Umps- What would you do?

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Jun 23, 2016
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As the umpire, if I had gotten instructions that differ from yours, I’d have gotten the TD or UIC to get clarification. Sometimes, things just don’t get communicated to us in the same way they’re communicated to coaches.

Your best recourse would have been to do the same - talk with the TD or UIC afterward. Maybe the officials got an update from the tournament staff that wasn’t effectively communicated to the coaches.


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May 29, 2015
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...like who you can use for your courtesy runner (we get a different answer to that from different umpires for just about every tournament we play in).

...There's really no excuse, just laziness.

...We had a tournament this spring where we had one umpire all day. We ended up with a partial refund because it was only supposed to be for pool, everyone was supposed to get 2 in bracket. It was a mess. They said they just couldn't find enough umpires to come and do it.

Going off on some tangents, but ...

Courtesy runners are becoming my next soapbox after checking equipment. I’m on my break at a high level tournament, and the UIC was giving us incorrect instructions on the courtesy runner this morning. The rule cannot get much simpler but people insist on complicating it because they don’t read the actual rule book. In USA Softball: in pool play, you can bat your roster and use anybody as a courtesy runner. If you goof and use a girl who comes up to bat while she is on base, she is out as a runner and comes to bat. In bracket play you bat straight 9 or DP/Flex and you MUST have subs available to be courtesy runners. No subs, no courtesy.

Agreed on the no excuse. I was a horse’s @$$ and pulled the rule book out during our meeting this morning to correct the UIC. Probably shouldn’t have done that, but come on man.

One umpire becoming the norm is probably the one thing (beyond health) that could drive me out of the game. I get that it has to happen in a pinch, and I am OK with that. However, we have gone from “You do NOT work a game solo under our sanctioning” to Referee magazine publishing an article on one-man mechanics this week. Not good.
 

MTR

Jun 22, 2008
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Was never a fan of any courtesy runner rule and that dates back to HS baseball in the late 60's
 
Jun 7, 2019
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Was never a fan of any courtesy runner rule and that dates back to HS baseball in the late 60's

Me neither. Let the prima donnas run for themselves.

One umpire becoming the norm is probably the one thing (beyond health) that could drive me out of the game.

We have one man games for 12U and 14U Fall Ball 4-team round robin's. Appropriate for them, but not at all in tournaments. So many times you need your partner's better angle on a play. I did 2 one man games last weekend, but it was for the afforementioned short umps and in a pinch. One of the coaches asked me for help on a checked swing, so I took off my mask, pointed down toward first and said, "Did she go?" He just started laughing.

Move to the Phila. area. No planned one man tournaments any time soon.
 
May 29, 2015
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I haven’t seen it too much at the tournaments I have worked. But I know it’s been happening more frequently at my “home” facility on weekends I have been out of town. Last weekend it was reported that they ran over a dozen one-man games in one day (out of 48 or so games).

Granted, some of that is a complete and total breakdown in the structure and accountability. The “UIC” that weekend was a guy who just scheduled and was not on site at all. He was over 300 miles away and didn’t even know he had two umpires go down (one with a possible heart attack).

I digress ...
 
Jul 22, 2015
851
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Off subject, but in these cases (calling the game alone when 2 umps were planned) do you insist on double pay? It seems like that would be the only way to be sure TDs don't "accidentally" end up doing that more often.
 
May 29, 2015
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Ooohhhh ... touchy subject.

In my experience, it depends on the person/organization hiring you. In the case of the local group I do quite a bit of work for, they pay 1.5x. Lots of guys are not happy with that.

I have heard some schools will give you both game checks.

I’ve been stiffed (nothing extra) twice (both were volleyball, not softball/baseball). Guess which schools go to the back of my list when scheduling?
 
Feb 3, 2011
1,880
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Whatever you, the other coach, and the umpire agreed to at the plate meeting is how you're playing it. It's such an easy question to resolve, though. You've got a UIC or site director present to make the determination, because there is an event guideline and only 2 possible outcomes - stop or continue.
 
Jun 12, 2015
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The TD in the tourney I mentioned definitely did not plan to only have one per game. A few days before the tourney it was that some would have one, but only in pool (it turned out we never had 2, all day, nor did a lot of other teams). I will say that the org running the tournament had 2 even in pool from what I saw, but I guess that's not shocking.

It was a terrible tournament and a terrible day with lots of terrible calls, but we had this one umpire that was running all over the field doing everything he could to call a fair game with one set of eyes. Both teams had parents seeking him out afterwards to tell him what a great job he did. Thought I'd mention that in light of the complaining. There are still, somehow, some really good ones out there despite the 10U and 12U parents screaming at them.
 

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