Please respect your umpires

[scudly12]

I have been in situations where I wanted to call time and approach an umpire about a call to see if they would confer with their partner as the end goal. Based on what I perceived as an overreaction by parents I chose not to. When asked by the parents later why I didn’t, I simply explained there was no chance of getting a called overturned because we made it personal with our reaction.

I work hard to build a relationship with the umpires based on respect. If I need to approach them during the game on a call, it helps if I (or the parents of my team) haven’t been overly dramatic on every pitch or close play.

Over time I think I have had about 40% of the calls I asked about overturned. Choose your battles, just like you can choose your attitude. Without good officials in youth sports we will not have games!


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[BrianTx01]

One if the biggest issues with parents yelling at umpires is it sometimes works. Who here has not seen an umpire bow to pressure from parents and/or coaches? With a lot of umpires it will not work. With some it will even backfire....but it definitely works with some. As long as they think they can impact the course of the game they will do it. They might lose 9/10 but they don't see it that way.

 

[Dabears17]

Remember in some parts of the country, umpires haven't umpired in a while, so are a little rusty. I went 13 months between rec games I umpired because of Covid. My buddy umpired a few HS games this year. He is the youngest umpire in his association at the age of 65.

 

[EdLovrich]

When I need a call to go my way the right way, it will more likely happen when I have a positive working relationship with them.

Orange Socks, this is what you meant to type, right?

Illegal pitches are almost always called in response to a coach complaint at lower levels when the umpire actually sees an IP regardless of game situation or what the crowd/teams think they are seeing.

BrianTX01, I hope I corrected this for what you actually meant.

 

[Orange Socks]

Orange Socks, this is what you meant to type, right?



BrianTX01, I hope I corrected this for what you actually meant.

My way is always the right way. Once we can agree on that, we will have an awesome relationship.

 

[EdLovrich]

My way is always the right way. Once we can agree on that, we will have an awesome relationship.

 

[testandor]

I saw this a couple years ago on a fence at a field in the Pennsbury AA. Took the picture, just because it’s so rare.

 

[bmakj]

seen similar signs, but also with the addition that no college scholarships are being handed out here today, liked that one.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Illegal pitches are almost always called in response to a coach complaint at lower levels.

Then you have bad umpires. Train them better or hire better.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I have been in situations where I wanted to call time and approach an umpire about a call to see if they would confer with their partner as the end goal. Based on what I perceived as an overreaction by parents I chose not to. When asked by the parents later why I didn’t, I simply explained there was no chance of getting a called overturned because we made it personal with our reaction.

I work hard to build a relationship with the umpires based on respect. If I need to approach them during the game on a call, it helps if I (or the parents of my team) haven’t been overly dramatic on every pitch or close play.

Over time I think I have had about 40% of the calls I asked about overturned. Choose your battles, just like you can choose your attitude. Without good officials in youth sports we will not have games!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes. Just yes. I love that you let your parents know that their behavior has an impact on your coaching and not directly on the game itself.

More importantly, I appreciate a coach who knows when is the right time. I never claim to get them all right. I only claim to call based on the information I have. In the appropriate conditions (which are more often than many realize), asking an umpire to go to his/her partner for help is the right thing to do.

I was working a championship 14u baseball game ... pickoff play at first base and I call the runner safe. 2-man umpiring mechanics are atrocious for pick-off plays. The fans sitting behind home plate looking right down the first base line didn't like the call.

When I came in to check the score with the home book (tournament procedure that I dislike -- BU keeps score and innings pitched), the fans told me I had it wrong. They were nice about it, so I engaged the conversation.

I told them straight up: "Two things ... First, you guys do have a better angle on that call than I do. You are looking right down the baseline at the runner coming back. Second, it was a $45 call." They looked puzzled ... "$45 would have put another umpire on the field and one of us would have been standing right over that play with a fantastic angle." (What made that even more poignant was that their HC was the tournament director.)