Strangest thing an Umpire has said to you?

[boo201]

An ump was complimenting DD's performance as a catcher and told her coach after the game, "She's so good, I'd love to bring her home with me". I'm told it was followed by an awkward moment as he realized he probably shouldn't have said that.

 

[bmwbykrydr]

I was told this fall that my runner on 3rd was not obstructed by the catcher, who was straddling the line waiting for the throw from 3B, because my runner slid early and never made it to the plate anyway.

She never made it to the plate because she slid into the catcher 5 feet up the line from the plate, then the catcher caught the ball and tagged my runner.

Hmmm....

 

[MoJo]

I was told this fall that my runner on 3rd was not obstructed by the catcher, who was straddling the line waiting for the throw from 3B, because my runner slid early and never made it to the plate anyway.

She never made it to the plate because she slid into the catcher 5 feet up the line from the plate, then the catcher caught the ball and tagged my runner.

Hmmm....

Yep, becoming so common place at games that everyone is expecting this crap to happen.

Do Umps get training, pass an open book exam or even care about the game?

Don't get me started on the whole fake machismo BS "don't bring out the rule book and show up the ump". Skip quoting the written rule that the umps wrote for themselves.

 

[radness]

In general too many umpires are focusing on where the catcher catches the ball and not where the ball crosses the plate....so pitchers with a good movement get penalized.

However catchers with good framing/receiving mechanics pitchers get rewarded!

And BONUS REWARDS!!!

 

[Big Daddy Michigan]

Here's one that always puzzled me.

DD was catching and threw to second on a steal. SS makes the catch and tag cleanly to get the out. BU, as they commonly do, says to SS , "Show me the ball." SS picks up the glove cleanly and shows the ump the ball. BU calls safe!

I said to my wife, "Why did he ask to see the ball?" We had a good laugh and the play was inconsequential.

 

[NBECoach]

We were playing a Saturday round robin at our high school diamonds which are on campus next to the road. The ump asks me if he is at the right school. Now there is a large LED sign in back of me welcoming the other teams to our school. I am also wearing a school shirt.

The guy did the bases only for 2 games. He called our base stealer out but signaled safe. The ump was in his 70's.

 

[CoachJD]

However catchers with good framing/receiving mechanics pitchers get rewarded!

And BONUS REWARDS!!!

RAD,

Probably better for its own thread, but wondering your thoughts on this.

I'm of the belief that the framing/receiving is far more than taking advantage of bad umpires who just look at where the ball is caught. I really don't believe most umpires stare at the glove after the fact and make a decision. It's way, way more about how the catcher receives the ball. A catcher who is calm and beats the ball to the spot makes pitches off the plate look better because they went where they were "supposed" to. IOW, a pitcher is getting rewarded for hitting her spot, and the catcher's receiving skill makes every (close) pitch look like it hit the spot.

 

[osagedr]

dgfred, little scary how you typed that. Did dgfred take medicine today?

Jimmy’s down!!

 

[radness]

RAD,

Probably better for its own thread, but wondering your thoughts on this.

I'm of the belief that the framing/receiving is far more than taking advantage of bad umpires who just look at where the ball is caught. I really don't believe most umpires stare at the glove after the fact and make a decision. It's way, way more about how the catcher receives the ball. A catcher who is calm and beats the ball to the spot makes pitches off the plate look better because they went where they were "supposed" to. IOW, a pitcher is getting rewarded for hitting her spot, and the catcher's receiving skill makes every (close) pitch look like it hit the spot.

Have lived this!

Body frames the plate.
Glove frames the pitch.
Absolutely Mechanics can make a difference

 

[TheGuru42]

To piggyback off of another thread, what is the strangest thing an Umpire has said to you? This year, after watching my dd get called out on a pitch about 24 inches outside, I went behind the plate to take some pictures. I had never said a word to the Umpire and there is no way he could know that this young lady hitting was my dd. As I have mentioned before, I sit in a chair and keep my mouth shut during games. Anyway, the Umpire turns around, looks at me and says, "If you take (snap) that picture, I'm going to throw you out of this park!"

I have had a lot of other examples but wanted to hear what others have experienced both good and bad.

"Parents should not be allowed at games." To which I responded, "I really hope you are declaring the pay at the plate fees you receive on your tax returns."