Those sneaky player comments?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by vcblue

My goal is to keep every one on the field.

I couldn't disagree more with this comment in general. You do the job of officiating and managing the game, not the personnel. If someone crosses the line, you get rid of them regardless of the situation or available substitutes.

Don't get me wrong, an umpire needs to understand everyone's job on the field and allow them to do that job and that includes discussing plays and calls, but in a calm and collected manner. Screaming and hollering at an umpire only conveys anger and ignorance, not doing a job and/or protecting a player.

[rant]
I have too often run into people who brag about keeping players in the game for XXX years. I don't question their abilities or management, but when they are the only umpire in a certain area who has zero ejections working the same teams as everyone else, something is wrong.

I work in an area where we were losing 2-4 umpires a year specifically because of the behavior of the players. That does not include the 1-2 a year we would lose at a specific Independence Day tournament because the players. And you know who was at fault? The local umpires who were told to try and keep players in the game. They did and the players believed that it was okay to act the ***. And when they did get tossed by an umpire who wouldn't put up with it, obviously, that umpire became the WOE.

All I want umpires to do is the job. That job does not include taking abuse and when that does happen, the umpire's job is to manage the game and sometimes that includes getting rid of a player.
[/rant]

[KJUmp]

[I][QUOTE=NCASAUmp;763152]I agree with everything you said, but I do disagree with you on this one point. I'm not going to let a player or coach disrupt my routine just because we had a disagreement over a call. It can be seen as either me avoiding the player because I may have kicked the call, or I'm not brushing off the plate because I have a grudge. In a way, you're showing him up. By going ahead and brushing off the plate, you're telling the team that you're not going to let one call change how you do things, as well as that despite the disagreement, you're still going to treat him the same as any other pitcher. If the pitcher wants to discuss the play at this time, sorry, but it's too late, we're moving forward now.
[/I]
We're looking at this from different perspectives. And as with so many other things that happen on the field, we all have our own ways of dealing with issues that we've found work for us and based on our experience and how we view the umpire player/coach relationship and that's fine...whatever works, whatever gets the job done.
Keeping in mind that we're talking men's leagues here....
The point that I was trying to make was the pitcher being involved or not involved in a hotly contested call on the bases end an inning had nothing to do with my choosing not to sweep the pitcher's plate. It's just to avoid any more discussion on a play that has already been argued seconds earlier.
Now, someone wants to make it a point on their way out to their defensive position to swing by my between innings spot in short RF and continue chirping, well now we've got a problem that's going dealt with very quickly.
And I never show a player or coach up....which is why I'll run one in a heartbeat if they do it to me. We can argue...lets just do it the right way.

Getting right back on the horse and proceeding with the game as normal is, in my opinion, the best thing you can do as the umpire.

Never a problem.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

We're looking at this from different perspectives. And as with so many other things that happen on the field, we all have our own ways of dealing with issues that we've found work for us and based on our experience and how we view the umpire player/coach relationship and that's fine...whatever works, whatever gets the job done.
Keeping in mind that we're talking men's leagues here....
The point that I was trying to make was the pitcher being involved or not involved in a hotly contested call on the bases end an inning had nothing to do with my choosing not to sweep the pitcher's plate. It's just to avoid any more discussion on a play that has already been argued seconds earlier.
Now, someone wants to make it a point on their way out to their defensive position to swing by my between innings spot in short RF and continue chirping, well now we've got a problem that's going dealt with very quickly.
And I never show a player or coach up....which is why I'll run one in a heartbeat if they do it to me. We can argue...lets just do it the right way.

Which is why I never said you're wrong, I just said that I disagree.

No two umpires will have the exact same game management techniques. What works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

Just wanted to toss out a different perspective on how I would handle a difficult player.

[KJUmp]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

Which is why I never said you're wrong, I just said that I disagree.

No two umpires will have the exact same game management techniques. What works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

Just wanted to toss out a different perspective on how I would handle a difficult player.

Never said you did.
BTW...how's the move to FP coming along? hope it's going well. How's all the new gear working out?

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by KJUmp

Never said you did.
BTW...how's the move to FP coming along? hope it's going well. How's all the new gear working out?

Haven't called a game yet. As soon as I got all my gear, the local league started their post-season tournaments. That's the worst time to introduce a new umpire.

Fortunately, there's a huge FP tourney near me this weekend, so I might swing by for a while.

Funny thing about the gear, though. I got the plate shoes and put them on 3 times: once to try 'em on, twice to get my plate pants fitted properly. Before I even got a chance to call a game in them, the laces broke!

Fortunately, Honig's made it right and sent me new laces.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

...Before I even got a chance to call a game in them, the laces broke!

Fortunately, Honig's made it right and sent me new laces.

They'll break, too. Stop by a good shoe store and get a couple pairs of good quality athletic shoe laces to keep in your bag.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by Dakota

They'll break, too. Stop by a good shoe store and get a couple pairs of good quality athletic shoe laces to keep in your bag.

Yeah, but after only the 3rd time of lacing them up, never having seen a speck of glorious, glorious field dirt?

[ronald]

There have been some really good comments and suggestions posted you guys.

I would like to add a phrase or technique I picked up from a basketball ref and evaluator of NBA refs to the point the player made with that is two blue. When coach walks up to the ref and says that is two or something similar that is out of line but said quietely, he will take a couple steps away from the coach and lightly blow his whistle and tell his partners who are standing at different ends of the court, that the coach has a warning. No one knows what the coach said but everyone saw him say something and they now know that it warranted a warning. Here in softball, you could call your partner and state loudly so and so has a warning. Player now knows it, everyone in the stands and all teams know it. Of course, you need a partner or partners who know what to do when they get this type of info from you.

[HugoTafurst]

what's a warning ?

[shipwreck]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

Haven't called a game yet. As soon as I got all my gear, the local league started their post-season tournaments. That's the worst time to introduce a new umpire.

Fortunately, there's a huge FP tourney near me this weekend, so I might swing by for a while.

Funny thing about the gear, though. I got the plate shoes and put them on 3 times: once to try 'em on, twice to get my plate pants fitted properly. Before I even got a chance to call a game in them, the laces broke!

Fortunately, Honig's made it right and sent me new laces.

I got some New Balance 450 a couple of years ago. A lace broke the second time I laced them up, but I sure do like these shoes. Is that what you got? Dave

[txump81]

Originally Posted by shipwreck

I got some New Balance 450 a couple of years ago. A lace broke the second time I laced them up, but I sure do like these shoes. Is that what you got? Dave

I replaced the laces on my 450s the day I got them. I went to Wally world and got a couple packs of boot laces. Installed 1 pair and have a pair in the bag as spares.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by shipwreck

I got some New Balance 450 a couple of years ago. A lace broke the second time I laced them up, but I sure do like these shoes. Is that what you got? Dave

That's what I got.

No biggie, though. Was just surprised, as I've never bought a pair of shoes before where the laces broke right away. Not once, not ever!

But damn, they're some nice shoes!