Too old to umpire?

IndyHScoach · May 2, 2018

I appreciate people who know the game and are willing to be a part of it. I also appreciate all the men and women that are willing to umpire. Especially when there is a shortage of umpires and even more of a struggle to find competent umpires.

With that being said- last night at an away game we had an umpire that was too slow to keep up with the game. He admitted to his partner and thanked him for covering a run down that he could not get to, "Thanks Tom, I am just too slow to get there anymore." I timed him once walking from behind the catcher to clean off the plate and it took three and a half minutes. That did not include him getting back into position and putting his mask on. He could not get in a low enough crouch to be in good position to call balls and strikes. Sorry for the rant but was just frustrating for him to then turn to the dugout to tell the girls to hustle in and hustle out like he had to get out of there. He did that to both teams multiple times right after the third out was made.

Sorry rant over.

marriard · May 2, 2018

IndyHScoach said:
I appreciate people who know the game and are willing to be a part of it. I also appreciate all the men and women that are willing to umpire. Especially when there is a shortage of umpires and even more of a struggle to find competent umpires.

With that being said- last night at an away game we had an umpire that was too slow to keep up with the game. He admitted to his partner and thanked him for covering a run down that he could not get to, "Thanks Tom, I am just too slow to get there anymore." I timed him once walking from behind the catcher to clean off the plate and it took three and a half minutes. That did not include him getting back into position and putting his mask on. He could not get in a low enough crouch to be in good position to call balls and strikes. Sorry for the rant but was just frustrating for him to then turn to the dugout to tell the girls to hustle in and hustle out like he had to get out of there. He did that to both teams multiple times right after the third out was made.

Sorry rant over.

So when are you going to join the umpire force?

Seriously - they schedule people because they don't have a choice or because this is the best choice they have for the game they are doing. Our umpire room is full of older people - many very, very retired. Average age in our umpire room is well over 50 - probably closer to 60. There are very few umpires between the ages of 25-45. We need more people just like you and me to do some games and see if it is for them - even if it is not an every weekend or day thing.

I know this is kind of a cliche saying why don't you get out and do it - but it is a reality of what we need. I have talked to our primary assigner and I know it kills him to assign someone who is going to struggle to keep up with the assigned game but he often just doesn't have any other option.

BTW - I will say that our local umpire group has got rid of the "Don't Care" or "Don't Try" umpires - they have been gone for about 3 years now. It has not made scheduling any easier for the assigners, but the experience has improved for everyone.

IndyHScoach · May 2, 2018

marriard said:
So when are you going to join the umpire force?

Seriously - they schedule people because they don't have a choice or because this is the best choice they have for the game they are doing. Our umpire room is full of older people - many very, very retired. Average age in our umpire room is well over 50 - probably closer to 60. There are very few umpires between the ages of 25-45. We need more people just like you and me to do some games and see if it is for them - even if it is not an every weekend or day thing.

I know this is kind of a cliche saying why don't you get out and do it - but it is a reality of what we need. I have talked to our primary assigner and I know it kills him to assign someone who is going to struggle to keep up with the assigned game but he often just doesn't have any other option.

BTW - I will say that our local umpire group has got rid of the "Don't Care" or "Don't Try" umpires - they have been gone for about 3 years now. It has not made scheduling any easier for the assigners, but the experience has improved for everyone.

I do respect and appreciate umpires of all sports. I know that I would not make a very good umpire. I did umpire some baseball games a couple years ago to help a friend out and see how I would do. Not my cup of tea. I like coaching or just enjoying watching a good game.

I have had to watch some sub par umpires this year and I have not yelled or argued with any. (And anyone that knows my past would be surprised I have not. But age has allowed me to appreciate the work they do.) It was just tough to watch last night.

spleen1015 · May 2, 2018

With the way youth sports officials are treated these days, I'm not surprised there's not a lot of young people doing it. Parents can get out of hand with our BS, me included. It's not worth it, I'm sure.

justanotherguy · May 2, 2018

Kind of a reverse of the idea, this past weekend we had a GREAT older ump. He had to be close to 70. What was so great was that he knew the rules backwards and forwards. Things I'd never even heard before like exactly when you can sub a runner for your pitcher/catcher. He'd kindly talk to the coaches and explain the exact rule. He even called a runner out for a rule she broke when no one else even caught it. When the coaches questioned him he politely explained the exact rule and why. I swear he had the rule book memorized. Never seen an ump so politely put coaches in their place and would send them away believing they were actually wrong and he was right.

Il softball fan · May 2, 2018

We had a local umpire that was like the one in the OP. Had a parkinson's like thing he did with his jaw that always looked like he was chewing on something. Hard to explain lol. He was painfully slow to do anything. If he had to pick up a ball that was on the ground, a girl would have to do it for him because he couldn't bend over. He was one of the worst I ever saw as far as strike zone. He called ball or strike before the ball even got to the catcher most times. Hated when I saw him show up to games that dd was playing. All that being said, I do respect the work that umpires do, and I realize that I could not put up with all the comments that people throw their way. I understand staying longer that they should and not wanting to give up something that they enjoy.

Strike2 · May 2, 2018

Had an umpire in 10U league who didn't wear any shin guards when behind the plate.

This wasn't a problem for me, but him being six feet behind the catcher when calling balls and strikes was.

grcsftbll · May 3, 2018

spleen1015 said:
With the way youth sports officials are treated these days, I'm not surprised there's not a lot of young people doing it. Parents can get out of hand with our BS, me included. It's not worth it, I'm sure.

I can get riled up, I admit it. But the things that get to me involve them not doing their job correctly. Like not knowing or enforcing the rules, or losing track of the count repeatedly. I also dislike the ginormous egos, like on a really close call where the other umpire had a better view, and refusing to even ask for help. A bad call is an honest mistake that could happen to anyone. With filming all our games we know for sure we get a lot of them, too. But all I want is for them to know their job, put their egos aside, and call a fair game.

I will say one of my favorite umpires ever was an elderly gentleman. He was home plate umpire and my DD was pitching. He gave her the corners all night long and told me during the game how impressed he was with her location, and as long as she was hitting the corners he was going to keep giving them to her. Compliment my kid and you're my favorite forever.

Comocoach · May 3, 2018

Strike2 said:
Had an umpire in 10U league who didn't wear any shin guards when behind the plate.

This wasn't a problem for me, but him being six feet behind the catcher when calling balls and strikes was.

This was 18u last summer.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

CPEM · May 4, 2018

Another reason why you don't see younger umpires is because they are probably too busy with their own kids to have time to umpire. Speaking from experience, there was a time from my late-20s to late-30s where I was coaching 2 teams and running a league. I would certify with ASA every year, and maybe do a handful or two of games in the Spring. I was finally able to stop coaching about 2 years ago when DD2 joined a travel team, and I found myself with a bit of free time. Not much, especially not during the week as I ferry DD1 & DD2 to practice or pitching/hitting lessons, but I get some games in on the weekend. I'm in my early 40s now and I'm oftentimes the youngest guy in the room.

HS umpire assignors have an even bigger dilemma since the games are at 3:15pm (around here). That shrinks the pool of available umpires considerably.

Too old to umpire?

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IndyHScoach

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Not lost - just no idea where I am

IndyHScoach

spleen1015

justanotherguy

Il softball fan

Strike2

Allergic to BS

grcsftbll

Comocoach

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