Dealing with a Catcher

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by Andy

Jr College Game, NCAA rules.

I am BU. Team A pitcher really likes to work the edges of the zone. Catcher is frustrated from time to time with my PU partner's zone and not getting strikes called when she thinks they should be.

Finally, about the fifth inning, a pitch comes in that is just off the plate and called a ball. Catcher holds the ball out where she caught it, and asks my partner "Where did that miss?" with attitude. Partner tells her it was out of the zone and to throw the ball back to the pitcher. Catcher turns to someone behind the backstop and says "He said it was outside"

Partner pulls the mask off and tells the catcher that he is sick of the attitude and that if she wants to stay in the game, she will refrain from any further comments.

Question: For those of you that work NCAA level ball, would you have handled this the same way or would you have addressed this with the coach?

Would any of you handle this any different in HS or other youth ball play?

I have had something similar this year. About the fifth time the catcher asked me where the ball was I flat out told her that it was out of the zone. Since this was still the first inning and she had used up 5 "asks", I wasn't going to listen anymore. She got the hint. She still complained in the dugout, but she knew not to do it in the catchers position. What made it worse later is the opposing pitchers balls were coming back over the corner and were called strikes. Her pitchers pitches were tailing away from the plate and thus were missing the inside corner.

I did issue a warning last year after a catcher yelled to her pitcher "That's a bullshit call" about a pitch I called out of the zone. That one went through the coach immediately, with the catcher right there.

[RKBUmp]

"That's a bullshit call" about a pitch I called out of the zone.

A warning? A catcher yelling that should be an instant ejection.

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by RKBUmp

A warning? A catcher yelling that should be an instant ejection.

Why? In this case it really depends on the teams in question. Sadly, in some areas if you were to eject every player who said something like that on a first offense you wouldn't be umpiring because you would not have any players to umpire.

In theory you are correct. In practice ejecting players and coaches for this like this is often much more of a hassle for all parties involved. I know some umpires who have ejected players for things like this, and for some reason you don't see them umpiring much if any. Why? The schools refuse to have them umpire for them. Without the schools allowing them to umpire, there are no games for them to umpire.

[RKBUmp]

Why? because not only did a catcher yell across the field questioning your strike zone, she also used a profanity to do it.

[azbigdawg]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

Why? In this case it really depends on the teams in question. Sadly, in some areas if you were to eject every player who said something like that on a first offense you wouldn't be umpiring because you would not have any players to umpire.

In theory you are correct. In practice ejecting players and coaches for this like this is often much more of a hassle for all parties involved. I know some umpires who have ejected players for things like this, and for some reason you don't see them umpiring much if any. Why? The schools refuse to have them umpire for them. Without the schools allowing them to umpire, there are no games for them to umpire.

Holy wow.....

ADULT ball...I MIGHT let that go with reminder...

ANY youth..federation...J.C..or NCAA..that's an ejection....

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

Why?

Dear lord.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

...In practice ejecting players and coaches for this like this is often much more of a hassle for all parties involved.

That's my first, and highest, priority when umpiring... avoiding hassle.

Originally Posted by chapmaja

...I know some umpires who have ejected players for things like this, and for some reason you don't see them umpiring much if any. Why? The schools refuse to have them umpire for them. Without the schools allowing them to umpire, there are no games for them to umpire.

If the schools around here placed sportsmanship and respect for officials at such an intolerable level, they would not be the ones doing the refusing.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

... snip ... Sadly, in some areas if you were to eject every player who said something like that on a first offense you wouldn't be umpiring because you would not have any players to umpire.

I know some umpires who have ejected players for things like this, and for some reason you don't see them umpiring much if any. Why? The schools refuse to have them umpire for them. Without the schools allowing them to umpire, there are no games for them to umpire.

Maybe they are not getting games because they did and you did not.

And I agree with Tom, avoiding hassle is our job.

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Maybe they are not getting games because they did and you did not. That's exactly it. They are not getting the games because they ejected the player and now the school has chosen to block them.

And I agree with Tom, avoiding hassle is our job.

In some of the schools in the area I am talking about sportsmanship is pretty much non-existent. This is an area that during basketball threats were common against opposing players during and after basketball games.

The problem is that many of the AD's in the area still schedule their own umpires and don't use an assignor, so there is nobody to back up the umpires. The state association really doesn't do much even if there are reports filed by umpires.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

That's exactly it. They are not getting the games because they ejected the player and now the school has chosen to block them. ...In some of the schools in the area I am talking about sportsmanship is pretty much non-existent. ......

As I said above. If I was in this situation, the schools would not be the ones doing the refusing / blocking. There is no way I would accept such an assignment even if offered.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Maybe they are not getting games because they did and you did not.

My point was consistency. If all the umpires ejected or warned or whatever, consistently with each other, then the game schedules also would even out.

That said, I would not have ejected the coach in a couple situations where I saw partners do so.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

....

I did issue a warning last year after a catcher yelled to her pitcher "That's a bullshit call" about a pitch I called out of the zone. That one went through the coach immediately, with the catcher right there.

The only conversation I'm having with the coach after this is to find out who the substitute is for the catcher I've just ejected.....