Shorts and Flip-Flops
 

Situation: PONY National Qualifier this weekend where you can be the UIC for the day and also umpire other days during the tournament when you're not the UIC.

The UIC (Mr. Xela) for Friday's games looses his car keys after a night of parting. It's now Saturday morning and the keys cannot be found. Mr. Xela is scheduled to umpire several games and his gear and uniforms are locked in his car.

Through rotation type scheduling, there are several umpires available to take the games but Mr. Exla decides that he will go ahead and officiate anyway as the base umpire. His umpire uniform consists of shorts, a shirt and flip-flops.

As a UIC or a TD, would any of you have allowed this to happen?

The UIC's name was changed so the guilty would not be embarrassed

I've never been UIC, nor am I in a position to be a UIC. However, if I were the UIC or TD, I would have never allowed this. Completely irresponsible.

I'm sure M.H. had a fit!

This putz never heard of AAA or yellow pages?

Selfish and unprofessional.

I can't imagine umpiring in flip flops. Ridiculous.

My grandfather once told me that he keeps his spare car key with his house keys. This was after locking my keys in my car a few times, once with it running, so I took his advice. The logic for me is that my house keys are always in my pocket thus will never be locked in my car at the same time as my car keys. Of course, my current car has keyless entry so I will never be locked out as long as I don't forget the passcode.

I would have politely refused to work with him.
If every other umpire did the same then he'd be forced to go behind the dish and work solo or maybe he'd wise up and remove himself from the game entirely.

There's an umpire in our crew who usually puts his keys in the wheel well of his truck while he's calling games.

I've been waiting for the perfect moment to move his truck on him. Maybe even into a handicap spot as a joke. If you knew this guy, it'd make a lot more sense. :rolleyes:

If I were UIC-ing the tourney, then no, he would not be working games until he could provide the proper equipment and uniform. Where was his spare key? In a 24 hour time he couldn't come up with one, or a locksmith???

come on didnt you hear abou tthe new uniform???!!!! That was approved this tournement! hahah the funny thing was when asking mr.xela if he would let someone do that.... he replied no!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA:D

Ahhhh, you heard the banter. I thought the Mr. Xela's not answering the next question was classic. "Why was it OK for you to do it?"

Though speaking of poor uniform's (or lack thereof), I passed a local complex last night where a 10U tournament was taking place. Plate umpire had on regular uniform, gray pants and powder blue shirt with no hat. BU had on navy blue shorts with a visible knee brace.

Last year at the PONY Nationals in Ohio I had some partners making cutting edge fashion statements. One umpire insisted on wearing his ball bag while umpiring the bases. He started coming down to my between innings position so I started putting my mask in his ball bag. I'd remove it when the catcher threw down to second and hustle to the plate area. During our post game chat I told him it was a new mechanic.

Had another partner that was wearing off the rack semi-grey pants with a brown belt that had a silver belt buckle that was about the size of his head. His base shoes were beige and had Velcro straps without laces that covered feet with white socks. One of his buddies commented on the white socks and to give my partner credit he took care of the white socks issue. For our next game together he umpired it without socks.

The 2008 PONY Nationals will be held in the same place and I can hardly wait to see this year’s fashion show.

ohhhhh my my my maybe one day I can walk down that runway but xela will have to be the feature of the 2008 line!!:D

There is a female umpire around here who wears tight bell bottoms with no belt loops at all. They are very light gray ... closer to white than heather gray. She wears her ball bag on a belt like a six shooter holster. Her shirt is not tucked in.

As a crew, what a partner does, reflects on both. That being said, sometimes we are in a sitch where we just have to make the best of it.
I think I would have politely told BU that I prefer to work w/ BU in right field between innings as it "interferes w/ my focus" or some other BS to keep him away. I most certainly would not have put my mask in his ball bag and become part of the circus.....

Maybe during the UIC/Umpire's pre-tournament meeting we can have an umpire (RV) dressed correctly and then have you standing next to that umpire wearing shorts, a tee shirt, flip-flops and a PONY hat that's wayyyyyy to small for your head. Your attire could be called the PONY Umpire Modified Look (PUML).:D

That’s a true assessment. I was pretty sure our reflection would be murky for those two games when he became adamant that he was dressed correctly. It became positive when in the second inning of game one he called a balk on F1.


That is certainly the correct approach and I would have gone down that path also had the knucklehead been receptive.

HAHAHAHA THAT IS A FANTASTIC IDEA!!!! maybe I could get some fake teeth like the prank kind and the glasses with the mustache and nose.... hmmmm and one more addition ... I could Rant and RAVE about my college schedule....oops one more thing.. I could pretend to have consumed alcohol and poor it out behind a bush ;) hahahahahah

We just officiated a local GFP tourney of more than 90 teams, 10u through 18u. Unfortunately, this requires the scraping of the bottom of the barrel for umpires, at least until the number of teams gets winnowed down.

On the fields I saw, dress wasn't a particular problem, but mechanics and rule knowledge were another story.

One ump gave us plenty of (1) "Onna cornah for strike 2!" (2) "Ball 4, take ya base!" and (3) Strike 3, battah's out!"

Another, where number 1 batted instead of proper batter number 9 and doubled, enforced the BOO by warning the coach but leaving the runner on 2B. The ump informed the coach that a second infraction would mean ejection, though everything that happens on the field stands. This ump was about to send number 9 up to bat with number 1 on 2B, but I happened to witness this personally and butted in.

Yet another, with 2 out and a runner on 3B in the bottom of the 7th of a 0-0 game, called a "balk" when F1 stopped in her motion in reaction to the batter who had held up her hand to signal a request for time. Game over.

Another, in the plate conference, warned every team that if the runner used the white base and collided with F3, she would be out whether she beat the throw or not.

This spring, I umpired 1 inning of a college game in shorts, boat moccasins, a Phillies' t-shirt, and a visor. My usual partner had been assigned a game in north Jersey, and I traveled up with him to take some pictures of his plate mechanics. Just before game time, his assigned partner called in to say that his teachers' meeting had lasted longer than he expected, so he'd be late. So I acted as BU until he arrived. All I can say for my attire was that it was comfortable, but it's hard to run in those boat shoes. I was considering going barefoot, but the other guy showed up.

I like it. Here's your ATA-Boy: http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c..._2007_63056700

He's probably heard of them but I'm not sure he can read them. Hearing, reading.....to much multi-tasking.

I guess I'll have to forgive or raise my opinion of some of the partners I worked with lately.

hahaha or he is illiterate ... dislexic .... blind... def... hahah and I liked the ATA BOY that was fantastic and I owe ya one at the platinum

I had a 23U Fastpitch game and shared the flip-flop/tee shirt story with my partner who knows Mr. Xela. My partner pointed out a missed opportunity. The TD should have provided shirts that had: I'm with STUPID who's the base umpire.

This got me to thinking of another opportunity. Provide the umpires who worked games with Mr. Xela a shirt that says: I SURVIVED working games with a STUPID partner who wore flip-flops and a tee shirt.

Or how about...

12 games in 95 degree weather, and all I wore was this stupid t-shirt. :D

That's an ATA Boy for you also!

The only problem with the idea of (RV) wearing the proper uniform to the meeting is that RV will not be bringing uniforms unless absolutely required by LD.

But a good idea none the less.

RV not bringing uniforms certainly makes sense. Do you think that (RV) could put in a request to (LD) that if Mr. Xela umpires any games while in Ohio that he be in proper attire? Past history has shown that Mr. Xela does not always learn from his mistakes:o and it is a NATIONAL tournament.

Maybe you guys should form your own bash-alex web site.

mr.xela would be better off in flip flops behind the plate... maybe that would end his tournement early:eek:

My sons (Mark, Jr., the baseball umpire, and Andy) play in a Knothole (15-18) summer baseball league. This is the third year that Mark has played in this league, so we already know what to expect in the way of umpires: very very few if any are registered as baseball umpires with either the OhioHSAA or MichiganHSAA.

The umpires (both PU and BU) wear khaki cargo shorts (I kid you not.). The umpires can wear either navy blue, red, or powder blue shirts, but the crew is not required to wear the same colored shirts. Hat (the don't have to be a standard umpire's hat, any old baseball style hat will do) are optional even for the PU and if the PU does wear one, it is acceptable to wear it backwards under the mask; the UIC prefers not to wear a hat when behind the plate and feels it is okay to coach a team in the league and order umpires to enforce non-existent rules in the same game that he is coaching.

The PU in one game sent text messages between innings and whenever a pitching change is being made. The BU carried a bottle of water around with him while in the B and C positions on the diamond and felt it was okay to take a drink while the pitcher was pitching.

MTD, Sr.

You know what should be proper attire... the all mustache crew.... the platinum this weekend will be most awsome if as many people that say they are going to do it actually follow through.... I know I will... infact I think I will devote the next few hours to trying to program an emotocon with a mustache just to put on here

How about this? :-{)

Or did you mean an actual picture?

I have a goatee, so I'm more like this. :-{)}

we have a local baseball ump that works in black cowboy boots - T-ball I think.

at least they're black!

There is nothing that says an umpires footwear must be of an athletic-type of design.

haha me to but I have to shave it to get the mustache....its only bc State UIC will be working with us this weekend and we always give him a hard time about his stash the national UIC will be present so the State UIC can work .... thus the all mustache crew haha

We may all go with a buzz cut also. State UIC is up for it, we worked together this weekend.

I don't remember reading a thread with more partner bashing on this Softball forum.
Has this been a new trend that I missed ? :(

And this is why ASA is beyond absurd with their foot wear rules.

Cowboy boots :rolleyes:

I hope so. SOme partners deserve a good bashing.

If they fit properly, it is probably the best footwear an individual can wear.

Not saying it is fashion-appropriate, but the wearer will be comfortable and feet will not be fatigued.

You've slipped off the deep end now.

Well, maybe it is the deep end... but it looks to me like Mike has a bad case of Texas-envy! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/sp...lie/cowboy.gif

I have a great pair of black bedroom slippers that will hold polish and are very comfortable that would make a great fashion statement at the ASA Nationals in Sterling, VA later this month.

Really? I was going to wear my new balance flip flops with the big white N on them .... they hold the best polish ever

:rolleyes:

I worked a little ball game with a guy who work a black golf sandal that had spikes on the bottom of them. I never considered that those would be legal in ASA, and likely recommended since they are so comfy.

A public forum is not the place to post criticism of easily-identified persons when the posters are (apparently) unwilling to give that same criticism face-to-face. "Mr Xela", indeed.

I've worn boots for years. There is nothing on this earth as comfortable as a good pair of well-fitting boots. I have purchased boots in FL, NH, VT, NC, DE & MT. And I have walked out of many a store which did not have a proper fitting boot.

And, no, it has nothing to do with Texas. If I want to be reminded of Texas, I'll just drive by the local Taco Bell

It is good to know that I can wear my Crocs on the bases when I do ASA ball now. I will nee to see if they come in Steel toe so I can use them behind the plate.:) :)

I can assure you that Michael2000 is not afraid to nor has he refrained from giving the same criticism to 'Mr. Xela' in person. I have seen it happen on more than one occasion to include the last 2 days.

I've had face-to-face conversations regarding this issue with the fashion queen. The experience was similar to talking to an infant. The infant hears the words but is clueless to their meaning. The name Mr., Xela was used because an idiot (Idiot is a word derived from the Greek ἰδιώτης, idiōtēs "person lacking professional skill") can still be protected while an experience is shared.

Now there's cutting edge thinking.

Perhaps the umpires selected for the ASA semi-finals and championship games could wear matching Crocs. They can become known as the "Crock Crew".:eek:

But would we toss a coach who says, "oh, what a crock!"

How do we know they're talking about the call vs. the shoes?

Good one! That might be determined by tone and approach.

Good for you.

I'm with MichaelVA2000 on this one.

I'm well beyond the stage of umps that should be no where near a ball field, on it.

If some idiot of an umpire goes on a field like this, well this is on him.

A word of caution
 

Sometime last year, one of our own forum members had made a post on eteamz, chastising a Tournament Director or UIC (I forget which, but that's irrelevant) of a then-recent tournament. He made no attempts to conceal either his identity or the identity of the person whom he was publicly "calling out."

This umpire was, as a result, effectively blacklisted.

Now, I'm not here to debate whether the consequences were justified, or if his actions were appropriate. All I'm saying is that while things are relatively "anonymous" on the internet, they're not as anonymous as we would think.

I'll admit I've been guilty of making mention of a particular league where I don't like to call, but I've never been afraid of conveying my opinions to this individual who runs the league. If my actions should result in consequences, then so be it.

Now, this person whom we're discussing is probably not a member of this forum, but Google is not our ally (even though it's my best friend at work). I've seen simple search results point back to statements made on this forum, and that set off warnings for me.

I'm not attempting to stifle free speech, and I certainly think this umpire was out of his friggin' gourd. But I'm just casually reminding us all that what we say here can easily be found, and can easily be misinterpreted or worse... used against us.

/soapbox

This person ,mr.xela, couldnt blacklist a second graders spelling list he wants to be what he shouldnt and he has almost had his arse handed to him several a time because of his ignorance.... now I am not saying you are incorrect in that if your going to say it accept the consequences.... you are... but this guy just needs to get a good slamming in order to see that he is not king midas