Partner helps a little too much
 

Did a little scrimmage last night (great fun) and during the Varsity game, batter gets contacted by her hit ball whilst still in the batter box. I call dead ball.. and WE ALL hear from the D position (with a runner on 2nd...yes we talked about this post-game) "foul ball!! ball hit the batter in the box".. mommy behind me says "where did he say it hit her?" sigh.
I know this is an old one, but damn.

D position????

Maybe he's saying that his partner was WAY out of position. ;)

Three umpire system?

I had a partner last summer (two-man game) who, after assuring me he had umpired for "many years", would routinely set-up down the third base line with a runner at second or third.

Some of his other positioning seemed just kind of random- wherever he happened to be standing when the last play ended would be where he planted himself for the next one.

It's funny, but I was just thinking about this the other day. These boards are populated with umpires that strive to do things "by the book" and actively seek to improve their game. Still, I continue to observe or work with a select few that don't seem to have a clue, with respect to mechanics, rules or basic signals. Some are rookies, and you expect a learning curve. Others have been at it a long time and are convinced, in their own minds, that they are doing things just fine and have no desire to change.

dos umpiros :) we work a, b ,c d, and dont get me started on his white socks.. greyish shoes... wrinkled *** uniform and going from A and following the runner to third and stopping on the second base side of the pitchers plate to call the tag play. sigh... i so try to help the guys in our association but they are so touchy... i guess the ol'e "Hey dumb$ss try getting closer to play at third!!!" isnt working.

CNB, then you either have the position nomenclature confused, or your partner was very much out of position.

A is 1st base foul territory; B is behind F4. C is behind F6 (sometimes also called C1 off left shoulder with runner on 2nd, C2 if off right shoulder with runner on 3rd), and only used with two umpires. D is 3rd base foul territory, only used with 3 umpires.

Were you meaning C1 or C2?

Gotta remember, he is from La.

I'm not sure of you guys position but I correct any stuff like this- some guy on 3b line would get fixed between innings at the latest. They bring the whole crew down if you allow them. Minor stuff can wait until later, but that is a major thing. They need training, so train them.

Agree, Wade. If it's a few minor points, or going over some coverages and positioning, I'll make every attempt to go over it with my partner.

But, sometimes, I get stuck with somebody so totally clueless that I just try to compensate for him the best I can and hope that I never see the guy again!

The guy I mentioned above was an example. It quickly became obvious that he had zero idea of the basic field positions for the base umpire- either where to set-up before the play or where to go once the ball was hit. Pretty much just totally random positioning and movement.

His attire on the bases was an UNTUCKED shirt with a BALL BAG worn on a thin ELASTIC BELT on the OUTSIDE of the shirt, so that the shirt was cinched at the waist and the untucked end bloused out like a TUNIC.

One time I had to go to him on a checked swing appeal. He was so engrossed in a conversation with the first base coach that he didn't even realize I was asking him. I repeated myself, he glanced up and SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS!

When we flopped positions for the next game, he wore his shin guards on the OUTSIDE of his pants. His signaling and his strike zone were about as random as his field positioning.

Where would you even start? This guy needed a basic "Umpiring 101" clinic far beyond anything I could give him in a few short minutes.

As for anybody dinging me for my partners ineptitude, I let the guy who assigned him know what was up. I'll be darned if I'm going to take the fall because somebody else assigned an umpire that had no business being on the field for games at that level.

We had a couple more games scheduled together, which I wasn't looking forward to. When there was a shortage of umpires on one field, I quickly volunteered to go cover the other field solo!

hrmmm looked thru the FED umpire manual.. I see zero reference to any positions called C1 or C2. anyone got a page number? but for clarity sake he was in c2 for a runner on 2nd.

Well with a runner on 2nd he should have been in C1, off left shoulder toward 2nd base. With a runner on 3rd then you shade toward your runner on 3rd and are in C2 right shoulder of shortstop.

yes, this i know (well around these here parts it good ole "c" ;) )... thats why we talked about it post game. (could have done it on the line as suggested, but he was actually taking his position out in right field tween innings and i didnt want to upset him) :rolleyes:
TTYL... its jamboree time.

I just flipped through the NFHS umpires manual. I didn't see any reference to positions C1 or C2. There was a passage describing the field umpire's position as "behind and to the shortstop's left" for runner on 2B only; and "behind and to the shortstop's right" for runner on 3B only.

I have more training tomorrow, so I'll pose the question then.

Ted

I've not seen it written down in an official fashion. I think it's one of those terms that a lot of us use that most people know, but it's not "official."

In SP, we use the same thing for the BU going to B. B1 is off F4's left shoulder, B2 is off the right.