Umpire threatens to shrink strike zone due to poor catching

[cbrev]

Our team is a high C level 12U All-Star team. We played a tournament this weekend and several girls left for camp before the last day of games. We were down to 8 players and 2 pitchers and 1 catcher for the last two games. DD was either catcher or pitcher for all but 1 inning in 3 games on hot day on turf. So we had to use a girl that isn’t a catcher when DD was pitching. In game 2, a few balls got under catcher’s glove and hit the umpire’s shin guards.

In game 3 (Championship), before the bottom of the last inning ump tells our coach that he is getting tired of getting hit by passed balls and that if any more balls get through he’s going to shrink the strike zone for us. He also said “this doesn’t happen in baseball games”. We were up 6-1, when it happened, so our coach decided we could push through. Our coach told the opposing coach, who he is friends with and the guy couldn’t believe the ump would say that.

A couple walks, an error, infield hit and a few WP and passed balls and we are now up by 2 (our pitcher has almost no energy left). Another ball gets past the catcher. Ump comes out in front of home and yells, loud enough for everyone, that we have to replace our catcher. Our coach is pissed, because he knows based on what the ump said prior, that the tables are tilted against us. He decides to pull the girls off the field, because he wants to protect the pitcher and catcher from dealing with a partial ump the rest of the game.

How would you have dealt with an umpire acting this way?

 

[Dabears17]

Only 8 players total? Surprised the tournament let you play with just 8. I wouldn't have verbalized it but wouldn't be too happy if the catcher was letting me get hit if I was umpiring.

What is a "high C-level" team?

If an umpire was being that demonstrative, I probably would have pulled my team and asked for the UIC or Tournament Director. Might have even asked for the UIC or Tournament Director after he admitted he wasn't a softball umpire by saying it wouldn't happen in baseball.

 

[Orange Socks]

DD was catching in 12U on turf field, but it was sprinkling hard, not yet a full rain. Of course the ball was wet. Ball was getting away from DD and hit the ump a couple of times. I called time to talk with pitcher. DD comes to the circle crying. I'm like WTH is going on here? She told me the ump told her shouldn't be catching if she can't control the ball and she better improve quickly. I immediately walked to the ump and had a few choice words with him. Totally uncalled for. We won that game and then rains came down and no amount of turf could keep the river of water flowing through that complex.

 

[YOCOACH]

I would have told the DB to quit being lazy and trying to base his strikes and ball calls off of the position of the catcher's mitt. Then I'd have given him a pair of shin guards and told him to suck it up buttercup.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Our team is a high C level 12U All-Star team. We played a tournament this weekend and several girls left for camp before the last day of games. We were down to 8 players and 2 pitchers and 1 catcher for the last two games. DD was either catcher or pitcher for all but 1 inning in 3 games on hot day on turf. So we had to use a girl that isn’t a catcher when DD was pitching. In game 2, a few balls got under catcher’s glove and hit the umpire’s shin guards.

In game 3 (Championship), before the bottom of the last inning ump tells our coach that he is getting tired of getting hit by passed balls and that if any more balls get through he’s going to shrink the strike zone for us. He also said “this doesn’t happen in baseball games”. We were up 6-1, when it happened, so our coach decided we could push through. Our coach told the opposing coach, who he is friends with and the guy couldn’t believe the ump would say that.

A couple walks, an error, infield hit and a few WP and passed balls and we are now up by 2 (our pitcher has almost no energy left). Another ball gets past the catcher. Ump comes out in front of home and yells, loud enough for everyone, that we have to replace our catcher. Our coach is pissed, because he knows based on what the ump said prior, that the tables are tilted against us. He decides to pull the girls off the field, because he wants to protect the pitcher and catcher from dealing with a partial ump the rest of the game.

How would you have dealt with an umpire acting this way?

Lies! Damn lies! Statistics! Oops, carry over from another thread (but still accurate).

Wow. I hate to say this, but I think your coach did what he had to do.

I don't say this lightly, but I think the coach should have shut the game down and gotten the UIC or TD to the field immediately when it became evident the umpire was off-track. It's tough to do in the midst of a game, particularly a timed tournament game, but send a rationale and responsible AC or parent to "tournament central" to summon the TD/UIC. That's ALL the parent should say, so it needs to be one you can trust.

One of the first things you have to come to grip with as an umpire is that you are going to get hit. Sometimes more than once. Sometimes way too much. That is why you spend money on good gear (safety equipment!) and time training yourself where to stand and how to take the bump. No, we don't like it, but if you can't hack that, then it is time to hang it up.

Oh, and ...

Strikes get us outs, outs get us innings, innings get us home. He went the wrong direction.

 

[djcarter1966]

I would just call the ump over and say our catcher couldn't make it to the game and this is our back up catcher she has only caught a couple games and if we use anyone else it would be even worse... but I'm questioning the "high C level" comment as well, I could probably put about 3 or 4 girls behind the plate on one of my old Rec All Star teams and not have that many passed ball, this sounds alot more like a pitcher control problem than a catcher problem.

But if the umpire said put in a new catcher and I was up two runs in a championship game I would put in a new catcher and a new pitcher if I had one. The only reason I wouldn't is if I thought it was a safety issue. But our varsity team this year actually played a girl two innings who had never caught a day in her life, granted she was our SS and a gifted athlete, but same situation. It was a double header, one catcher hurt, the other got dizzy with possible heat stroke so in she went.

 

[EdLovrich]

As long as THIS doesn't happen, we are all good, some Cs are just not as adept at catching the ball...... Mr. Umpire, suck it up....




BTW, if that DOES happen, it won't happen more than once and we will STILL be all good......

 

[mmeece]

I don't have a problem as an umpire with asking the team if there is another option to play catcher. There isn't any reason I should have to get beat up while they try out a catcher; that's what practice is for. However, I'm never going to threaten consequences and if there is no other option then I'm just going to call the game and hide behind the catcher the best I can.

 

[Hawk_]

I would have asked the catcher to go talk to the pitcher and the batter to go talk to her coach..... then cussed the umpire up and down. Then asked for the UIC. Just me.

 

[marriard]

How would you have dealt with an umpire acting this way?

That person is not an umpire. If this is a tourney and I was coaching, the TD/UIC would have been at my field before another pitch was thrown. Totally unacceptable at every level and in any sport.


Said it before - good umpires hate this person umpiring way more than you ever will.