Game Management
 

14U ASA game. I'm plate .

So coach changes pitchers and that subsequently causes him to move players around and in /out of the game. Partner says he'll take care of the warm up pitches so I go to the business of the line up card.

I get done and partner tells me we have ball one on the batter. He told her she could have 7 warm up pitches and she took 8. I don't know where he got 7,baseball ? but thats what he went with. I explained my position about pitches while I was doing umpire stuff but he felt she should have stopped at 7 pitches.

So DC comes out. I explain what happened and he gets a little fired up but cools off quickly.

My question is was it okay for me to explain to DC even though partner "made the call" ?

You mean to take the protest? ;) You are PU.

If for some reason I couldn't convince my partner to back off of this there is no way I'd be the one explaining the call.
________
Katvlarop

No. I would not. Let him stew in his own juice. Unless he told the pitcher to stop, and she continued anyway, ASA 6-9 says the excessive warm-up pitches penalty does not apply in this situation. (Didn't we just discuss this?) I don't suppose you told him the limit was 5 pitches, so the "correct" penalty was 3 balls, did you? :D

I let him know. It went over about as well as me telling my wife I'm going to Vegas for a weekend, alone.

Going to check out the ranch while there? :D

Well, in baseball the new pitcher gets 8 warm-up pitches, so he would have blown the call there, too!

Nah just a weekend of sitting around around sports books and watching baseball on the nickel line. :rolleyes:

Tom is correct.

Darn! I was looking forward to a Bunny report.:)

In case you change your mind......

Map & Directions to The BunnyRanch Menu!

I spent my JR High, High School and college years in and around Las Vegas.

I know where Nye County is and all that that implies. :eek:

I also know how to troll around the mean streets of Las Vegas. :rolleyes:

I'm too old and too married to troll anymore. ;)

Hence the reason for the ranch! No muss, no fuss, no looking closely for an Adam's Apple :eek:

Just bring your money and be had!

I admit I'm torn between out and out telling him to go kick rocks on his bs call and starting my count where I want, since it is a rules issue or letting him stew in his own mess. I'm not sure what I would do. Its just a BS call by an umpire. There really is no need for this stuff and it gives us all a bad name. When we see parents on other sites complaining about this stuff - much of it is for good reason. I truely believe a small portion of us go out there looking to "get em" - and that is unfortunate.

And too expensive...:)

Too expensive? I thought you said you were married.:rolleyes:

The ranches have always been too expensive. I was referring back to the days in college and beyond. Before the wife,mortages, and softball.

When I was a young stud...the good old days of working in casinos, playing all night with my coworkers ,I heard rumors about how much the ranches cost. ;)

This is a quick way to being "black balled" or seeing a coach mumble next time he gets you "we got that sob today" instead of we got a good guy doing the game today.There's managing a game and their's over managing a game.Worrying about an extra warm-up toss at 14 and under fits imho in the over officiating catergory.I'm all for enforcing the rules but most times the state trooper will let you off for doing 66 mph in a 65 mph zone.

And after hearing about how you made those girls cry I thought you had no heart. :D

Apparently this guy skipped class the day they talked about common sense and fair play at umpire school. As for the coach, my partner would be doing the explaining unless it was someone I really liked. But I can't think of any umpires I've enjoyed working with who would pull this stunt, so...the coach is all yours, pard! :D

Maybe your partner should read his rule book where it states the penalty for excess warm-up pitches "does not apply if the umpire delays the start of play due to substitution, conference, injuries or other umpire responsibilities."

My heart had nothing to do with my call... If I had the brains to think quick enough - next time I have the "made the girls cry call" I assure you - something flew in my eye. "time!" I've replayed it a million times to practice. :D

OK, That's enough...
Inquiring minds want to know......:confused:

You never heard the infamous wade makes girls cry call? He also raped a few virgins and stole from some widows whilst making it. It is legendary. Legend even has it that after the call, he rode a motorcycle across the diamond, and there, right in the middle of the infield, he spun the back tire and left his initials in the dirt, all the while laughing this maniacal, demonlike laugh!!!

Actually, if you want to read it, you can do a search of wade's posts. It was made last year about this time!

And if you're lucky....you can still link to the local newspaper articles about the game!

Wade, you obviously were there and I wasn't, but I still think you made the right, gutsy call. Don't back down now on it! :)

I was just getting ready to ask Wade about the change of heart......Please do tell us your thought process about it all a year later....Inquiring minds want to know.

Poor guys, no wonder the girls were upset!:D

In real life I have had this call discussed with me a million times. I have worked with this partner many times - including me and him went to the same national (with buggbob - and we are going to the same national again this year) - so I have rehashed it a million times in my head and with my superiors, peers, partners, other people. There are two people aside froma few on this board who absolutely know the right call was made - and the was me and my partner. And we both acknowledge we aint doing that again.

I learned that sometimes the "by the book correct call" (I have no doubt my call was correct and the only call that could be made under the rules) is the wrong call.

It would have been preferable to find some way to reset it and let the girls finish it.

I received 0 support from my superiors on this call. In fact usually the conversation ends with "I hope you learned something".

Since that is the case and the reality - I have retrained my mind to hopefully make sure it doesnt happen. When you are thrashed in the news and a million other times by superiors, peers, other coaches (it was talked about to me and it was not even known I was the umpire who made the call).. one of the newspapers has a pretty active message board and i was thrashed for a few months on it.

I came to the conclusion that it was me that needed to reasses and just accept that it was the worst and most disastrous call I have ever seen made on a softball field. I am not the type of umpire who would want to decide something that way - I was forced to.

If it happened right now, I would call time, go talk to my partner, reset them, and play ball. No one would be the wiser, and everyone would be happy. It would probably be only me on the entire planet that would know.

The book does not cover everything - especially not common sense.

The problem was when it happened, it was a riot. So many people where there and it was so loud and really unbelievable. Because of that, I quickly decided I just wanted out of there and there was little time to think about what to do to salvage it. The last thing i was doing was laughing.. it was terrible and honestly - a call that still haunts me. Any time I see peeps from those teams and I have worked that pitcher since - i feel so terrible that I did that.

Common sense is not in the book... and I blew it.

I understand completely how you feel, but the reality of it all is, as with any seasoned umpire, you reacted almost involuntarily....on reflex. You saw something improper, and as you should, you penalized it. Yes...it was an extreme penalty, (in this case) but the penalty the book called for. IMO, you did "let the girls decide it."

Personally, I still support the call you made. But...I haven't had to live with a year's worth of crap about it, either.

For the rest of you who may be wondering what is being discussed, here is the link to the thread that will explain it all!

Forgive me for disagreeing....if ANYONE blew it..it was you partner..... IMHO

I consider this partner to be my friend and know he is a good umpire and I would never lay that on him and do not agree with that. I'll take mine for me and he can take his for him.

Thanks for your honest post. I appreciate your willingness to talk about this in hindsight. :)

No disrespect intended..wasnt there..just looking at it from an outside point of view......