The Evil Empire..er..Umpires

Just kidding folks....I respect these guys. 99% of them want to work hard and do a good job. Please post one from your area or one that you have seen that needs to be recognized for their effort.

I'm going to name one that is the most controversial, but is my favorite

Greg Chance-- You either love him or hate him, but you must respect the man for his work ethic and knowledge of the rules. There is no one better in those areas....he is rarely out of position and he wants to make the right call. But the other area that impresses me about Greg is he is not afraid to make the right call at a difficult moment in a game.

He's also a believer that he has never missed a call

Seriously, he is the only umpire that I have heard who honestly will tell you that "I missed two strikes tonight"...he is so confident in his ability.

The other area that leads to his controversy is in his rapport with the fans. He doesn't take himself too seriously and will, at times, have a running commentary with some of the fans...it's never ugly and often times humorous. The purists in baseball don't like the umpires doing this, but me?....I love it...it's just HS ball!!!

Lastly, even the HS coaches have to respect the man for his knowledge of the rules...there is nobody better in the business

There are many, many others that do a great job. How about you guys/gals name some from your experiences?

 

I totally agree with you, Braves, about Greg Chance. He is one of the most controversial umps out there BUT he's also one of the best!! I, too, like the fact that he occasionally carries on friendly banter with the fans and the parents of the boys. It's too bad we didn't see more of him this year in the SW4A!! :huh:

Another name I'll throw out there is Jim Escher. He teams up with Greg a lot. Jim's work ethic is darn near unquestionable!! He is a very personable guy, too. Hard working AND thick skinned!!! ( This is the one quality I wish more umpires had!)

Don't get me wrong...I know there is some consistently bad officiating and some exceptional umpiring....BUT let's face it, someone's not gonna be happy at the end of the day!!

Well..those are my thoughts on the subject.:scared2: :scared2:

 

Thanks RSPW..I agree about Jim. He recently told me that he tries to ignore the taunts, but he hears them. He even said, " I hear you, too, Braves". I told him, " Don't worry, Jim...I'm just trying to help you out". He is one of the most dedicated umpires....I wish he wasn't leaving the profession. He will be hard to replace.

 

One more story about Greg. After one game, he told me, " Braves jr. was squeezing the ball too tight when pitching"..I said, " why tell me?...why didn't you call timeout and go out and tell him. Aren't you supposed to have the interest of the kids in mind?" He laughed and reminded me that's not his job. I told him..."that's alright.. I bequeath my authority to you to help him out".

How can you not love the guy!!!!

 

I'll give you one from our area, Ricky McDonald. Doesn't get to ump as much as he used to, because of a job change, but one of the best ball/strike umps behind tha plate I have seen. Can have a short fuse at times but when he is behind the plate there is not a doubt who is in control of the game.

 

That's what I like about a good umpire

 

Too bad we did'nt have Chance at the Prov. vs. NM game last night- the game may have been called a bit more accurate than it was. I think that an umpire/umpires can make or break a game and they take it in to their own hands which is unfortunate to the boys.

 

From a players eyes and feelings (the son)

Yes you are right in saying a umpire/umpires can make or break a game. I have learned more in the past 7 days than I have in my 18 years of life. You always hear people say that baseball is life and I said that up until a week ago. Life is not a sport. I had a chance to go through a bad thing last week with the Foster's. That is life. Baseball is just something we do on the side. Baseball is a loving thing. I love to play baseball. Umpires are not out there saying I don't like this kid or this team so I am going to mess them over. Your kids play, and they miss balls, they miss signs, they miss a lot of things. But we feel the right to get on the umpires when they miss a few things. If I lose a baseball game I am going to be mad, I might say a few things that the umpire didn't do right, but at the end of the day you know they are out there doing their best. You lose a baseball game you wake up the next morning, you lose a loved one its not the same.

I am not saying that I haven't ever done any of this but in the last week I have learned the difference between the game I love and the life I live. If I give it a 110% then the game and everyone in the game (including the umpires) are going through the same thing.

 

Apparently, Dan Foster continues to touch those that know him. Thanks Kyle for that heartfelt, meaningful post.

You have been a great contributor to our board and I want to thank you for all your contributions.

 

KUDOS!!!!!

for all umps who love the game and do their best to call things right!1 Also, hopefully you have playeed the game at a very high level, know and have a feel for the game as well as respect coaches! I find it difficult to do the same ..have to earn it first! Can t live with em or without em!