Umpire not calling the game by the rules and no protests

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May 13, 2023
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The first problem with umpires fixing the umpire shortage is that umpires get paid for one thing: working games. Recruiting doesn’t pay. Anything outside of working games is voluntary. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be volunteering, but the reality is it won’t happen. I like @RADcatcher ‘s idea about having a tent/booth at tournaments … but the reality is I’m working games if I’m at a tournament.
If umpires can be assigned to games. Umpires can be assigned to be at a recruitment booth 🤷‍♀️

Maybe the folks who run the Umpire business prefer a shortage to drive the price up? Don't know....but since the reality is they could do more recruiting and reach thousands of people and they don't 🙄, ATLEAST a recruitment poster stop the shortage complaining and do something. Could be added to all the softball venue websites.

Here is Triple Crown zoom into June this weekend.
At several different field locations.
Opportunity awaits!
Screenshot_20230611-084822_Chrome.jpg
 
Last edited:
Apr 14, 2022
564
63
This weekend a pitcher came in threw a pitch a few inches low called a ball made a gesture. Threw the next pitch a little lower again called a ball threw her arms up in the air. I looked to their dugout, I guess it was condoned. I think parents were in support. This ump was very good and handled it professionally. Umps should be respected the girl should have been pulled.
My DD pitched a game the next day with the same ump only hit her spots reasonably well and no wild pitches and the ump’s zone was fine.
Another game a team sent a runner home with 1 or no outs down by one and our shortstop gunned her out by 3 steps on a relay. The team and the parents wanted a bailout obstruction call. Made quite a spectacle.

I find when people complain they usually are looking for a bailout from a lack of execution on their end. I also find coaches/ parents do not know the rules. Google exists people.

Softball imo is the hardest to ump with seemingly rare deep dive, grey area of the rule book happening seemingly every game.
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
If umpires can be assigned to games. Umpires can be assigned to be at a recruitment booth 🤷‍♀️

Maybe the folks who run the Umpire business prefer a shortage to drive the price up? Don't know....but since the reality is they could do more recruiting and reach thousands of people and they don't 🙄, ATLEAST a recruitment poster stop the shortage complaining and do something. Could be added to all the softball venue websites.

Here is Triple Crown zoom into June this weekend.
At several different field locations.
Opportunity awaits!

Again, @RADcatcher ... you nailed the problem but missed it: "the folks who run the Umpire business."

Who is that? That is the problem. It isn't anybody unless you have a strong local umpires' association.

United Softball Alphabet and United Softball Says So Alphabet charge umpires fees, sell us shirts and hats (which we cannot buy anywhere else), run a background check on them, and then send us out to work games. Training is optional and on your own.

United Softball Alphabet does provide access to training opportunities, but even those are fairly sketchy unless YOU make it happen for yourself. United Softball Says So Alphabet ... after some deep scrubbing and accidents have I found a couple of poorly produced crappy Powerpoints and letters from their "national" umpire person online. That's the only training I am aware of from them. Neither have any required training.

Scholastic state associations are slightly better, as most require some form of testing and required training, though those are also highly sketchy depending on the individual person putting on the clinic. I can't speak for other state's cycles, but the Illinois High School Association requires a test every year (open book with the questions provided ahead of time) and a training clinic every three years.

Tournament providers/tournament directors/venues typically don't do anything, as they rely on whatever affiliated association to train its umpires. They then contract out to an assignor (or a strong local association which has an assignor) to get umpires.

Assignors are getting paid to fill slots with bodies. Good assignors will take an interest in their umpires and try to develop them. Good assignors are hard to find. After all these years, I am just now finding one good assignor, and he assigns for an area about two hours away from me.

Local associations are only as good as the people who run them. If it is a good association, then they are working to recruit, train, retain, and promote. In order to do that, they must work with different levels within the game so they can send umpires to those different levels.

So who is running the umpire industry? Not really anybody.

You can assign me to a game, but if you assign me to a booth then I need to see some pay or compensation. Sorry. Until I leave the field and become an assignor, I have no need for more umpires on the field. Not saying that to be a d-bag, but as a fact. I would like to see more umpires on the field, but it doesn't hurt or help me either way. I have no vested interest. Honestly, I would like to see fewer games with better prepared umpires than continuing to add more games and throwing more ill-prepared bodies into the grinder. The people who do have a vested interest aren't doing what they need to do, rather they are expecting me (us) to do it out of the goodness of our hearts to fatten their wallets.
 
May 27, 2022
412
63
If umpires can be assigned to games. Umpires can be assigned to be at a recruitment booth 🤷‍♀️

Maybe the folks who run the Umpire business prefer a shortage to drive the price up? Don't know....but since the reality is they could do more recruiting and reach thousands of people and they don't 🙄, ATLEAST a recruitment poster stop the shortage complaining and do something. Could be added to all the softball venue websites.

Here is Triple Crown zoom into June this weekend.
At several different field locations.
Opportunity awaits!
View attachment 28168
Why do I, as an umpire, want to get more umpires? (other than to protect the good name of umpires and to ensure I never work alone)

Shouldn't the people complaining about the lack of umpires and the quality of umpires be staffing these recruitment booths?
 

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