Any ASA Umps in here?

[CNY Tim]

Watched an umpire get grilled for an inning and a half last night before my game. Arc limit is 6-14' this guy is consistantly throwing 18' to 20' and the umpire has been hearing it from the hitting teams bench for the last couple of innings. I show up there and the team that's hitting are looking to me for justice.

Like I am going to go straighten the umpire out for not making the calls. Anyway I hung around the backstop area awaiting our game to start and listening to the rightful lambasting the home plate umpire is taking. Every questionable pitch these guys are looking at me and I'm not even in the game... But there saying within earshot of the umpire but to me, "C'mon ump you know that pitch was illegal" and I didn't say anything but winked back at em acknowledging that the player had made the correct call. This team was 15 run ruled in the first game and the second game was a bit closer, they were clearly struggling to hit these illegal pitches. Anyways the umpire waits till get this., the complaining teams FINAL AT BAT to start calling illegal pitches. The place went NUTS!!! I mean to wait 12 innings including the first game and not give the guys there moneys worth especially on making these arc calls a 6 yr. old could have done it....and then to start there last at bat.... No wonder they were pissed...To make a long story short this infuriated the offensive teams bench as each illegal pitch the blue was uttering the cat calling and volume were escalating across the park by the hitting team. Finally! was the last word that guy uttered before he got tossed,the umpire ejected the loudest heckler on the bench but the rest of the team was still giving blue the business until the umpire was out of sight after the final out.

Moral of the story...

This could have been clearly avoided in the first game since they play double headers, enforce the strike zone from the beginning of the game and give the teams there moneys worth on every play!

[TNFL]

Typical UMP in my opinion. The good ol' fashion ohhhh you thought that was a bad call, well here is another, and another, and another. I think it is rare to find an ump that isn't baised. Most will favor teams that have been in the league longer. And most umps hold a grudge for just the slightest bit of whining. Its sad when they can't do thier job and think their ego is more important than the game.

I would say your best bet is to not whine, and have your coach (your team represntative) talk to the ump during innings when they have a disagreement.

[CNY Tim]

Quote:

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I would say your best bet is to not whine, and have your coach (your team represntative) talk to the ump during innings when they have a disagreement.

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Absolutely!

I have to tell you this is my first full season umpiring and there is a big difference from the guys that have played ball all there life versus the guys who think they know how the game is played never picking up a bat and just want a paycheck. I have been enjoying officiating from the get go. I still play in a league that's not officiated ASA one night a week. I have a humble confidence but I am the first one to ask for help on a call if my view is obstructed because the most important thing in the game is to get the call right. I never would have thought to receive two letters of accomadation from the two leagues I umpire for being a rookie so I must be doing it right. I always take what I can learn from the few established veterans that are top-notch and incorporate those into my game. What I don't understand is the training classes we got, you pay $40 and basically they tell you what equipment you need and the rest of the time your going through the book and answering the certification exam. No field work what-so-ever.

Your not going to get rich umpiring but it's great if your getting up there in age 43 now, and still want to be involved in the game.

I have never had to toss guys yet but I'm sure the situation will present itself at some date. I did have a couple of guys jawwing at each other because of this play. Ball was smoked down the right field line and the umpire behind the plate signalled fair ball while either out of the stands or the first base coaching box someone yelled, foulball. What this did was the right fielder gave up on the ball and the outfielder before he realized it was fair started going after it while the batter runner was rounding second, needless to say the guy scored. I was where I was supposed to be on the field and the first basemen said that the first base coach for the opposing team said Foul Ball. I couldn't ascertain which were the culprit but regardless after the final out in the inning the coach for the team in the field was calling the first base coach a bush leaguer for saying something to throw off his fielder, they started jawing back and forth at each other and then there was an explicative. And that's when I called both of them together and told them if I hear another swear word from either one there both gone.. After the team batted I got both of them together and told them, that the game is bigger than both of you and me and that while your on this field you will respect the game, now shake hands and let's play. Never heard a peep out of either one after that and they finished the game.

[nofishfisherman]

Is it possible to confront this bad ump? Either personally just as a friendly reminder that he was blowing calls or by bringing it up to the league?

If a guy puts his ego above the game or is really that bad at see pitches he has no business being out there.

Sounds like you know how to handle the game out there, wish more umps where like that.

[CNY Tim]

The funny thing is the guy works down the hall from me and is secretary of the league

He does mostly fast-pitch games but he knows unlimited arc Leon, we all do. But you have to get him early and he will give you that look but he's usually o.k. as long as you establish it from the first pitch, I discussed this with him this morning and let him know that the illegal pitches he called late were no where near is high as earlier ones he let go. His response was that's why I hate coming to this league??? He said the same thing about another league I umpire in. Maybe that's why he likes doing the fast-pitch so much.

Anyhow I discussed it with him and just let him know that he wouldn't get so much crap if he enforced the arc rule.

We had the two games after there's and they went smoothly becuase Billy behind the plate was doing his job, I ran the bases but he is one of the few that get it right behind the dish. What stinks is the coach he tossed automatically is suspended for the next game when the confrontation could have been completely eliminated if the ump had stayed within the rules. What he doesn't understand is he is making it hard on the rest of us who are trying to enforce the arc rules. I will suggest to the chief that he either conforms with the rest of us or he can stay in fast-pitch.

Thanks for the props it's not a very high paying job slow-pitch pays $21.50 a game but I do it because I love the game been playing seriously for 20 years and played for the Air Force at PACAF and baseball as well. It's a great game!

[PierBridge]

Asa is 6' 12'...

[CNY Tim]

True PB but they have local rules that are in place for arc at the two leagues. They are 6'- 15' and 6' to 14'. Not very many are 6'-12' around here, and all tournaments are unlimited for the most part...

[PierBridge]

Thats crazy what would the point be of having a 15' arc limit how can you throw a strike with 15 feet of arc it would have to land on a DIME or is there a matt or something? its tough enough to judge a 12' height limit.

Is this D league Ball?

I prefer USSSA or whatever their called now...3' from realese 10' max....

[ozzie]

every state has a little different rules....in arizona the league my buddy plays in the plate is a strike and if the ball hits a mat (carpet) behind the plate it is a strike but it still has to be 6-12 for arc.....in minnesota I am not sure that if the league is ASA sanctioned that they can modify the rules...don't know for sure on that though.......It is alot easier to just have a carpet and no arch limits than to have to put up with ego maniac umpires!! I always gave (give) the umpire credit until they start making really bad mistakes, start being to good to even answer questions, or start making excuses for why they made a call and the excuse is bad...

[PierBridge]

Trying umpiring on a regular basis with a bunch of washed up never been any good ego mainiacs that think they are Pro baseball players. it will change your perspective real quick.

The mat has its place and can be fun but not in any competive situations where you have better players that want to play real softball.

[maros91]

I say quit pissing and moaning to the umpire and adjust to his calls.

[CNY Tim]

There's a 3' mat which butts up against the back of home plate. You want to hit slow-pitch??? Try unlimited arc sometime, that's the way the old schooler ballers played it up here and it seems every few years or so the arc limit in the local leagues get slowly closer to ASA 6'to 12'..

3' to 10' that's what we consider meatballs here

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Wow,

This is the first time I am reading this thread CNY and you are bringing back some great memories. I am an old Clincher dinosaur that used to pitch and ump back in the day, late 70's and early 80's. I played in college with some guys from a team called the Bobcats that used to be pretty famous in Chicago. They all had $100 bats drilled out with metal inserts! That will put the fear of god in a pitcher when you get a shot back from one of those bats, though it was 16" so you usually just got a broken finger or two (I have broken all of them and one thumb). Back in the day, we played unlimited arc and I used to ump that also, it is not as hard as people are making it sound and we would laugh if somebody pulled out some old piece of carpet. I used to love dropping one down from the clouds (after taking my huge hop to the right and dropping it down right over their front shoulder) and watch these batters screw themselves into the ground swinging and have the ball drop just over the tip of the plate...SWEET!

Thanks guys for taking me down memory lane!

[CNY Tim]

Enjoyed that Windy, well done... I would have liked to see you pitch, it's great watching those crafty veteran's.

As long as I can remember there has always been a mat. To see a hitter screw themselves in the ground on those unlimited arc swings would of had me looking for a chiropractor

[ozzie]

The unlimited arc league is alive and has been as long as I have been playing...Zimmerman, MN unlimted arc with a mat and someone from another team umping......Good times!!!! alot of beer drinking....perfect!!

[TNFL]

The pitchers aren't that great though. At least they weren't when I played. What nights do you guys play OZ, maybe I'll come check ya'll out.

[ozzie]

Tuesdays....there are alot better pitchers than there use to be.....the last few years teams that struggled didn't have pitchers that could land the ball on the mat and now they see to have decent pitchers maybe because their pitcher has a few years under their belts......

[TNFL]

Bummer, I fish on Tuesdays until Aug 21st. Who pitches for your team now? Casey M, or I think Joey Vog used to pitch for us when I played.

[ozzie]

I won't step on a field with Casey as a teamate and I think you can figure that one out.......but he does play on Weds night if you want to see disfuntional at its best (or worst) but we actually have Shawn Lockwood (snuffy) pitching for us.....I would rather be fishing at times also but I still like to get together with the guys and play ball and have a few beers, so I keep coming back.......

[genegodawa]

Windy,

now if you said you had PLAYED with the Bobcats I would be alot more in awe.

PS See my other post for next month's avatar!

[The Donk]

Unlimited arc tourney this weekend just south of Hutchinson, definitely the best tournament of the year... yea!