Worst umpire ever award, Have you got yours yet this year?

[BretMan]

I haven't got mine yet this year...but the season is young! I did get a handful of WUE's in one game last season, so that should tide me over for awhile.

Top of the seventh, tie game. R1 on first. Ball hit to right center. Runner is off on contact. Catch is made and runner is easy pickings. But the throw from F8 is high, wide and into the dugout. Runner scrambles back to touch first, then I award third base.

Defensive coach thinks runner should only get second, because "he had to go back and touch first". His animated protests seem to get the fans agitated and they're really climbing us.

As it turns out, this runner proved to be the winning run. From the field to the car, my partner and I are accosted by angry fans, certain that our ineptitude has just deprived them of a victory.

After surviving that gauntlet and reaching our cars, we're confronted by a white-haired grandmotherly type who literally rips us a new one. Besides earning the coveted "Worst Umpire Ever" award, she tells us that we should never be allowed on any field ever again and that she is going to report us to the state high school association. I just looked at my partner and laughed.

Funny...never did get that disciplinary phone call from the state high school association...

[rwest]

Originally Posted by BretMan

I haven't got mine yet this year...but the season is young! I did get a handful of WOE's in one game last season, so that should tide me over for awhile.

Top of the seventh, tie game. R1 on first. Ball hit to right center. Runner is off on contact. Catch is made and runner is easy pickings. But the throw from F8 is high, wide and into the dugout. Runner scrambles back to touch first, then I award third base.

Defensive coach thinks runner should only get second, because "he had to go back and touch first". His animated protests seem to get the fans agitated and they're really climbing us.

As it turns out, this runner proved to be the winning run. From the field to the car, my partner and I are accosted by angry fans, certain that our ineptitude has just deprived them of a victory.

After surviving that gauntlet and reaching our cars, we're confronted by a white-haired grandmotherly type who literally rips us a new one. Besides earning the coveted "Worst Umpire Ever" award, she tells us that we should never be allowed on any field ever again and that she is going to report us to the state high school association. I just looked at my partner and laughed.

Funny...never did get that disciplinary phone call from the state high school association...

Bottom of the 7th. Score is 6 - 3. Home team down by 3. They score three runs so we go extra innings. Visitors don't score in their half of the 8th. Home team has the winning run at 3rd in the bottom of the 8th. I can't remember the count but the next pitch was low. The batter swung and fouled it in the ground. The runner at third takes off because she believes it is a passed ball. The catcher retrieves the ball and tags the runner out. While this is all going on I (BU) came up with a loud Foul Ball call. The visitor coaches are pointing at me saying I have a call. The fans are cheering because they think they have an out. I tell my partner what I have, we reset and one of the visiting coaches says good call. The next pitch hits the batter. Now we have runners on 1st and 3rd. At some point during the next batters turn at bat, a pitch is again low and gets by the catcher. This time the run scores. The visiting fans are yelling "Foul Ball". However, the batter never swung. The ball never touched the bat. As we are leaving one of the visiting fans says to us "I never talk to the umpires, but you are the worst I've seen".

Yeah, right. I let three runs score in the bottom of the 7th.

[azbigdawg]

Originally Posted by rwest

Bottom of the 7th. Score is 6 - 3. Home team down by 3. They score three runs so we go extra innings. Visitors don't score in their half of the 8th. Home team has the winning run at 3rd in the bottom of the 8th. I can't remember the count but the next pitch was low. The batter swung and fouled it in the ground. The runner at third takes off because she believes it is a passed ball. The catcher retrieves the ball and tags the runner out. While this is all going on I (BU) came up with a loud Foul Ball call. The visitor coaches are pointing at me saying I have a call. The fans are cheering because they think they have an out. I tell my partner what I have, we reset and one of the visiting coaches says good call. The next pitch hits the batter. Now we have runners on 1st and 3rd. At some point during the next batters turn at bat, a pitch is again low and gets by the catcher. This time the run scores. The visiting fans are yelling "Foul Ball". However, the batter never swung. The ball never touched the bat. As we are leaving one of the visiting fans says to us "I never talk to the umpires, but you are the worst I've seen".

Yeah, right. I let three runs score in the bottom of the 7th.

WHY?

Why not a "Dead ball" call and let the plate ump make the determination as to where she was?

[Crabby_Bob]

Originally Posted by BretMan

[...]

Top of the seventh, tie game. R1 on first. Ball hit to right center. Runner is off on contact. Catch is made and runner is easy pickings. But the throw from F8 is high, wide and into the dugout. Runner scrambles back to touch first, then I award third base.

Defensive coach thinks runner should only get second, because "he had to go back and touch first". His animated protests seem to get the fans agitated and they're really climbing us.

As it turns out, this runner proved to be the winning run. From the field to the car, my partner and I are accosted by angry fans, certain that our ineptitude has just deprived them of a victory.

After surviving that gauntlet and reaching our cars, we're confronted by a white-haired grandmotherly type who literally rips us a new one. Besides earning the coveted "Worst Umpire Ever" award, she tells us that we should never be allowed on any field ever again and that she is going to report us to the state high school association. I just looked at my partner and laughed.

Funny...never did get that disciplinary phone call from the state high school association...

Imagine the #&*!storm if you had the runner past second at the time of the throw. Is there a worse than worst-ever award?

[Gulf Coast Blue]

I got one at a 14U State tournament where the BR was clearly out at 1st and I just gave a normal out signal.

Coach was pissed and thought his runner was safe (notice I said clearly out)......he told me that the least I could have done was give a "sell" out call.......

Because I did not give the "sell" out......I was the worst umpire ever.....he had been umpiring for X years.....and I was untrained.

Funny......I had at that point umpired about 12 State tournaments.....and had never seen him......and I was not a host umpire......I was about 400 miles from home.......

Joel

[outathm]

Mine was the starter of the only writing I had to do all year. The coach was nice enough to come back onto the field to give it to me though.

I am not sure it counts as I was only the worst they had this year, not actually a global award. It was specific to the school.

Of course, it also gave me a chance to talk to my assigner about how seriously the conference takes ejections, and that I needed to be sure I really needed to think about the consequences to the coach before I ejected anyone.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by outathm

Of course, it also gave me a chance to talk to my assigner about how seriously the conference takes ejections, and that I needed to be sure I really needed to think about the consequences to the coach before I ejected anyone.

I love assigners that stick up for their officials.

[CecilOne]

I wonder if I would get one of these awards if I listened.

There might have been a "out by a mile call" one day.

[DaveASA/FED]

Originally Posted by outathm

Of course, it also gave me a chance to talk to my assigner about how seriously the conference takes ejections, and that I needed to be sure I really needed to think about the consequences to the coach before I ejected anyone.

No the coach needs to understand the seriousness of an ejection and the consequences that come to the coach before they eject themselves. Most ejections come at the coaches request, even begging for it at times. Coaches need to realize the effects of their actions and not cross the line to put themselves in that position. Once again another example of our society not stepping up and putting the "blame" where it lies...had to be a bad umprie to eject that coach, couldn't be that the coach is an a$$ and deserved it! Sorry, rants over!!!!

[Far far away ..]

Got my "worst call ever" award tonight.

Previous two champions of our top co-ed adult slow pitch division.

Tight game all way to 7th, the visitors getting a run in each of two earlier innings, the home side no scores, a bunch of errors and a number of runners left on. Top of 7th the visitors break out and get 6 runs in.

Bottom of 7th, 1 out, batter fouls two pitches, watches two balls and then is called out looking. Can't believe it, tells me the pitch was way high and as he exits the field tells me it was the worst call ever.

Not long after and the game is done - 8 runs to zip.

Their coach then very politely had a dicsussion with me about my high strike zone.

Then their captain politely told me all about my high strike zone, that it was the reason for all their pop-ups and that the game was no fun for either team as a result. Also tells me that they're such classy players that they didn't say anything during the game that he'd rather have a quiet word afterwards.

I just smiled and nodded at the time, not going to take offense or react, but the more I think about it after the fact the more p!$$ed off I get.

But hey, it's only taken me a season and a third of umpiring to get a worst ever award, it can only get better from here!

[celebur]

Originally Posted by Far far away ..

Then their captain politely told me all about my high strike zone, that it was the reason for all their pop-ups and that the game was no fun for either team as a result.

Seems to me that with an 8-0 score, at least one team was having fun!

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by outathm

Of course, it also gave me a chance to talk to my assigner about how seriously the conference takes ejections, and that I needed to be sure I really needed to think about the consequences to the coach before I ejected anyone.

Wow. That's freaking irritating. 90% of the time (or more), coaches eject themselves. We're not out there looking to toss anyone. They know where the line is for the most part, if they choose to cross it then THEY need to talk to someone about how seriously the conference takes ejections.

Unless you're tossing people left and right, game after game, they should not have admonished you at all.

[outathm]

The best part is that I turned back a HS DH for more money because it was a rain date that I was originally scheduled for.

This is actually my job and was not a popular choice around the house.

I am really not the guy that tosses a lot of coaches (3 in 5 years if we include travel ball), and I am definably not a guy that wants to get all of the information necc. for an incident report.

[txump81]

According to one team, I received mine last night.

12U. Neither pitcher can find the zone with a map and GPS. Balls are going over my head, hitting dirt in front of the plate, or so far in and out, the catcher can't get a glove on them. There were about 7 or 8 pitches at the shoulders that the coaches were barking about. Nothing ejectable, just overheard the comments from one pitcher's dad, "This is getting you ready for high school."

Bases loaded 0 outs. Hard bouncer to F5 who makes a great stop. She is about 2ft in front of the bag and comes home instead of taking an out. Defense was up by 4 runs. I slide up just outside the LH batter's box as the catcher gets the ball. She misses the plate by 6 inches then tries a tag and the runner beats the tag. Coach is irate, but controls his anger and stays in the dugout.

1st inning took 1hr 5 minutes. We finished 4 innings due to curfew and home team won 19-18. The longest 2:30 minutes of my life.