Umpiring This Year

Can anyone tell me why the umpiring this year has been so horrible. This is our fifth year having a son playing high school baseball, but they've been playing since they were 7 or 8. In the past, you would have one or two games that were officiated poorly. This year, I think we've had one or two called well.

In particular, we had one game where our backup catcher was struggling. The umpire told him if he couldn't catch the ball, he'd find someone who could. What the heck is that about? We filed a complaint, and the umpire was suspended for a game. We had another game where, after the first pitch was called a strike, our batter who thought it was a ball simply looked at the umpire, stepped out of the box to get signs from our coach, and stepped back in. He never said a word to the umpire or showed any disrespect. The umpire told him if he did it again, he would call every bad pitch a strike. Later in the same game, the field umpire made a call at second that I still don't understand, saying our player was out after being called safe, and making up some sort of rule about after he stepped off the bag, the force out rule was "reset". We complained about those two umpires, and they have been "reprimanded", with the head of the umpires acknowledging there is no such "reset" rule. Then there was last night's debacle in our game against Mallard Creek.

There has to be something different this year. I don't know if the umpires don't know the rules or they just think it's all about them and not the players.

 

There are some good ones out there...

Let me know when/where you see some bad umpires in Showcase this year.

 

This is one topic that gets brought up every year. I m not here to bash umpires....1. they are human, for some reason we as coaches and parents think that they should get every single call right. I mean think about this...a homeplate ump...Say each pitcher throws at least 80 pitches a game (we all know most of the time it is more) but thats a 160 calls right there in just one game, not to mention plays at third or plate.

But we want to yell at umps. Now one thing I have noticed is they want to do what they can to speed up the game (i.e. one foot in box when getting signs while hitting.) I am fine with that, but when they say something to that player then every mom and dad think they are being bad umps. Please understand Im not here to start a war with people Im just stating my opinion on this fact.


However I do agree there are more people getting into umpiring that probably should not be in it. But on the other hand there are some really good ones in our area. So in my opinion if you think you could do better then make a call and become a ump next season....(Im not a umpire and would not want their job)

 

I in no way expect them to get every play right. They are going to make mistakes. Usually the calls will go both ways. I also see that I am not the only one who has posted comments about the quality or lack of quality of our umpires. There are several posts about the same thing. It just seems to me that this year has been especially bad. There are umpires who clearly don't know the rules of the game or make them up as they go along. Umpires should not be speaking to players the way they have been. Coaches should be able to question calls and not be tossed unless the coach has crossed the line. It is not about the umpires. It is about the players. Let the players decide the game.

 

Life is not fair, get used to it.

As one who has had my share of communication with the men in blue, I'd like to say that the umpiring so far this year has been exceptional. With a couple of slight slip-ups (losing a strike count and walking a batter on three balls) - things have been good and the men in blue have demonstrated a higher level of professionalism than in years past.

They are not perfect, and there are "Barney Fife's" out there - but, as the title says "Life is not fair, get used to it."

The coaches know the proper protocol for appealing to the authorities and I assure you the complaints get heard - let them deal with it.

Lastly, there is a shortage of outstanding and committed umpires in every city, county and state. Pay your dues, buy a uniform, go to classes and umpire school and jump in with both feet.

If not, then get mad, get over it and move on. That's the only way to preserve sanity.

 

In the Triad area we have split the Varsity and JV games - they used to play doubleheaders but abandoned that in an effort to start the Varsity games on time and get kids home earlier. I can't help but think that by doing this we are using twice as many each night and that is not helping the quality of the umpiring. We had a game in which our umpires came from Boone and Virginia for a single game, can't be worth it with gas like it is.

 

Baylee gets it...I don't think most people understand the umpiring advocation as well as they think. For some reason people think that high school umpires are the same guys that worked the yankees/redsox series the night before and that's simply not the case. They are high school umpires for a reason. What a lot of parents don't understand is that there are also many guys who work a high level of college baseball who also work high school baseball. Strangely, sometimes these well informed parents can't tell the difference in their biased minds and "ride" the good umpires like they are bad umpires. I laugh when I hear coaches/parents complain about "that umpire" and I tell them, "Oh wow...that guy works such and such and he's been here and there." It's usually followed up with *crickets* and then "oh". Bottomline folks, it's not as easy as many think it is...tell Johnny Gonna Be Somebody to keep making plays and leave the umpiring to the guys with the uniforms on.

 

IMO....... most umpires I have met over the many years which I have been involved in the game know the game fairly well. While I personally have no use for most of them (except Brad, Kevin & Oscar) they do try. As we all know there is a large group out there that think the game is about them and not the young men playing the game. Their egos are huge and they want to control everything. I almost got throw out of a game last year because an umpire didn't like my body language. WHAT!!!!!! True story! Trust me on this one.............. they do get better in college.

 

I have my own evaluator

I just wait until he gets home and he tells me who is good and who isn't.

 

"Bottomline folks, it's not as easy as many think it is...tell Johnny Gonna Be Somebody to keep making plays and leave the umpiring to the guys with the uniforms on. "

I thought we already proved that "Johnny" ain't hitting .500. Now, we need to see if he can play defense.... I'll bet Johnny just might turn out to be one of these guys in uniform someday.

Good Luck Johnny!!!!!