both teams leaving the field and/or the base coach about to physically assist a runner, and inform everyone that there are only 2 outs. It'd be preventative umpiring, in my opinion - especially in crap SP. And fwiw, I've stopped working (for now) that game as well, because I'm in a frame of mind where I just can't stand it right now (and couldn't stand it at the end of last year) - both from a who-my-crap-partner's-going-to-be-tonight perspective, and also (and mainly) from a I-don't-want-to-deal-with-these-weekend-warriors'-crap-anymore-for-any-amount-of-money point of view.

It sounds like you do probably need to get away from the games for awhile. I'm not to sure I agree with your preventive umpiring "time" call in that sich...just let it play out, call the 3rd out for coach interference if thats what happened...and move on. Toss any who complain too much. Dont take it personal, just rule and keep going....

mick · #10 (**permalink**) Wed May 07, 2008, 02:34pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukat

I had a similar situation last week but it was in youth ball. The kid hit a pretty good hit and tripped over first base. The first base coach picked the kid up and set her in front of first and pushed her toward second. It was the third out so I start declaring the out and the HC states "That was her only hit of the year and you are going to take it away from her" and from my wonderful time here I come back with this: "No sir Coach, your assistant did that, I only enforced the rule."

The BR reached first.
It remains a hit.
Riunner needs some more agility training, like rope jumping,
That's a coaching/parenting problem.