Poorly written / trick questions on umpire tests

[Manny A]

I just noticed the numbers on Tom's questions. The NFHS test here in VA consists of only 50 questions. If memory serves, it used to be 100. Thank goodness we don't have to sit through that many questions any more.

[DRJ1960]

Originally Posted by Manny A

I just noticed the numbers on Tom's questions. The NFHS test here in VA consists of only 50 questions. If memory serves, it used to be 100. Thank goodness we don't have to sit through that many questions any more.

We get a random 50 so that it is more difficult for us to "cooperate"

[3afan]

As an official, why am I even asked what the definition is (for example) for a passed ball? UGH.

[nopachunts]

Originally Posted by 3afan

As an official, why am I even asked what the definition is (for example) for a passed ball? UGH.

My thoughts exactly. To me it doesn't matter if it's a passed ball or wild pitch. I should be looking at what results because of the passed ball or wild pitch.

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by 3afan

As an official, why am I even asked what the definition is (for example) for a passed ball? UGH.

Just another way they force you to read the rule book, I suppose.

Come to think of it, maybe they want the officials to know what they're talking about when explaining a rule to a coach.

Coach: "Why wasn't that interference on the first baseman, Blue? She set up on the orange bag and prevented my runner from running through!"

Plate Umpire: "Well, first off, it wouldn't be interference; it would be obstruction."

Coach: "Yeah, whatever."

Plate Umpire: "But on a wild pitch on the third strike, the first baseman and the batter-runner are allowed to use either bag."

Coach: "Well, that wasn't a wild pitch; that was a passed ball."

Plate Umpire: "Yeah, whatever."

[Tru_in_Blu]

I think it goes to knowing (about) the game.

As a player and coach, I used to track our team's stats. (This was a bit more time consuming pre-computer spreadsheet tools.)

And I'd always cringe when people made grand awards of hits, RBI, etc during youth games. Granted, if a 10-year old hit the ball and got on base, it was ruled a hit regardless of how many bobbles, boots, and overthrows occurred on the play.

But when the boys got on to the 90' foot diamond, things changed. During 1 game w/ 2 outs and the bases loaded, a favorite-son player hit a routine fly ball to right field. The fielder misplayed the ball into a 3-base error. After the game, I heard the batter being congratulated on his game winning triple w/ 3 RBI. But I was official scorer that day. No hit, no RBI.

[ASA/NYSSOBLUE]

You guys should see the test we take for Volleyball here in New York (Like softball, NYS volleyball does NOT subscribe to NFHS, but uses NCAA rules with modifications.) - holy moly is it a bunch of confusion. Its open book, but volleyball rules are such a quagmire of protocol and technicalities, it takes a group of four or five of us to go through the ting - and we still miss stuff, and it gets corrected to 100 at our meeting....

I hope he shows up for this, but poster EsqUmp is the person who writes the NYS softball test, and he does a fine job. There are very few questions that you need to really try and decipher, and they are - shockingly - all related to things you might actually encounter in a game. If you know your stuff, even with being careful, it takes you about 25-30 minutes to take a 100 question test.

As a side note, EsqUmp also does the NYS Manual. Since we use modified ASA rules, our state group thought it would be a good idea to actually publish a manual of our own, for local groups to print and distribute if they want. Our group makes it up as a spiral notebook, and it is quite handy to have. It has really nice graphics which do a 1000% better job of showing everything than does the old fashioned version we see in the ASA manual.

[PATRICK]

Originally Posted by ASA/NYSSOBLUE

You guys should see the test we take for Volleyball here in New York (Like softball, NYS volleyball does NOT subscribe to NFHS, but uses NCAA rules with modifications.) - holy moly is it a bunch of confusion. Its open book, but volleyball rules are such a quagmire of protocol and technicalities, it takes a group of four or five of us to go through the ting - and we still miss stuff, and it gets corrected to 100 at our meeting....

I hope he shows up for this, but poster EsqUmp is the person who writes the NYS softball test, and he does a fine job. There are very few questions that you need to really try and decipher, and they are - shockingly - all related to things you might actually encounter in a game. If you know your stuff, even with being careful, it takes you about 25-30 minutes to take a 100 question test.

As a side note, EsqUmp also does the NYS Manual. Since we use modified ASA rules, our state group thought it would be a good idea to actually publish a manual of our own, for local groups to print and distribute if they want. Our group makes it up as a spiral notebook, and it is quite handy to have. It has really nice graphics which do a 1000% better job of showing everything than does the old fashioned version we see in the ASA manual.

I agree, it is a nice book, but it's a modified baseball mechanics manual.

And they are ok mechanics, just different. I'm at a loss as to why the whole world uses one set of mechanics, and NYS uses another!

Although , I was told as long as both umpires agree, you can do whatever you want.