Please respect your umpires

[eddieq]

The weekend before last, I umpired an in-house tournament for a large local rec league. I had 18U pool play on Sat, and elimination play in the 12U division at another park on Sun. Four games on Sunday, so I had teams multiple times. Hot weekend, no breaks, tiring to be sure. Championship game, I had one team twice, and the other 3 straight. 1-man games until championship. When the last game ended, a mother from the winning team gave me and the base ump a small envelope. It had been 5 straight games on Sat and 4 straight on Sun, so I didn't bother opening it until later that evening. Inside? A Thank You card! I couldn't believe it! In what has probably been more than 15 years of umpiring, I had never gotten anything more than, "Good game, Blue." And in between those umpiring years, I spent 20 years coaching HS varsity and travel, and it had never occurred to me to hand any umpire a thank you card. I just thought it was very thoughtful of her, and deserved mention.

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Those Bucks County kids are all right (grew up there myself)

 

[flash277]

I got to do a cool thing today. I was plate umpire for a middle school game, and in the 2nd inning, a varsity lacrosse game was about to start on the next field and they played the National Anthem. I called time and removed my cap, (and mask) and every player, coach and parent stood with hand over heart, it was nice to see.

 

[testandor]

it was a $45 call." They looked puzzled ... "$45 would have put another umpire on the field and one of us would have been standing right over that play with a fantastic angle."

I had almost the same situation, and the same response to the coach, in a rec league 12U playoff game this past week.

1st and 2nd, 1 down. Ground ball to SS. She goes for the lead runner at 3B, but the slow throw was off the mark toward the LF side of the 3B bag. F5 plants her foot on that side of the bag while she stretches her glove out toward RF to get the throw. Throw beats runner, I see F5’s heel come up off bag, but it appeared to me that with the lift of her heel she still had a snug contact with the OF side of the bag with her foot from the ball of her foot to her toe. I bang her out.

You all know the sound of the uproar of a group of parents who happen to have a perfect angle on the play in question. I had that coach several times this season, and he respectfully said to me, “Blue, she clearly pulled her foot.” I told him that I have no reason to disbelieve them all because they had the perfect 90 degree angle. I then asked, “You know who else would have had that same perfect angle view of the play? The base umpire that your league doesn’t hire for playoffs. It would have cost each team an extra $25 to get that play right. You ought to change that for next season.” One of the long time commissioners of that league was there at the game (I’ve know her for many years). They got together with her after the game, and I believe they’ll be voting to add that to the league rules. Nobody wants to spend money until it affects them negatively. So, they have to learn the hard way.

 

[289nate]

I was a high school drafted baseball player who had reconstructive shoulder surgery before anything got off the ground. Buddy hooked me up with an umpiring gig at West Hills little league here in SoCal. Thought I knew the sport front to back and it would be a cake walk. NOPE!!!

Felt like a fool on the field for the first time since T ball. With help I figured it out somewhat. Lol. Key things taught to me were when in doubt call them out (bases), make your calls with authority so everyone knows you are sure, and never EVER make an early call. Let the play happen.

 

[cnardone]

My dd's team had two great umps this weekend. You could tell they were trying to do a great job. It was HOT. They hustled, they communicated, tried to get to the correct spot, and were in it for more than just a pay check. I jogged over to thank them for a great game. One of them was so appreciative, I thought he was going to hug me. He said something along the lines of "I can't remember the last time I got a compliment."

 

[The Man In Blue]

I was a high school drafted baseball player who had reconstructive shoulder surgery before anything got off the ground. Buddy hooked me up with an umpiring gig at West Hills little league here in SoCal. Thought I knew the sport front to back and it would be a cake walk. NOPE!!!

Felt like a fool on the field for the first time since T ball. With help I figured it out somewhat. Lol. Key things taught to me were when in doubt call them out (bases), make your calls with authority so everyone knows you are sure, and never EVER make an early call. Let the play happen.

Welcome to the ranks Nate! When it comes to baseball and softball, I kind of eased into it over decades, learning from mistakes (and clinics and reading!) over time. (Although the story of my first "licensed" game is very amusing and embarrassing. Shoeless Joe had nothing on me.)

I did have a very similar experience when I added volleyball to my repertoire. I didn't play volleyball, but I had two daughters who did (one who played for a while in college and the other should have but got offered a small soccer scholarship that helped). I figured after several years of watching countless matches, I was OK with becoming a referee. My first game, I had no idea what sport I was watching! It could have been bowling ... or water polo ... I still don't know.

Stick with it though! It does take time (think in terms of years, not weeks) to get comfortable, especially if you aren't getting many games to start with. Work EVERYTHING you can though and treat all levels the same! There is a tendency to stick newer umpires with lower level games and this is a HORRIBLE practice. This is where bad habits are formed: these levels are most likely to have "modified rules", play that does not resemble the game, and are likely NOT to have a valuable mentor working the game.

The game is COMPELTELY different as a player, as a spectator, and as an official. Be prepared for this journey to change the way you view the game as a spectator (and player if you keep playing in some form). Not that I expect youth to, but learning to see the game as an official will make a player much better at their game.

If there is anything I can do to help you stick with it Nate (or anybody!), let me know. I am always happy to help.

 

[schwabach]

In New Jersey, and probably in other states too, there are not enough new umpires to replace retiring umpires. Part of the problem is the behavior of parents and coaches. Who wants to put up with that for the money they are paid.

 

[eddieq]

Stick with it though! It does take time (think in terms of years, not weeks) to get comfortable, especially if you aren't getting many games to start with. Work EVERYTHING you can though and treat all levels the same! There is a tendency to stick newer umpires with lower level games and this is a HORRIBLE practice. This is where bad habits are formed: these levels are most likely to have "modified rules", play that does not resemble the game, and are likely NOT to have a valuable mentor working the game.

I started "late in life" into umpiring. Similarly, my kids were done playing and I always had my head in the rulebook as a coach/dad so I decided to try my hand there behind the plate. I was fortunate to have a few mentors to help me along - both local and online. I agree on the "stuck at the lower levels" thing. You don't learn much except how to build your thighs up (10 batters a half, full count to each batter, etc., you end up doing hundreds of squats a game). Anyway, one of the best things that happened to me early in my umpiring career was a shortage for a local tournament. Assignor rang me up and said, "I know you're still new, but I need you this weekend. I'll put you with one of our best guys and he'll help you along." The umpire I was assigned with is truly one of the best I've worked with and he guided me along. We spoke between each inning, he made sure I was in the correct positions and if there was any issue on a call we discussed it prior to a final ruling.

Biggest thing getting started is mechanics, confidence and above all - hustle. Be confident in your rules knowledge, work on hustling to get the best angle and make the call. The more you work, the better you will get. Lots of good resources here and don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

[The Man In Blue]

In New Jersey, and probably in other states too, there are not enough new umpires to replace retiring umpires. Part of the problem is the behavior of parents and coaches. Who wants to put up with that for the money they are paid.

This is often pointed to as the biggest hurdle and it is a reality which needs to change.

I honestly believe we are seeing the shortage get worse because many gals and guys decided to hang it up after taking a year off from COVID. They found other things that needed their time or realized they didn't miss it that much.

I will point to another sad reality that we usually do not hear about ... the treatment of umpires by tournament directors. While money will be the way to attract umpires, treating them poorly is the way to run them off. This refers to more than just "perks" (food, shelter) ... it applies to scheduling and expectations. I have a group that I blacklisted a few weeks ago due to the way they handled (or failed to handle) our scheduling. It takes a lot for me to blacklist a group (especially in a new location where I am trying to re-establish myself).

Sadly, I have bought more used gear this past year than any other year. Happily, I have also been disseminating that gear amongst new umpires!

 

[HunterMO]

The more time I've spent in softball and coaching....the more I've gone out of my way to support and be overtly positive towards umpires. It's a hard and thankless job. And I'd suspect most do it for the love of the game as they're definitely not getting rich.

We held a 3-team round robin scrimmage after a tournament rainout. Whatever pair of coaches weren't playing had to be the umpires. Kept it relatively unbiased. Our HC had to call balls/strikes from behind the pitcher (no gear available) and afterwards commented on how hard it really was. Gave him a little better understanding and patience for when blue might get one wrong.

DD has made passing comments about wanting to be an umpire for a low level rec league that is near us. It's not even remotely competitive and is really geared for beginner players. I think it would be a good experience for her.