Welcome to Bizzaro World...

[BretMan]

An unexpected amount of free time this season has allowed me to branch out a little bit, working games for a few different leagues, sanctions and tournies that I normally would not be able to. This past weekend I had the opportunity to work a fastpitch tournament about an hour from home. I've worked with the TD before, but this was an entirely new group of umpires with whom I've never worked before.

Maybe my local association has spoiled me. We run a pretty tight ship when it comes to things like uniforms and mechanics. My trip out of town was like I stepped into some sort of weird parallel universe.

I get there to find that all of the umpires are wearing shorts- for fastpitch! Of course, I didn't bring a pair of shorts. Asked the TD about it and he said that it is "a local thing".

I guess some of the other things I saw must also be "local things".

Hats worn backwards by plate umpires. Except for the ones who apparently thought that hats were optional and went without.

Plate umpires using hand signals to indicate the location of pitches (high, low, inside, outside).

Base umpires showing the pitch count between every pitch.

Plate umpires that never cover third base.

Plate umpires that never trail a batter-runner to first.

Plate umpires pointing to first base after ball four, I guess just in case the batter forgot where it is.

Plate and base umpires that made a big show of announcing the number of outs after every out is made, holding up their hands and loudly yelling the number of outs, even two or three times, while making sure to turn and face every direction on the field, I guess just in case anyone missed it.

Base umpires that feel the need to call foul balls on batted balls where they don't have any business making any call.

Base umpires making "catch" calls on batted balls where they don't have any business making any call.

All in all, the whole experience made me appreciate our own local group, where there is at least some concentrated effort to do things the right way!

[Bandit]

NSA? USFA? USSSA? ASA? LOCAL Un-Named?

[CecilOne]

Yeah, I've had that home group pride feeling a few times as well.

Your list looks very much like untrained, unsupervised, doing their sandlot thing.

[MD Longhorn]

Every group has "That guy" as we've talked about before...

I also think every area has "That place". Most of us who care enough about our profession to come here likely work in an area with similar minded officials. I, too, have had the occasional trip to "that place" with most of the symptoms you mention. Others I'd add.

No pre or post-game with partners.
No idea what the ruleset is (Thanks for having me out - is this ASA, USAAA, or something else? "I don't know, it's just softball rules")
Either no, weak, or over-the-top plate conferences.
Umpire/coaches... or Umpire/Board Members ... or Coach/Board Members.
UIC's with zero rules knowledge - just a willingness to schedule people and organize.
Umpires spending every single half inning chatting with someone outside the fence.
Random (or no) belts. Regular football cleats (plastic).
And worst of all ... the bubble chest protector.

Game mechanics:
Had a guy who would work from A with Runner on 3rd. OK.....
Had a guy who seemed to randomly point at things - the pitcher, a base, whatever.
Had a guy who liked to echo my ball/strike signals.
(OK... that guy was the same guy - all 3 mechanics).
Umpire who made his safe calls while moving toward the play... kind of looked like a dive bomber.
Walking s---l---o---w---l---y from C to A after a passed ball scored R1 from 3rd. Slow enough that I had to hold up the pitcher.
Worked with one guy who bragged about his ability to keep up with the batter as he came up the line toward first from PU. When I asked him what he could see from that close to 1B while moving, he didn't understand why that was important.
IFF: "I thought you were going to call it."

[MD Longhorn]

PS - my "by-the-book" solid as heck local area has approved shorts for tournaments at the bases provided you still match your partner. Gotta do something when it's 100+ and you're working 12 hour days with 3 hours off. Still haven't bought my heather grey shorts ... but I will.

[umpirebob71]

I worked a weekend tournament is SE Ohio a couple of seasons ago, and couldn't believe what I saw. On the field next to ours were two males masquerading as umpires. The PU had no cap, a blue golf shirt, and gym type shorts, along with full plate gear. The BU was similar in dress, but he had some type of cap on. The BU had the ballbag on, because the PU had no belt. Their mechanics were even more strange than their dress. It was embarrasing.

[BretMan]

That's where I was- southeast Ohio!

This was an NSA national qualifier.

Forgot to mention the umpire who for "C" position (in these two umpire games) set up where U3 would in a three man game- on the foul line.

My local ASA group doesn't even allow shorts for slow pitch!

[TwoBits]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Game mechanics:
Had a guy who would work from A with Runner on 3rd. OK.....
"

This is the one that's driving me crazy this year in rec ball. The field umpires I'm working with are high school kids, and they continually go back to the "A" with a runner on third. I tell them I want them in the "C", but there response is always every other plate umpire they work with (all unlicensed friends of the head of the local association) wants them back in the "A", and they will make the calls at third. I have seen this same "mechanic" used in other rec leagues.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by TwoBits

This is the one that's driving me crazy this year in rec ball. The field umpires I'm working with are high school kids, and they continually go back to the "A" with a runner on third. I tell them I want them in the "C", but there response is always every other plate umpire they work with (all unlicensed friends of the head of the local association) wants them back in the "A", and they will make the calls at third. I have seen this same "mechanic" used in other rec leagues.

What part of the country are you in? Wouldn't be central Texas would it?

[KJUmp]

I was in the same parallel universe last weekend, albeit about 700 miles to the east of yours.....but then again the bizzaro world knows no boundaries.