High strike.

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Jun 20, 2015
848
93
Good lord. I’m not complaining about the umpire or the calls. It was only a friendly and like I mentioned at the start we outmatched this team by a lot. I just found it funny that DD swung at and hit a ball at her chin.

Umpire side note… He must have been very green and still learning. There was a line drive down 3B line 2’ foul. 3B still dove and touched it. He called fair ball because “she touched it while she was in fair territory” was his explanation to HC.


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I lost this exact same argument with a plate ump 2 years ago. and her field ump partner agreed with her!!!!! It cost us a legit chance to advance in the tourney.

And to make it worse, I'm 6' and not slender. she was maybe 5' and 95 pounds. bad optics on that argument.
 
Feb 13, 2021
880
93
MI
There is STILL a dire shortage of youth and HS officials in all sports. I and I am sure all the rest of my brothers and sisters in blue would LOVE to have you (this is the generic all-inclusive you) join us and become a proud arbiter of sports. Your (this is the generic all-inclusive your) knowledge of the rules, unmatched eyesight and impeccable ability to deal with those OTHER irate parents and coaches would be a very welcome addition to the fraternity. Contact your state HS athletic association, local league administrator or local HS Athletic Director today!!
 
May 10, 2021
149
43
It's touching the line at armpit at back of plate... Most umpires not calling that... but by the ASA rule... if it touches the line at armpit over any part of plate, STRIKE!

This is a hard lesson... slow pitching... batter moves to front of box... or in this case, out of box... but the plate and strike zone do not move, so, balls drop into the zone behind them. My kids learned this the hard way in rec ball...

View attachment 23958
Umpires eyes should be at the top of the zone so they say. Umpires positioning here is well not ideal with the eyes or anything else.
Not bashing just saying. I have seen umpires eyes at the helmet before......maybe its his 6th game today......IDK.
 
Nov 4, 2015
320
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OP says their team was vastly better then the opponent. If the pitcher has struggled with control a little, umpires will expand the zone to keep the game moving. I've umpired a little and done it myself. Good play is easy to officiate. Bad play is hard. I wouldn't ring a player up on this pitch, but if the team batting is up big, then I'm all for an ump calling it a strike. The problem umpires run into, is that parents don't understand this. This pitch wont be called to strike the girl out and the parents of the team in the field will be screaming at the umpire. It's a tough job.
 
Jun 26, 2019
256
43
I wish I had video from one of my dds 10u games a few years back. I was sitting down 3rd base line and could see half of the ball above her head called for strike 3. I have also seen pitches that hit the dirt well in front of the plate called for strikes after they bounced through the strike zone, this has happened suprisingly often
 
May 10, 2021
149
43
OP says their team was vastly better then the opponent. If the pitcher has struggled with control a little, umpires will expand the zone to keep the game moving. I've umpired a little and done it myself. Good play is easy to officiate. Bad play is hard. I wouldn't ring a player up on this pitch, but if the team batting is up big, then I'm all for an ump calling it a strike. The problem umpires run into, is that parents don't understand this. This pitch wont be called to strike the girl out and the parents of the team in the field will be screaming at the umpire. It's a tough job.
I could not agree more. This is a great umpiring mechanic when the game is out of hand. Many disagree but this is part of the rules not in the book.

***I went to a 14U round robin today and had to see kids flexing and stealing bases already up 24-0 in the 2nd inning. No sportsmanship whatsoever.
This is a case where the zone gets extended.

And before all the crazies get going on here NO I DONT THINK IT IS APPROPRIATE TO STEAL BASES AND TAKE HOME ON PASSED BALLS when up by 20+runs. All that tells me is this team and coach are inexperienced and disrespecting the game. IMO rant over.
 
Jul 2, 2013
381
43
Consistency is definitely the key. If the ump is calling that a strike then learn from it and take advantage of it (offensively and defensively). If he's not consistent with it, there isn't much you can do.

DD was playing a HS game a couple of weeks ago and the ump called strike one on her at the eyes. He wasn't calling them all night that way and the crowd grumbled about it. After that half inning, he came over to someone he knew in the crowd and said, "That one looked like it crossed at the belt". That was his way of saying he missed that one without admitting that he did. It was strike one and didn't make any difference.

Later on he called a ball fair that landed a foot foul in the dirt. After that inning he came over and said everyone complaining on that one needed to get their vision checked because he "saw chalk".

The best part was he had stood over by the fence talking to the crowd before the game about how he didn't ump high school much any more because he was so busy with college. He later said that he liked college because no one complained about calls... He said the coaches would make the people in the crowd complaining leave. I haven't been around a ton of college softball but I know I haven't seen coaches escorting loud fans out. I've also watched college coaches scream and yell at umps more than once. That isn't allowed in HS ball around here.
 
Jul 27, 2021
276
43
There is STILL a dire shortage of youth and HS officials in all sports. I and I am sure all the rest of my brothers and sisters in blue would LOVE to have you (this is the generic all-inclusive you) join us and become a proud arbiter of sports. Your (this is the generic all-inclusive your) knowledge of the rules, unmatched eyesight and impeccable ability to deal with those OTHER irate parents and coaches would be a very welcome addition to the fraternity. Contact your state HS athletic association, local league administrator or local HS Athletic Director today!!
I was interested in softball officiating. Not any more.

I use to defend umps at softball games. Not any more.

Umps use to be good. Not anymore.

This Fall Ball season has been ridiculous and bad.

In the past and it is fading to the past really fast here, that parents were the problem with youth sports. The goal to shame bad parents with signs, teams requiring good conduct contracts and peer pressure has worked. Covid can be blamed a bit for loosing some officials.

Now the sport is just left with what is at the bottom of the ump barrel.

It is OK to demand that sports officials be competent.
 
Last edited:
May 10, 2021
149
43
I was interested in softball officiating. Not any more.

I use to defend umps at softball games. Not any more.

Umps use to be good. Not anymore.

This Fall Ball season has been ridiculous and bad.

In the past and it is fading to the past really fast here, that parents were the problem with youth sports. The goal to shame bad parents with signs, teams requiring good conduct contracts and peer pressure has worked. Covid can be blamed a bit for loosing some officials.

Now the sport is just left with what is at the bottom of the ump barrel.

It is OK to demand that sports officials be competent.
There are ton of great umpires at higher level events. Tons of inexperience at lower levels. Just like the players.
 

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