Two calls from last night:

[Dabears17]

I understand. There are pleanty of things more important than an old guy venting. I hope you have a great day.

Just had the president and UIC/Scheduler of one of the leagues in my county resign last night, so that is my priority atm. Sorry CB. Will try to look at it tomorrow morning. Past my bedtime.

 

[Dabears17]

Two outs and the home team is down by 1. Sixth inning. Ball hit to right field. Right Fielder is shallow and throws to 1B. The throw was a little high but very catchable. Batter/runner hits 1B as 1B stretches up to catch the throw. The safety bag is available to the runner. Runner crashes into 1B. Both hit the ground. The catcher is backing up the play. Both get up and "shake it off." The umpire sent the batter/runner to second base and said that "obstruction" had happened. HC goes out to ask how that can be. Umpires says that the runner was heading to 2B and that is why he is awarding obstruction. This is impossible since the batter/runner would have been out if the throw was lower. Again, the throw was high but very catchable and only missed by 1B due to contact.

Top of next inning. Runner on 3B. The hitter tops the ball which results in a big hop to SS. Our runner slides head first but hits the catcher's leg. The catcher did not have the ball. The runner is injured and does not touch the plate. The catcher catches the late throw and tags the runner who is holding her arm in pain. HC goes to the umpire and says that the plate was blocked and the catcher did not have the ball. This was very clear on this play. The umpire stated that when the runner attempted to slide toward the back of the plate, she gave up her right to the plate and the catcher could use that leg to block the plate.

When the HC said to the umpire that the plate could not be blocked, she was told that if she said another word, she would be ejected. We won the game but that isn't the point on these two calls.

This is only my 2nd year umpiring high school, but I would have the runner safe at 1B, and not given her 2B.

2nd case I have obstruction on the catcher, runner safe at home.

I am working really hard to recruit new umpires in my county and am taking a lot of JV and low-quality C games to better myself and train newer umpires. I have 3 guys in their mid-50s that are ready to do middle school games with me next fall to get their feet wet.

I held an umpire clinic with 6 adults and 14 youth umpires two Sundays ago.

I would send your rules concerns to the assignor and cc your AD, or have your AD reach out. I know as an assignor, I want to get things right and I will call out my umpires (politely and professionally) for mistakes.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Just had the president and UIC/Scheduler of one of the leagues in my county resign last night, so that is my priority atm. Sorry CB. Will try to look at it tomorrow morning. Past my bedtime.

Congratulations on the promotion!

(Yes, that was legitimate sarcasm. ? )

You are up in northern Illinois, right? Or am I misremembering? PM me!

 

[CoachJD]

Two outs and the home team is down by 1. Sixth inning. Ball hit to right field. Right Fielder is shallow and throws to 1B. The throw was a little high but very catchable. Batter/runner hits 1B as 1B stretches up to catch the throw. The safety bag is available to the runner. Runner crashes into 1B. Both hit the ground. The catcher is backing up the play. Both get up and "shake it off." The umpire sent the batter/runner to second base and said that "obstruction" had happened. HC goes out to ask how that can be. Umpires says that the runner was heading to 2B and that is why he is awarding obstruction. This is impossible since the batter/runner would have been out if the throw was lower. Again, the throw was high but very catchable and only missed by 1B due to contact.

Top of next inning. Runner on 3B. The hitter tops the ball which results in a big hop to SS. Our runner slides head first but hits the catcher's leg. The catcher did not have the ball. The runner is injured and does not touch the plate. The catcher catches the late throw and tags the runner who is holding her arm in pain. HC goes to the umpire and says that the plate was blocked and the catcher did not have the ball. This was very clear on this play. The umpire stated that when the runner attempted to slide toward the back of the plate, she gave up her right to the plate and the catcher could use that leg to block the plate.

When the HC said to the umpire that the plate could not be blocked, she was told that if she said another word, she would be ejected. We won the game but that isn't the point on these two calls.

Umpires need better training. On the first play, you didn't indicate which base the BR touched. If she touched the white base, that's interference. There's no case for awarding her second base based on the description.

I'm filing a special report on the plate umpire because my player got hurt because of the illegal (though likely unintentional) actions of an opposing player, he did nothing, and indicated he was unaware of both the rules and his responsibilities in that situation. As far as I'm concerned he's now putting every softball player in every game he umps in physical danger because he doesn't know what the hell he's doing.People like that shouldn't be within a million miles of youth sports until they're better trained. I'd also refuse to play any game that person umpires. You don't put my players' health at risk or I try to do everything I can to run you out of the game.

 

[Dabears17]

Umpires need better training. On the first play, you didn't indicate which base the BR touched. If she touched the white base, that's interference. There's no case for awarding her second base based on the description.

I'm filing a special report on the plate umpire because my player got hurt because of the illegal (though likely unintentional) actions of an opposing player, he did nothing, and indicated he was unaware of both the rules and his responsibilities in that situation. As far as I'm concerned he's now putting every softball player in every game he umps in physical danger because he doesn't know what the hell he's doing.People like that shouldn't be within a million miles of youth sports until they're better trained. I'd also refuse to play any game that person umpires. You don't put my players' health at risk or I try to do everything I can to run you out of the game.

Good for you! Everyone needs to be held accountable. On the other hand, I showed up to support my umpires at a game where the opponent's fans had sworn and given the bird to the umpires after they ejected the HC and AC in a prior non-league game against a school I provide umpires for. I requested in an email that the AD attend the game and provide some security. Never saw the AD or any security.

ADs need to take their duty to make the officials safe more seriously if they want younger and better-qualified umpires to decide it's worth making half the fans unhappy with half their calls.

 

[Dabears17]

Good for you! Everyone needs to be held accountable. On the other hand, I showed up to support my umpires at a game where the opponent's fans had sworn and given the bird to the umpires after they ejected the HC and AC in a prior non-league game against a school I provide umpires for. I requested in an email that the AD attend the game and provide some security. Never saw the AD or any security.

ADs need to take their duty to make the officials safe more seriously if they want younger and better-qualified umpires to decide it's worth making half the fans unhappy with half their calls.

‘
I just checked my voice mails. Need to deal with a high school coach yesterday allegedly threatening physical harm to my umpires after they ejected him.

And folks wonder why there are a few crappy umpires out there and a shortage of officials. We are human and make a couple mistakes a game. This is not directed at CB, but everyone but umpires are allowed to make mistakes during softball games.

 

[Cannonball]

@CoachJD I am sorry that happened. @Dabears17 NEVER should threats like you mentioned be made toward umpires. As you mentioned, umpires make mistakes and so do coaches. I've been wrong before about my positions on calls in games. Players make mistakes as well. I've posted this several times but I will do so again. Out of all of the games I've coached, I only believe one loss in my career was due to umpiring and in baseball. I believe that because I heard the umpire brag about sticking it to the team that I coached in a restaurant. He didn't know I was seated just above and behind him in one of those two-tiered restaurants. As an aside, I also believe the same about referees and that only one game I lost was due to the ref. I went to the state over that referee with video and he is barred from basketball.

 

[Top_Notch]

I honestly don't know why anyone would want to umpire with some of the abuse that is freely handed out. I give you guys credit and try to keep my mouth shut. (Although with my daughter being a pitcher I have moaned once or twice on a ball which I thought was a strike)

 

[Tatonka]

Why do I suspect that many of the folks complaining about umpires couldn’t even tell you the names of all of their daughter’s teachers?

Because softball is more fun than high school math? ;-)

 

[eddieq]

Barely relevant content follows:

I live across the street from the property where the local middle school games are played (bb and sb). I saw the bus arrive with uniformed players for a bb game and walked over with the dog to watch some baseball. There was no umpire there so the coaches took to calling balls and strikes themselves from behind their pitcher (coaches switched off and came on when their defense was on the field). I guess it worked out. My fire dept pager went off in the 2nd inning and had to run. One of the school facilities guys is in the FD with me and I asked him if they stopped using umpires for the middle school games and he was surprised that no umpire was there and even more surprised that they actually played.