I am just driven to tears...

[azbigdawg]

by the lack of preparation of some umpires for their national tournament. Why the HELL would you not brush up on your mechanics.....especially if you KNEW you would be working a 3-man system the entire tournament....the field is NOT the right place to finally ask for help.

It also AMAZES me that there is such a lack of basic knowledge of positioning for calls, etc....

I may be overgeneralizing....but I finally had to vent after last weekend.... JFC.....

and to top it off, one of my umpires was sent home from his national.... WHY do I do this?

[CajunNewBlue]

Sent home? WTF for?... ok now i need details

[azbigdawg]

Originally Posted by CajunNewBlue

Sent home? WTF for?... ok now i need details

He has the potential to either be a calming influence on a situation, or the proverbial gas can on a small fire.... guess which happened?

[CajunNewBlue]

Originally Posted by azbigdawg

He has the potential to either be a calming influence on a situation, or the proverbial gas can on a small fire.... guess which happened?

You do it because you love it and you find it internally rewarding (and you might be pretty good at it too... don't know, never worked with or for you)... and regardless of all the little things that go wrong just remember all the things that go RIGHT are the ones that truly matter!!!.... hows that for calming?

Ok now gimme details... lol

[DaveASA/FED]

I agree with you. There are a lot of people that don't work 3 person a lot. There are others that don't pay attention that the tourney is a 3 person event....granted these are first timers usually....some people "know" it so why should they review? Those are the worst IMO....but I agree everyone should review review review. And not just read the book actually work some games. Find a diamond, state tournamnet, rec league what ever and work 3 person I know hold on....FOR FREE if you have to in order to get that field time. I know personally I study 3 person EVERY time I think I am going to possibly work it, every year prior to state tournies in case I get one of the final 4 games, every year that I get a national. But I am not real comfortable till I spend some time on the diamond so I react when it happens instead of thinking...ok that was to the right fielder going away from me that is PU's ball to outfield I have to button hook in, heck I even work some high school games for free on nights off to get 3 person field time. Again not many do it, and it shows especially the first few days of 3 person at the National.....I feel your pain...not an answer but to know you aren't alone in your frustration!!

And about one of your umpires getting sent home from a national. Not sure why they are yours, if you are UIC, or what, but I know a lot of us take pride in our state's representation at Nationals and feel like they are "ours" so either way you have to let some things go....there is only so much you can do with umpires. They are like kids, you train them watch them grow and teach them what to and not to do...then you set them free to screw it up on their own. I know it looks negative on you and KILLS you, trust me this year there were a few incidents with a couple of guys that I was not proud to be from the same area as them....but you give as much friendly advice as you can...then it is up to the UIC to decide what has to be done.

And like the rest of us you do it because you love it. Some days are good some days are bad....but as long as the enjoyment still outweighs the frustration you, like the rest of us, will keep doing it!!

[NCASAUmp]

I couldn't agree more with both of you here. If you're going to a Nationals, you need to prepare, prepare, prepare! When I was offered a spot at Burlington, I placed one condition on my acceptance: that my boss come out a week or so before the tourney and evaluate me as if I were calling a National. That way, I could catch my mistakes BEFOREHAND. He was happy to do so, and while I haven't gotten my eval from my National yet, I feel confident that my review will be pretty positive (seeing as how the UIC said he'd be happy to have me back).

Now, not everyone has such solid support around them. I consider myself lucky that my boss is willing and flexible to do these things for me. However, there are plenty of materials around that can help umpires prepare themselves, even when opportunities to practice can be limited (such as running a 3-man crew), such as the materials that ASA sells on officialgear.com. Running a 3-man only works when all 3 umpires are familiar with it. Just jumping in there can actually be dangerous for umpires, as it can cause confusion over coverage if one or both of the other umpires are only familiar with a 2-man crew.

[7in60]

Originally Posted by CajunNewBlue

Sent home? WTF for?... ok now i need details

We had this happen a couple weeks ago. An ump was late for a meeting and when the UIC called her on it she got defensive and said she had things to do. She didn't work any more games.

[Steve M]

Darrell,
Continue to send folks. You may find some umpires who burn you, but the vast majority recognize most of what you're giving them and appreciate it. I don't think it's just my ego that sez I'm deserving and just don't get a chance. But, there are those of us who would jump at the chance to work a real national - and even know how to work a 3-man. I've pretty much given up on ASA - because the guy who runs things in Pennsylvania's didstrict 4 does not send people to a national.
I agree with Mike - you take care of those who take care of your needs. At this point, I'm no longer taking care of his needs. For some reason, he only wants to run B level tournaments - I'll go else where & work gold or A or men's majors. So, I'm pretty sure my eastern national with Mike a couple of years ago was my first & last.
Darrell - if & when you become like him, I might just personally come out there & kick you right square is the A$$!

[Az.Ump]

Darrell - if & when you become like him, I might just personally come out there & kick you right square is the A$$!

You might need a ladder

Paul

[SethPDX]

Originally Posted by 7in60

We had this happen a couple weeks ago. An ump was late for a meeting and when the UIC called her on it she got defensive and said she had things to do. She didn't work any more games.

At a tournament? WTH else do you have to do when you're at a tournament besides show up early, listen, and do what they ask of you? Oh well. More games for the good umpires.

[wadeintothem]

You know who you are sending..no one is miracalized to a national. The people described by the OP or by Irish do not need to be there. There is plenty of "work" for the "worker bee" umpire. Nationals are different. If you send an umpire with pre existing issues and those issues come up at Nationals then you do carry some blame.

[azbigdawg]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

You know who you are sending..no one is miracalized to a national. The people described by the OP or by Irish do not need to be there. There is plenty of "work" for the "worker bee" umpire. Nationals are different. If you send an umpire with pre existing issues and those issues come up at Nationals then you do carry some blame.

They may not belong there, but they get there...I spent an entire weekend with several of them....makes life tricky.....

[7in60]

Originally Posted by SethPDX

At a tournament? WTH else do you have to do when you're at a tournament besides show up early, listen, and do what they ask of you? Oh well. More games for the good umpires.

A provincial tournament at that! We had more umps than we needed anyway. I worked 1 Fri, 4 Sat and 3 Sun. I could have squeezed a couple more games in.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by 7in60

We had this happen a couple weeks ago. An ump was late for a meeting and when the UIC called her on it she got defensive and said she had things to do. She didn't work any more games.

That's the problem with using local umpires. I was working a major in OK a few years ago. Par for OK, there were weather issues and I talked the TD & UIC into moving up the winner's final to that night. Not a bad move as we got a real nasty storm that night.

Next morning, the parks folks really did a great job in getting the fields ready. Since I already work my assigned final and wasn't scheduled to work, I didn't want to act presumptuous and bring my equipment to the field.

Local umpire (decent umpire, not exactly great mechanics. Planted his feet behind the catcher in the first inning and barely moved until the 7th) was a no show for the final on Sunday. UIC asked if I had my equipment. $/#@%?*~;! How do you just not show up for a game at a National Championship? He just sauntered up in the middle of the championship final like nothing was wrong. The delinquent umpire's excuse was that the local city parks recording (from Friday afternoon) said all games were cancelled. UIC just laughed and continued to BS with him while watching the game. I certainly hope his faux pas was reflected in the evaluation.

[topper]

Nepotism, for lack of a better word, is a huge problem at all levels of softball officiating. When ability on the field and professionalism on and off the field are not the most important factors when assiging umpires, the slope becomes very slippery indeed and the game suffers for it.