Are you f***ing kidding me

[IRISHMAFIA]

Any ultimatum by any team should be, "thank you, maybe the next tournament" and move on.

Use to hear all sorts of crap from teams and the State Player Rep (ASA) whining about how 'WE', not anyone else, did not run tournaments for SP teams in the area and that is why the teams didn't play ASA. It should be noted that 'WE' have tried, but it seems no matter what weekend is chosen, it just wasn't good enough for them. So, last year at the state meeting I stood up and challenged the State Player Rep to get together with his friends and teams and pick any weekend and we would run a tournament for them, they set any parameters that would not be a safety issue (HR, time limit, etc). The next call I get from him will be the first in more than a year.

Had an associate work a Men's Major or Super Nat for either Bernie P or Dan B and the tournament had to go to a reserve box of softballs and two brands ended up on a field in the same game. My buddy threw in whatever ball came out of his bag, didn't really pay attention to the brand name. Well, at one point the manager of one of the teams started giving my pal a hard time and demanded they be able to hit the ball they want. The umpire told them they were going to hit whatever ball came out of the bag. After a few minutes, the UIC was at the field and asked what the problem was. Before the umpire could say anything, this manager started on him and stated his team wasn't playing with XYZ ball. The UIC told the PU to pull his crew, the game was over. The manager started back-pedaling quickly. The UIC told him he and team could pack their bags, if they weren't going to play, they could go home.

Moral of the story is that dealing and complying with ultimatums usually doesn't end well for anyone and can actually be detrimental to those who think they have helped the situation through accommodation.

[NCASAUmp]

I think the question here should also be: "How do I recover from this?" This incident, while a setback, is the perfect opportunity for you to shine in front of your superiors and in front of the teams.

A great umpire will seize this opportunity to talk with his/her assignor about how to bounce back from this. Talk with your assignor and ask what it is that you can do to improve as an umpire, including your relationship with the teams. Keep it positive, keep it upbeat. Be receptive to whatever s/he has to say, and follow through with whatever s/he tells you. Show that you want to work and what you want to learn.

When you see the teams that may have complained, don't bring it to the game and let them see that it bothered you. Go in there with a great, positive attitude and give the impression that you not only want to be there, but you love being there. If anyone asks you why you weren't at the tournament, just tell them that you were assigned elsewhere that day or were otherwise unavailable.

Each game is a fresh start. Each game is a new opportunity to shine. A great umpire always takes stock of where s/he is as an umpire, and always looks for areas of improvement. Always.

A lesser umpire will tuck his/her tail and blame the world, refusing to see the opportunity presenting itself here. Sure, this latest incident sucks, but press forward and keep doing your best out there. Your superiors will take notice when they see you bounce back.