The nightmare partner.

[umpirebob71]

I finally got stuck with the nightmare partner, last week. I'm the PU for the first game, and he stands next to me during the meeting at the plate, making what he thought to be some cute, and oh so witty remarks to the coaches and captains while I was trying to conduct the meeting. Finally, after I get the game started, he announces and shows the count after every pitch from his position on the bases. He made a call at second on a double from down the line at first. I assume he got caught off guard, because he was carrying a running conversation with whomever would respond to him. He cleaned the piching plate once before the game started. I ended up doing it while he smiled at me. A runner going from second to third was struck by the ball in front of the shortstop a few feet away from him, and he never moved a muscle. I called it.

The second game, he has the plate. Same nonsense during the meeting. The first ground ball into the infield, I get in position, make the call, and out of the corner of my eye, I see him making the call from behind the plate. He does this on every call in the infield. The one time he was supposed to get up to third to actually make a call, he's standing behind the plate with his mask on, and his hands folded in front of him. Thankfully, she was out by two feet. Once, while the throw in from the outfield was still rolling around the infield, he calls time to retrieve a bat. He calls a strike on a girl after she had hit the ball down the first baseline in fair territory. It just went on and on.

All of this after claiming to have thirty years experience. I couldn't wait to get away from this guy. What a nightmare.