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The Umpire's Call |  |
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Greetings Fellow Umpires and Coaches! Welcome again to The Umpire's Call, a monthly (January - May) eNewsletter for amateur baseball umpires, coaches, and those interested in becoming baseball umpires. This is the final installment of for 2005 and the season has flown by. I have had many, many requests to keep writing throughout the year and I am very flattered, however due to my seasonal business, U.S. Junior Tours that is not an option. What is an option is The Umpire's Call Blog, an opportunity for TUC readers to continue to share thoughts, questions, and opinions pertaining to baseball and baseball umpiring. The Umpire's Call is a light look at all levels of baseball umpiring, youth league through college, placing emphasis on recruitment of new umpires, early preparation for the upcoming season, and education and training for all.
Our Mission:
Why Isn't Umpiring Fun Anymore? From more umpires than I can list I have heard or received the variations of, and at times, the exact question: Why isn't umpiring fun anymore? As the spring season turns into the summer season wear and tear on umpires seems to be at a peak. Postponements due to weather, school activities, graduation ceremonies, and at times, administrative errors have backed up games in many areas requiring umpires to often work several days in a row with multiple games on many of those days. Crucial conference games, conference tournaments, area regional and sectional high school tournament games mixed in with lengthy travel time, coaches under pressure, under-talented teams, and as always, ignorant fans all add to the stress and drudgery of this great avocation. The seasoned umpires continually question as to why they continue to do this and the younger umpires wonder what they have gotten themselves into! Some suggestions as to how to keep yourself fresh and looking forward the next assignment:
On-field priorities for umpires at all levels come in this order:
Here are some basic principles: Verbal communication between umpires during a play and non-verbal communication prior to a play is very appropriate. Know and discuss with your partner who is responsible for fair/foul calls on balls hit to all areas of the playing field. Know and discuss with your partner who is responsible for catch/no catch calls on balls hit to all areas of the playing field. Know and discuss with your partner who is responsible for base runners and their touching of each base. Coverage of a play is based upon what is most likely to happen next. Angle is primary, distance is secondary. Umpires are not always going to get as close as they would like on all plays, work hard to get a great angle and set for the call. Regularly glance at your partner to assure expected movement and coverage. Hustle, hustle, hustle! The harder you work, the luckier you get!
Safety is always the first priority for umpires and coaches. Umpires check helmets and bats prior to each contest, coaches assure the umpires that all players are properly equipped and free of jewelry where rules mandate. Part of the safety issue that is often overlooked is proper preparation and condition of the field. Baseball is unique in that the playing area is different at each venue: whereas depth and sizes of outfield fences, foul ball territories, backstops, bench locations etc. may be different, one constant that must be maintained is the condition of the playing surface and its markings. Foul lines, coaches' boxes, on-deck circles, batters' boxes, and running lanes are not optional; rules specify that they shall be marked. In a perfect world grooming or dragging of the field should be done prior to each contest. Holes on the pitcher's mound and in the batter's box should be filled and tamped down and dirt areas sprayed to keep the dust to a minimum. Above mentioned items are many times overlooked, especially between games of a doubleheader or on fields that will host multiple games on the same day. Reality dictates that most schools or youth programs do not have grounds crews and most times one of the home coaches or a maintenance person is responsible for lining and grooming the field. University, college and high school programs need to make a concerted effort to see that fields are properly maintained and prepared. If lines are missing or are incorrectly placed, or areas of the field need attention, umpires need to use good judgment and tact in rectifying the situation. Safety issues always need to addressed and corrected immediately. Other issues may not be game-stoppers or game-delayers, but should be brought to the attention of program administrators.
Situations will occur where tempers may flare, perceived unjust decisions rendered, parents and grand parents resort to acting like spoiled children, and tantrums erupt. Umpires must be good at delicately keeping the game under control. Although every situation is unique, umpires can only control what happens on the field unless fans become vulgar and/or violent. In the days of old umpires earned their stripes by who could yell the loudest and the number of ejections. That way of thinking has turned 180 degrees and now coaches and umpires are far more likely to remain a bit civil and even tempered.
Should a volcanic temper erupt here are a few
thoughts: Easy for me to say! (The don'ts appear to be my first ten years of work and some say I still act that way!) An umpire's job and goal is to defuse the situation, nothing gets accomplished when two people are yelling, just reflect back to the last family tiff! If there is a disagreement, be willing to listen to the plea, sort out the details, and respond with what you saw and why you ruled as you did. If it is an error in enforcing a rule and it can be corrected - correct it! If it is judgment that is in question, the manager or coach has one chance to plead his/her case and then it is over, and you walk away. If they follow, turn and tell them to stop and return to the dugout or you will take further action, if they keep on, you will most likely have to eject them. Ejecting players, coaches, and managers is not the goal. For an ejection to occur, someone had to cross the line, work hard to make sure it wasn't YOU!
Hey Blue! is a monthly eMagazine for baseball umpires. Twelve solid pages each month specifically about umpiring and how to be a better official. Email Kent Walker, writer and publisher, at kentwalker@pei.eastlink.ca for a sample copy - $15.00 for 12 issues Videoump.com offers online and video umpire training; I am especially impressed with 60 ft. and 90 ft. diamond mechanics. This would be very appropriate for youth leagues and umpire training sessions. Please enter YBUC in the source code box on the bottom of the billing/shipping page. Mile High Advanced Umpire Clinic - Denver, CO, June 23-27, is in their 18th year and offer complete training plate/field mechanics (cage work and diamond work) coupled with a live Connie Mack and Class A Legion tournament (paid games), Contact Dan Weikle, Dweik34@aol.com or phone 303-469-4868. Dave Mekelburg produces UmpNews.com a huge collection of information and articles covering all levels of baseball umpiring - a must see. Mark Wehrwein invites umpires to sign up for Fed Play of the Day sponsored by the Greater Huntsville, AL Umpire Association The Toughest Fair/Foul Quiz in the World! With acknowledgements to Richard Siegel
U.S. Junior Tours Baseball Experience, a first class educational and travel program, is designed for serious baseball players ages 13-15 and 16-18. Each season U.S. Junior Tours Baseball Experience travels to destinations that provide aspiring players the opportunity to learn, drill, and compete in a very structured setting. Our destinations include The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Australia. USJT teams are comprised of players that desire a successful high school career, wish to play at the collegiate level, and enjoy meeting other committed athletes that share passion for baseball.
2006 program destinations: Umpires and coaches - should you know of players who would benefit or have interest in our program, please call or email to refer these players - your help is greatly appreciated! Coaching opportunities to earn travel and commision available with USJT. Program for umpires to travel with USJT coming soon! Please email with your interest
Does your umpire association or local youth baseball
league experience any of the following problems? Designed for young umpires as well as veterans, Youth Baseball Umpire Clinics, a division of USJT, has just completed its 5th year of educating baseball umpires with a comprehensive "HANDS ON" format. NOT "sit and listen, take notes, watch a video" instruction - YBUC participants come dressed for activity and take an active part in learning pre-game responsibilities, consistent umpiring techniques, on field positioning, and proper game administration. Now accepting bookings for 2006 season Please email or call for more information.
This is the last issue of 2005, be sure to visit The Umpire's Call Blog to continue to read, question, and share - its easy and quite fun! Please forward The Umpire's Call to your colleagues; just use the link at the bottom. Best wishes to all on the rest of your season and please stay in touch - I'll be happy to assist in any way.
All 2004 and 2005 issues of
The Umpire's
Call
are available at U.S. Junior Tours
My best regards, Scott
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