First SP Games

[Welpe]

I worked my first SP games for the local AA (is that Alcoholics Anonymous or Almost Adult?) league last night. They were rather interesting, even the field.

The field is a skinned infield, perfect for softball however there is a pitcher's mound right in the middle of it and of course, no pitcher's plate for softball. Turns out this field doubles as a regulation baseball diamond. Behind home plate is a second home plate that should've been covered up but wasn't. So that, combined with the mat and the commit line makes for a rube goldberg looking contraption behind the plate.

The first game started fine until during one inning, there was a groundball hit to the short stop and a play at first. The throw is wide and skips off the ground, hitting the BR and bounces up the 1st baseline. The BR proceeds to wind up and boot the ball into right field. I am on it right away, killing the ball and calling interference. The plate umpire comes out from behind the plate and says "No the runner is safe, go back to first." Then comes out and tells me "That is the right call but he was just playing around, we don't really call that here." Oh boy.

The rest of the games were fairly uneventful but I am going to have some "adjusting" to do from working competitive fast pitch.

Quick mechanics question, since I haven't been given my rulebook yet. In ASA SP, does the BU always start in B position, even with no runners on base?

Hopefully I'll have something better to share as the season continues, thanks for reading.

[umpharp]

Yes, BU in Slow Pitch will be in B slot every pitch of the game.

As for the Interference call. If the play was dead and you were 100% sure the player was joking around, then you might let it slide, but if there were other baserunners or if he moved up then you HAVE to call Interference.
The players or leagues don't decide what is called and what isn't, we do and interference is interference and should be enforced.

[Stu Clary]

Originally Posted by Welpe

The plate umpire comes out from behind the plate and says "No the runner is safe, go back to first." Then comes out and tells me "That is the right call but he was just playing around, we don't really call that here."

That's when I would have left.

[Welpe]

I was really considering it, believe me. I figured I would stick it out a bit longer.

I see you're up in Vacaville, do you have much in the way of competitive slow pitch or tournaments up there? We seem to only have the AA leagues here.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Welpe

The first game started fine until during one inning, there was a groundball hit to the short stop and a play at first. The throw is wide and skips off the ground, hitting the BR and bounces up the 1st baseline. The BR proceeds to wind up and boot the ball into right field. I am on it right away, killing the ball and calling interference. The plate umpire comes out from behind the plate and says "No the runner is safe, go back to first." Then comes out and tells me "That is the right call but he was just playing around, we don't really call that here." Oh boy.

How are you supposed to know when to call it and what type of crap will you get when you do?

Your partner did you no favor. If anything, he should have backed your call, supported you with the players and then talked to you after the game as to how loose the rules are followed in that particular league.

[SC Ump]

Originally Posted by Welpe

... local AA league...

Alleged Adults

Not sure, but I think it was coined by "Ed", who would regale us with stories of his local leagues over on the old McGrif page. He was fairly new to SP and we got to see a few things through his eyes.

I think the one I remember most was that he would stop by the local field during lunch break from his day job, with a twelve foot pole, marked at the six foot point... just so he could get better at judging the arc. He said he would put it half way between the pitching plate and home, then study it from the PU position.

I'm not sure if I wish I had that commitment or I'm glad that I don't.

[Stu Clary]

Originally Posted by Welpe

I see you're up in Vacaville, do you have much in the way of competitive slow pitch or tournaments up there? We seem to only have the AA leagues here.

Vacaville used to be a hot bed for ASA slow pitch tourneys. Used to. Not anymore though. All the tourney folks play u-trip and Solano County is strictly ASA territory.

Lots of SP around here though. Vacaville, Fairfield, Napa and Davis all register 100+ teams per season. Add Suisun City and Travis AFB and an umpire can work every night if he so choses.

I work in Vacaville Mondays and Wednesdays, Suisun on Fridays...girls FP on weekends, and NFHS when in season.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by SC Ump

Alleged Adults

Not sure, but I think it was coined by "Ed", who would regale us with stories of his local leagues over on the old McGrif page. He was fairly new to SP and we got to see a few things through his eyes.

I think the one I remember most was that he would stop by the local field during lunch break from his day job, with a twelve foot pole, marked at the six foot point... just so he could get better at judging the arc. He said he would put it half way between the pitching plate and home, then study it from the PU position.

I'm not sure if I wish I had that commitment or I'm glad that I don't.

Funny thing is that's exactly what they did at our NUS in NC this year...

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by Welpe

I worked my first SP games for the local AA (is that Alcoholics Anonymous or Almost Adult?) league last night. They were rather interesting, even the field.

The field is a skinned infield, perfect for softball however there is a pitcher's mound right in the middle of it and of course, no pitcher's plate for softball. Turns out this field doubles as a regulation baseball diamond. Behind home plate is a second home plate that should've been covered up but wasn't. So that, combined with the mat and the commit line makes for a rube goldberg looking contraption behind the plate.

The first game started fine until during one inning, there was a groundball hit to the short stop and a play at first. The throw is wide and skips off the ground, hitting the BR and bounces up the 1st baseline. The BR proceeds to wind up and boot the ball into right field. I am on it right away, killing the ball and calling interference. The plate umpire comes out from behind the plate and says "No the runner is safe, go back to first." Then comes out and tells me "That is the right call but he was just playing around, we don't really call that here." Oh boy.

The rest of the games were fairly uneventful but I am going to have some "adjusting" to do from working competitive fast pitch.

Quick mechanics question, since I haven't been given my rulebook yet. In ASA SP, does the BU always start in B position, even with no runners on base?

Hopefully I'll have something better to share as the season continues, thanks for reading.

I think I had the same trouble adjusting to the "way beer league is non-called"... its not like they wrote down the rules they wanted enforced, they kind of made em up and the way its supposed to go.

[Chess Ref]

Same here. Some of our local "culture" includes only calling OBS if it really,really impacts the play.

I seem to be one of very few who call IP using the correct mechanics. It seems to confuse them.

[BretMan]

Having just recently made some NSA contacts and becoming NSA registered, I got a phone call looking for an umpire for one of their tournaments. It was slow pitch and I have done maybe two dozen slow pitch games in my life.

In that handful of games, I have witnessed more meltdowns, hissy fits, bizare arguments and out-of-control behavior that I think that I have seen in all of my hundreds of fastpitch and baseball games combined.

This was a unique tourney. It was sponsored by the local police and fire departments and had teams composed of police officers, firefighters and EMT's from all over the state. And it was held on a Monday to accomodate the second and third shift work requirements of the participants. We had a nice, hot 95 degree day and I called five games, with a break between the third and fourth.

A few observations:

- I wasn't sure if having the participants be police officers and firefighters would lead to more problems (testosterone-fueled macho theatrics) or fewer (disiplined behavior and respect for authority). The latter proved to be true and- a few expected grumbles or gripes aside- things went smoothly.

- Apparently, NSA mechanics have a few quirks compared to ASA. The "A" position is still used with no runners on base- "B" is for everything else.

- The players seemed perplexed by my lack of verbally calling pitches "deep", "low", "outside" or "hit the plate". (And, no, there were no "double-fist pumps" from me that day, though I did observe a few from other umpires.) My call on pitches was simply "ball" or "strike". That really seemed to confuse 'em! These slow pitch players are so conditioned to the running "commentary" from many slow pitch umpires that they have come to expect it as the norm.

- After the games, I was talking with one of the pitchers who seemed particularly distracted by me not announcing the location of his pitches. It seems that somewhere along the line that day, a batter had hit him with a batted ball. The batter continued on to base, but did not bother to verbally tell the pitcher that "he was sorry" (for hitting him).

The pitcher went into a lengthy explanation of some murky "unwritten rule" whereby the batter not saying, "I'm sorry", had violated some super-secret softball code and that meant that he was trying to hit the pitcher on purpose and that meant his team was going to retaliate...and he was really, really serious about all this stuff.

This whole soap opera subplot was playing out under the surface of one of my games and I was completely oblivious to it (and glad of that!).

[LMan]

Originally Posted by Stu Clary

That's when I would have left.

Yep. If nothing else, your exposure to this kind of crap is going to erode your real umpiring skills unecessarily. Why make it hard on yourself?

[LMan]

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

It seems to confuse them.

..and spitting is a symptom of confusion

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by BretMan

- I wasn't sure if having the participants be police officers and firefighters would lead to more problems (testosterone-fueled macho theatrics) or fewer (disiplined behavior and respect for authority). The latter proved to be true and- a few expected grumbles or gripes aside- things went smoothly.

That is often true for tournaments sponsored by that group. Outside of their own, though, I have seen the god complex kick in. Many of these folks are not used to other people telling them what to do or holding them to particular rule set outside of their world. Funny thing is, I've found this more with firefighters than the others.

[celebur]

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

I seem to be one of very few who call IP using the correct mechanics. It seems to confuse them.

Hear, hear. Why is it that SP players seem to think that "no pitch" is synonymous with "illegal pitch"?