Umpiring for Dummies

[SoCal_Dad]

Let's think about this for a minute...

If 75% of the umpires know their stuff, and 25% don't (your figures), then wouldn't the correct call be made on these plays 75% of the time?

Why would parents- or anyone, for that matter- assume that the ruling made 75% of the time is the wrong one, while the ruling made 25% of the time is the right one?

If your figures and reasoning are accurate, I can draw only one conclusion: Parents are nuts!

Your figures indicate you went by Umpire's "terrible 25%" when Chinamigarden actually posted 25% were "middling to darn right poor." The percentage of right calls should be above 75%.

What you should have taken from Umpire's post was his question about the experience level of the umpires and married it with your personal knowledge of where the least experienced umpires work. The umpiring is typically poorest when the kids first start playing at the younger rec levels, so the bad calls happen at a much higher rate there. The coaches and parents are also the least experienced there, so it is a breeding ground for perpetuating and spreading misunderstandings of the rules. Over time, umpires and parents become more knowledgeable of the rules.

 

[CPEM]

I have an umpire question:

We play with 1 ASA certified umpire, I am good with that and they know what they are doing. We do this to keep our costs down. What would you think about a non-certified umpire as the field umpire? Would this be more trouble to you then it is worth?

Yes, more trouble than it is worth.

Now the ASA-certified umpire has an adult on the field to deal with to go along with everything else. This "non-certified" umpire may or may not have the appropriate training and may inject their personal opinion about how a certain play should be ruled. If s/he rules incorrectly, now the certified umpire has to either extricate his/her partner from the situation s/he created, or take his/her lumps with the offended manager. I'd rather have to deal with just my mistakes than have less-than-competent help on the bases.

 

[MT 73]

I have an umpire question:

We play with 1 ASA certified umpire, I am good with that and they know what they are doing. We do this to keep our costs down. What would you think about a non-certified umpire as the field umpire? Would this be more trouble to you then it is worth?

Some leagues give us a local kid to do the bases with us.
At times it is more trouble than it's worth but it does take the heat off the PU.
And makes the PU look like the hero when the kid blows a call and comes to the PU for help.
My opinion is that if you want two umpires, pay for two umpires.

Exactly.
I am amazed that 11-12 year old baseball ( 50 foot mound, 70 foot bases) gives us two umpires, yet I have been forced to do travel quality 14-18U softball solo?
Why???

 

[SoCal_Dad]

I am amazed that 11-12 year old baseball ( 50 foot mound, 70 foot bases) gives us two umpires, yet I have been forced to do travel quality 14-18U softball solo?

Must be a regional thing because my experience is the opposite. For baseball, we only got 2 umpires at USSSA tourneys and HS varsity games in season. The calls at 90' bases were hit/miss with only 1 umpire.

For softball, about the only time we only had 1 umpire was at our rec league. I was surprised 2 umpires is the norm for travel events - even friendlies. PGF has 3 at its national event.

 

[chinamigarden]

Let's think about this for a minute...

If 75% of the umpires know their stuff, and 25% don't (your figures), then wouldn't the correct call be made on these plays 75% of the time?

Why would parents- or anyone, for that matter- assume that the ruling made 75% of the time is the wrong one, while the ruling made 25% of the time is the right one?

If your figures and reasoning are accurate, I can draw only one conclusion: Parents are nuts!

I agree parents are nuts.

 

[Umpire]

yes, more trouble than it is worth.

Now the asa-certified umpire has an adult on the field to deal with to go along with everything else. This "non-certified" umpire may or may not have the appropriate training and may inject their personal opinion about how a certain play should be ruled. If s/he rules incorrectly, now the certified umpire has to either extricate his/her partner from the situation s/he created, or take his/her lumps with the offended manager. I'd rather have to deal with just my mistakes than have less-than-competent help on the bases.

no certified umpire should ever allow a non-certified umpire on the field to work with him/her.

 

[Umpire]

My organization services over a dozen town leagues. We permit one umpire for 12u and lower. Anything that is 14u or high requires two umpires, other than fall-ball scrimmages. We prefer to get newer umpires onto the 14u games to work with some better umpires to gain some experience and get comfortable. They will work 12u and 10u as need, but we prefer they learn proper 2-umpire mechanics before going out and working a 1-umpire game, which doesn't help them with much other than game management, the strike zone and just seeing plays themselves.

 

[Gundog]

IMO - all coaches should be required to have some rules certification. Our parents never argue rules with Umps because they know their coaches know the rules. Coaches should review rule book every week before a tournament - it does not take that much effort !! I also experience a small percentage of umpires that forget certain rules, and find the best approach is to discuss in private in between innings as to not show them up or put public pressure on them - unless it's an in-game critical call.

Now, since we are putting rules out there - the one I hardly ever see enforced by umpires is keeping one foot in box in-between pitches to keep game speed (save for the few exceptions). I know batter gets their 10 seconds, but it is a mystery to me why umps deny when I request this rule be enforced.

 

[BretMan]

Now, since we are putting rules out there - the one I hardly ever see enforced by umpires is keeping one foot in box in-between pitches to keep game speed (save for the few exceptions). I know batter gets their 10 seconds, but it is a mystery to me why umps deny when I request this rule be enforced.

I do enforce this. And when I do, kids act like they've never heard of it before. I've even had coaches argue with me about it, saying that their batter doesn't need to stay in the box.

Last weekend, during the course of two games behind the plate, I probably said, "Let's go batter. You need to keep one foot in the box", at least a dozen times. They all got back in right away, no time was wasted and the game continued on.

Even this can get confusing. After telling four or five kids to get in the box, I had a batter take a big swing and miss. Then she steps out of the box. Opposing coach starts crying that, "You warned my batters. Why aren't you warning her to get in the box?". Sigh....because, coach, the rule lists several exceptions when a batter may leave the box, and after swinging at the pitch is one of them.

The other thing you have to remember is that the penalty for leaving the box- an automatic strike- should only be enforced when the batter DELAYS the game by stepping out. They still have 10 seconds to get in the box. You shouldn't start dishing out penatly strikes until the 10 seconds is up, and then only after a warning.

 

[Scarecrow]

For the USSSA people, here is a nice little reference sheet they put out for the umpires (30 pages)

USSSA Fast Pitch Clarification & Interpretation