What do you do if the Umpire starts asking your girl’s questions?

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Second inning, my SS picks up a ball, reaches to tag runner coming off of second, then throws across to first for the out. Umpire calls both runners out. Other coach comes out and says she missed the tag at short. Umpire goes out to 2nd, asks SS if she tagged her. She says she's not sure, but thinks she may have missed the runner. Umpire returns runner to 2nd.

There are at least two reasons why I don't like the umpire talking to my players: 1) these girls are not experts in determining who is safe and out. It's a judgment call by the umpire whether a tag was properly made or not. Would the plate umpire ask the catcher whether she thought the pitched ball hit the outside corner for a strike? Of course not. Leave the decisions of enforcing the rules and judgment calls up to the people who were hired (paid) to do the job. 2) Why put the girl in an awkward position of potentially having to determine the outcome of the game for her team by saying she either missed the tag or has to lie and says she thinks she did tag her. If I was there I would have advised her to not answer the question since it was inappropriate for the umpire to ask it in the first place.

The only time an umpire should talk to any one player directly is to "explain some local tournament rules" and ask "are you hurt, can you continue?". Don't have an issue with small talk, banter among the coaches and umpires. Lightens up the game a little. Just don't talk to my players and ask them questions that effect the outcome of the game.

 

[BretMan]

Some seem to be cool with this and if that's your opinion, then you're welcome to it.

From the perspective of what umpires are taught, relating to game management and fulfilling their own responsibilities and duties for administering a game...an umpire should NEVER seek the player's opinions on a call and NEVER base his own call on the player's input.

Maybe you could get away with this once in awhile in a recreational, lower level game where the players and coaches are less experienced- and so, probably, are the umpires. It might happen once, and we'll all get a good laugh, and maybe that will be the end of it. But there are MANY ways this can backfire and cause a lot bigger problems.

Okay, let's say you do this once and the player is honest and you change your call. Now, later in the game, the other team has a close play and their coach doesn't like the call. Wouldn't he have every right to insist that you ask his player for her opinion and demand that you change your call if she saw something else? As the umpire, are going to cave in to his demand? Wouldn't that be "fair" since you offered the other team the same opportunity? If you don't allow it this time, haven't you given one team an advantage over the other that is not intended under the rules?

Your reputation for being an "unbiased" third party is now out the window- along with your credibility that you tossed out the window yourself the first time you asked a player for their opinion on one of your calls.

Where does it all end? Are you going to ask for the player's input on every close call the rest of the game? Only do it if one coach or the other complains loud enough? If you're not going to do your job and call your plays yourself, as you see them, why even bother sticking around for the rest of the game.

Asking the player's for their input on calls puts an umpire on a slippery slope and what you might find at the bottom of that slope is an unmanagable mess! You are potentially creating a lot more problems than you might think you're solving by doing this. The simple answer is...don't do it!

 

[quincy]

I agree with what you said 100%, my response was to a previous Email, another response get ahead on mine which is why it looked like I disagreed.

(I deleted my previous response)

 

[sluggers]

an umpire should NEVER seek the player's opinions on a call and NEVER base his own call on the player's input.

Never is a very, very long time.

I do seem to recall playing a lot of softball, tennis and basketball without any umpires or referees.

Some of you may not know this, but HS tennis is officiated by the players. They don't have line judges. Somehow, someway--the games get played and the best team wins.

Maybe you could get away with this once in awhile in a recreational, lower level game where the players and coaches are less experienced- and so, probably, are the umpires.

I was specifically thinking of a game between a 16U team (finished 24th in the nation that year, I believe) against an 18U team (finished 40th in the nation--didn't have a real good outing at the ASA Gold). In fact, we had two umpires. That was the most fun I've ever had at a softball game.

As a coach, you have to let some stuff go. Umpires don't win or lose games--the players do. Coaches running on the field screaming about the officiating is stupid. (I'm a repentant sinner in that regard.)