- Oct 24, 2010
- 308
- 28
A $200 membership fee plus a 10% assignor's fee is highway robbery. If they're giving you 16 hours of instruction, at least a portion should be on a field to work mechanics for plate and base.
Oh yes, I have to pay that too. In an umpire meeting I once asked the guy who runs the organization I work for about his $200 fee, he had no good answer. I said I don’t understand paying to work, to make him money. He tried blowing it off saying I’ll make that back in 4 games (55 a game) and plenty more games after that. And some umpires were backing him. It was kind of insinuated that this is the way it is, if you dont want to pay, you don’t get games.Not trying to doubt anyone, but the USSSA page is showing a fee of $105, which includes insurance. Or $40 if you provide your own:
Are there local fees as well?
Depends on the situation; if the umpire is in perfect position and has all the elements of the play in front of them; you might as well stay where you are. If the umpire is in position, can see the ball, the runner, the plate and the fielder, then they have all the elements to make the call.
If you think there is an element they missed - you politely come out, say something they can check on - "I believe your view of the tag was blocked, can you see if your partner had a better angle' if true is a good one. "Runner never made the bag" is also a good one. "I believe the runner touched the bag with her outside foot and you were blocked from seeing that" might be a good one. "Your angle makes it difficult for you to see a pulled foot" is a very good one. These all say that the judgment call didn't have all the information needed to make the call.
"You got it wrong"... REALLY not a good one. "The tag was high" not a good one. "She beat the tag or throw " or "She already touched the bag" not good ones. Just saying "Can you check with your partner" is also a terrible one - because I am going to ask "What would you like me to check with my partner on" because I need to hear the element I was missing so I can get any additional information they may have on that element.
You HAVE TO give the umpire a legitimate element of the play that they couldn't see and take into account - that you just saw the call differently to the umpire is not enough.
imothe two calls that I end up asking for an umpire to get help on are plays were a first baseman pulls their foot off the bag on a force play, or tag play where the fielder drops the ball on the tag but the umpire did not see that ball pop out.