Worst Call Ever

[wadeintothem]

I'd just as soon leave it at lore now.. its better that way...

[MichaelVA2000]

I got the worst call comment from a coach today during a PONY tournament.

Tie game and bottom of the seventh inning. R1 is at second base with two outs. DC yells to her catcher form the dugout to request time. F2 asks for time and I grant it. DC comes out of the dugout and yells to the outfielders to move in a couple of steps.

As the DC heads back towards the dugout I let her know that she was being charged with a conference. Here's how the conversation continued:

DC: What do you mean I'm being charged with a conference? You can't do that, my catcher was granted the timeout not me!

Me: It became a charged conference when you came onto the field and gave instructions to your players

Coach: That's the worst call ever. Don't think you've heard the last of this; I'll be talking to the UIC when this game is over

Me: That's fine coach but for now I need to know who you will be replacing your pitcher. That was your fourth conference.

B2 smacks a gapper to right-center field on the first pitch from the new F1 bringing in the winning run.

My partner and I leave the field hearing comments of how I had won the game for the other team. Yada Yada Yada.

[wadeintothem]

What is pony? Glorified rec? This is all preseason stuff right now around here until Memorial Day.

I might get flamed but I probably would have let that go. Let the girls play - I'm not big on the large and in charge stuff. Stuff like that I just let the coach know what I would normally do.

Championship play - Whole different ball game. Some BS preseason Pony .. what ? 12U? tourney... nah. Sorry.

But not the worst call ever...

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

What is pony? Glorified rec? This is all preseason stuff right now around here until Memorial Day.

I might get flamed but I probably would have let that go. Let the girls play - I'm not big on the large and in charge stuff. Stuff like that I just let the coach know what I would normally do.

Championship play - Whole different ball game. Some BS preseason Pony .. what ? 12U? tourney... nah. Sorry.

But not the worst call ever...

PONY Baseball/Softball • Protect Our Nation's Youths

[MichaelVA2000]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

What is pony? Glorified rec? This is all preseason stuff right now around here until Memorial Day.

I might get flamed but I probably would have let that go. Let the girls play - I'm not big on the large and in charge stuff. Stuff like that I just let the coach know what I would normally do.

Championship play - Whole different ball game. Some BS preseason Pony .. what ? 12U? tourney... nah. Sorry.

But not the worst call ever...

It wasn't a BS preseason game. This was a Sanctioned PONY Qualifier Tournament. My enforcing the rule wasn't about being large and in charge.

[ronald]

I worked a couple of games of the 14u national champs. They could flat out play. Thought for a moment I was back in Texas doing FP. Next game I woke up and realilzed it was just a dream.

[wadeintothem]

I disagree - It was definately large and in charge and a gotcha.. or at least the way you described it. Thats obvious you pulled a gotcha.

I'll give you that it wasnt a bs tourney - pony league world tourney or whatever - It still would have taken a small amount of preventative umpiring to keep that from happening. Even if it was a big tourney and you were strickly enforcing - "coach are you sure, that will be a charged conference".

[Dakota]

Wade, as I read what happened, you are being unfair to Michael. F2 requested TIME, not the coach. Once the coach came out shouting instructions to his players, it became a charged conference. The coach did not ask for the TIME or give the PU an opportunity to prevent anything. It seems clear from the coach's response, s/he went through F2 intentionally under the belief that this would not be a charged conference.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by MichaelVA2000

I got the worst call comment from a coach today during a PONY tournament.

Tie game and bottom of the seventh inning. R1 is at second base with two outs. DC yells to her catcher form the dugout to request time. F2 asks for time and I grant it. DC comes out of the dugout and yells to the outfielders to move in a couple of steps.

As the DC heads back towards the dugout I let her know that she was being charged with a conference. Here's how the conversation continued:

DC: What do you mean I'm being charged with a conference? You can't do that, my catcher was granted the timeout not me!

Me: It became a charged conference when you came onto the field and gave instructions to your players

Coach: That's the worst call ever. Don't think you've heard the last of this; I'll be talking to the UIC when this game is over

Michael, this is where you missed a great opportunity If he wanted to talk to the UIC, you should have located the UIC and told the coach to go ahead and talk to him, NOW!

God, I loved that one the first time I heard it!

[MichaelVA2000]

Originally Posted by Dakota

F2 requested TIME, not the coach. Once the coach came out shouting instructions to his players, it became a charged conference. The coach did not ask for the TIME or give the PU an opportunity to prevent anything. It seems clear from the coach's response, s/he went through F2 intentionally under the belief that this would not be a charged conference.

Thanks Dakota, that’s why I enforced the charged conference.

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

Well maybe the coach deserved that gotcha then. I'm not sure of the whole situation at the time. Seems like a little bragging about a gotcha call to me.. sometimes in the heat of battle the gotcha gets gotten...

I don’t see in my OP where I appeared to brag about a “gotcha” call. It seemed pretty straight forward to me. The coach was charged with a conference. It was conference number four. By rule, on the fourth conference a different pitcher is required.

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by MichaelVA2000

Thanks Dakota, that’s why I enforced the charged conference.

I don’t see in my OP where I appeared to brag about a “gotcha” call. It seemed pretty straight forward to me. The coach was charged with a conference. It was conference number four. By rule, on the fourth conference a different pitcher is required.

How do you not at LEAST admit that this is a gotcha call? You could have prevented it.. "Coach get back in your hole or this is a charged conference" would have done it.. that would have taken what? a half second and everyone gets to play their game happily without some ruling like that.

Maybe the coach was a jerk? Doubtless he probably was having problems with you all game or even in the past.. and you got him on this one? hmmm? Why else would he even try this that way unless there is some level of history here?

Confess and ye shall be set free.

At least admit you were getting this coach for whatever reason. Because IMO, this is very preventable and this type of call exactly falls under a "preventative umpiring" issue IMO.

In any case, at least its in the right thread.

[SethPDX]

Worst call? Heck, today my partner and I were the worst umpires ever. I mean, I didn't even know:

(1) The hands ARE part of the bat. Even though the batter didn't swing it should have been a foul ball instead of HBP.

(2) If I ring up a strike on a check swing it can still be appealed to my partner if the offense asks.

(3) I'm the plate umpire, so I'm supposed to overrule my BU's call if it's "blatantly" wrong (this one happened about three times and I still didn't get it right).

I set a new personal record for most sh*thouses in a single game, but having both coaches ticked off at you for getting everything right feels pretty good. Funny thing is, after the game our evaluator wanted to talk some minor mechanics adjustments instead of all the rules we missed and calls we blew...

(If you were about to dig through your rulebooks to correct me you can put them away now.)

[bkbjones]

So my call last weekend wasn't a worst call ever. I wasn't a worst umpire ever.

I just had the improper angle and distance.

Runner at 2nd, off with the pitch. Sharp one hopper hit to SS who throws to 3B. Throw handcuffs 3B, runner easily there, slides feet first, tag way up on shoulder, I am right there somewhere between 45 and 90 and have a great look. Call her safe.

Here comes DC running across field, how can I make that call, you missed it, I could see it clearly from my bucket 80 feet away, you gotta get help yada yada yada. No, coach, not getting help blah blah coach has his say and walks back across field from dugout.

Fat b*atch in front row, first base line:
"Blue you need to pull your head out of your @$$." Not butt, @$$.

All this fun because I'm covering for Mizz Lou to change into her base duds.

(Secret just between us: when I got back to the car I tried to pull my head out, still didn't work.)