"Umpires defended without question"

[Comp]

After a couple of the threads this week, thought I would do a quick search through some of the threads regarding umpires. Following are just some of the threads over only the last 5 months where umpires HAVE NOT defended other umpires calls or actions.

Go get her
Was time called or not
Slide into home please
Rule: no sun glasses
What umpires consider a bunt
Batting out of order?
Illegal.....I give up
Flex/DP rule
Umpire obstruction

Again, this is only over the past 5 months and threads I came across in a brief 10 minutes search. Im sure there are more.

 

[Rocketech1]

It's only MTR that will defend umpires to the grave

 

[Eric F]

Should one ump defend another ump even if they were wrong? It seems to me that calling the rules of the game correctly is the important part. Supporting a bad call/decision is kind of against what being an ump is about, IMO.

From my own observation, Comp, you do it right.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

Another "Go Umps !!!" thread developing here

 

[cuzmail]

I think the "defending" is a personal perception that some see and some do not. Another person could look through the same threads and say that umpires were defended without question.

 

[JJsqueeze]

I love all umpires and would never disparage them. They do a great job and should be paid more. Our teams TEMECULA ECLIPSE 12U(DD #38-NAVY UNIFORMS) and EPOCH 10U in SAN MARCOS (DD#2-LIGHT BLUE UNIFORMS) usually say to me after the game that the officiating was spot on.

is there a way to get an audio transcription of a post so the umpires can get this message too?

 

[Comp]

It's only MTR that will defend umpires to the grave

Then I suggest you go look up all those threads, because more often than not it is MTR who has called out the umpires.

 

[guero_gordo]

About the only thing anyone can do without video is state how the OP's observations fit within the rules.

I think MTR and others tend to use phrases like "as you describe it" and "without having been there",and a lot of if's as an acknowledgement that you're only getting one side of the story.

 

[SoCalASABlue]

Being a team manager when not umpiring, I see things from both sides. There are certainly more than enough of my blue brethren that have not cracked the spine of the rule book in years. There are just as many coaches and managers that don't even know what the rule book looks like, much less says.

Umpiring is a service industry. You perform the required services, you get paid. If your assigner gets consistent complaints about you, then there's probably a reason you don't get the big tournaments. But make no mistake - there is a tremendous shortage of quality umpires - which is why the same umpiring associations with the known reputations for assigning crappy umpires keep showing up at your tournaments.

If you as a coach or manager don't like the quality of umpiring you're seeing, once you're done coaching or managing, become an umpire and help the sport get better. It will also help you become a better coach or manager - assuming of course YOU crack the spine on the rule book...;-)

 

[Rocketech1]

Then I suggest you go look up all those threads, because more often than not it is MTR who has called out the umpires.

I was half joking (maybe you missed my happy face on the post?).

I personally don't have an issue with most umpires, the vast majority of them do a great job and are like servers in a restaurant, if you finish your meal without noticing them or without incident, then the wait staff has done an excellent job.

I think we only tend to hear the horror stories that coaches and parents experience 1 out of 50 games that make it seem like everyone is bashing the umpires. For example, when I posted about "Was Time Called..." the field umpire at that game was an 18 YO kid who told me he works 7 days a week and umpiring is a part-time gig for him. In hindsight, he may have been the more reasonable of the two umpires that day? They did let our HC come back to coach the second game after being tossed in the first game so I guess they used some common sense and good judgement. It's about the kids right?