About two weeks ago I recieved a Honigs Catalog in the mail, I watched Hot Stove news on ESPN, and my dad and I talked about getting tickets for the Tigers/Cubs series in Detroit this coming summer. All of this baseball talk got me excited about the upcoming baseball season. As far as my season is concerned, its not as full as I want it yet but it will get there.
The best part about all of this baseball talk is that reignited my fire and passion for umpiring baseball. I am not going to lie, a tournament I did in July last summer really burned me out and I almost quit officiating baseball a full moth earlier than normal. I did not even do any fall ball, and I had plenty of opportunities to work games this fall.
I love the game and I love umpiring. People think I am nuts but that is ok. Those that umpire know the feeling. We don't do it for the pay (even though that is a HUGE plus) or the fame (we DON'T want you to even realize we are there). We do it because we love to do it and it brings us great joy to be out in the sun (or whatever weather is out there) involved in a great game.
Now that I'm thinking baseball, you will probably be hearing more from me. Things are super crazy at work but there are times I can sneak away and write.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Top 10 Reasons to Umpire Baseball
I figured since the season for most amatuer umpires is on the downward slide, I would put up my 1st annual top ten reasons to umpire baseball. Here they are as follows:
10. Pay isn't the greatest, but its a paycheck.
9. Its the only time I ever get to look like a hard ass : )
8. Its a great way to meet new people.
7. It keeps you active.
6. I look good in dark blue.
5. You can do more than one game in a day.
4. You get a chance to stay in touch with kids.
3. You get to see a lot of different ball parks.
2. I love baseball. I love to be a part of it
1. Its not a democracy, I am one of two people that have absolute control of situations occuring on the diamond for two hours (more or less).
Those are my top 10. Let me know what your top reasons are. If I get some responses, I'll put them on a later post.
10. Pay isn't the greatest, but its a paycheck.
9. Its the only time I ever get to look like a hard ass : )
8. Its a great way to meet new people.
7. It keeps you active.
6. I look good in dark blue.
5. You can do more than one game in a day.
4. You get a chance to stay in touch with kids.
3. You get to see a lot of different ball parks.
2. I love baseball. I love to be a part of it
1. Its not a democracy, I am one of two people that have absolute control of situations occuring on the diamond for two hours (more or less).
Those are my top 10. Let me know what your top reasons are. If I get some responses, I'll put them on a later post.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Dark Side of Summer Baseball
There are a lot of great things about summer baseball. It is an opportunity for players to work on skills against players that are the same age level. The competition is pretty good. It is a place where potential college players can get discovered by a college. It is USUALLY a relaxed atmosphere.
However, there is a distinct, disturbing darkside to summer baseball that all umpires are (or at least should be) aware of and need to exercise caution when officiating these contests.
Now, before I talk about the negatives (for umpires) about summer baseball, let me say that I am talking about travel teams/leagues main for high school aged players. Little League and high school conference (like the NLC here in Indiana) summer leagues are exempt from most of these negatives.
1. The biggest reason to be concerned about summer baseball is the lack of accountability. These coaches and managers can basically do anything, say anything, act anyway they want with basically no consequences for those actions. Coaches that an umpire ejects will be right back coaching the very next game, quickly forgetting the reason he was removed in the first place. It is a tough situation for umpires to be in. Trust me, there is a reason I am writing this kind of post.
2. Because these teams have basically no oversight, the players attitudes are much worse during the summer. They talk back to umpires, don't hustle as much, and act more like professional ballplayers than the high school players they really are.
3. The umpire abuse is much worse at these games. Parents, players, and coaches don't have to respect the umpire because there are no consquences.
4. For umpires, the pay isn't worth the games. Most of these teams wait either until the end of the game to pay you or mail the check to you which always makes me nervous.
5. As umpires all you end up doing is getting worn down.
Work some summer games, just be careful with the amount.
However, there is a distinct, disturbing darkside to summer baseball that all umpires are (or at least should be) aware of and need to exercise caution when officiating these contests.
Now, before I talk about the negatives (for umpires) about summer baseball, let me say that I am talking about travel teams/leagues main for high school aged players. Little League and high school conference (like the NLC here in Indiana) summer leagues are exempt from most of these negatives.
1. The biggest reason to be concerned about summer baseball is the lack of accountability. These coaches and managers can basically do anything, say anything, act anyway they want with basically no consequences for those actions. Coaches that an umpire ejects will be right back coaching the very next game, quickly forgetting the reason he was removed in the first place. It is a tough situation for umpires to be in. Trust me, there is a reason I am writing this kind of post.
2. Because these teams have basically no oversight, the players attitudes are much worse during the summer. They talk back to umpires, don't hustle as much, and act more like professional ballplayers than the high school players they really are.
3. The umpire abuse is much worse at these games. Parents, players, and coaches don't have to respect the umpire because there are no consquences.
4. For umpires, the pay isn't worth the games. Most of these teams wait either until the end of the game to pay you or mail the check to you which always makes me nervous.
5. As umpires all you end up doing is getting worn down.
Work some summer games, just be careful with the amount.
Monday, June 23, 2008
How much is too much
I love baseball, don't get me wrong. I umpire every chance I can get, but a couple of weekends ago I did something that made me think about my limits. Three weekends ago I did the most games I have ever done in one day. I did 6 16U baseball games on one Saturday. I started at 8:3o am and finished at 9pm. It made for a very long day for sure.
This day got me too thinking, how many games should an umpire do before we begin to lose effectiveness, our judgement begins to wain, and we just get plain grumpy and tired? I think there are a lot of variables that go into how long umpires should go in a day. Weather (hot, cool, medium) is the biggest factor in my mind. The weekend I talked about above was hot, and muggy, which made it that much tougher.
If I can give some advice, I would advise to be careful about how many games you can do in a day. I found out the hard way that 6 was definitely too many for me. I will most likely schedule no more than 4 in a day for the rest of my career.
Hopefully all of the summer leagues you are officiating are going great!
This day got me too thinking, how many games should an umpire do before we begin to lose effectiveness, our judgement begins to wain, and we just get plain grumpy and tired? I think there are a lot of variables that go into how long umpires should go in a day. Weather (hot, cool, medium) is the biggest factor in my mind. The weekend I talked about above was hot, and muggy, which made it that much tougher.
If I can give some advice, I would advise to be careful about how many games you can do in a day. I found out the hard way that 6 was definitely too many for me. I will most likely schedule no more than 4 in a day for the rest of my career.
Hopefully all of the summer leagues you are officiating are going great!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
End of One Season...The Start of Another
For me, I basically have (and will always have) two season when I umpire baseball. My first season is the high school baseball season and the second season is the summer baseball season.
I work very hard to keep them as separate as possible. As a basic rule of thumb in my umpiring career, I do NOT work any non IHSAA sanctioned games in the months of April and May. This basically means no little league or youth leagues, no Babe Ruth tournaments, or any other tournaments besides high school tournaments. My reasoning and logic is pretty simple. I want to be as focused as possible on my primary responsiblities to the organization I am licensed through. If I do a bunch high school games and then a couple of 12U's and then back to high school, I get thrown off my game.
During the summer, I pretty much will umpire anything from 12 and under to American Legion baseball. My favorite summer ball to work is the American Legion because it is very good baseball and the atmosphere (for the most part) is very relaxed and enjoyable. I do two very good American Legion tournaments here in Indiana. I work one in Anderson every year and a wood bat tournament in Elkhart.
As far as this high school season was concerned, it was a decent season. I did not get selected you officiate in the Indiana state tournament, which was disappointing but I will have many more opportunities in the future. I only ejected one player for malicious contact (running over the catcher) but everyone else I was able to keep in the game. I ended up with 22 Varsity contests and 10 JV contests.
I had a good season and now it is time to move on to the summer season. I promise I will blog more and keep you all up to date!
I work very hard to keep them as separate as possible. As a basic rule of thumb in my umpiring career, I do NOT work any non IHSAA sanctioned games in the months of April and May. This basically means no little league or youth leagues, no Babe Ruth tournaments, or any other tournaments besides high school tournaments. My reasoning and logic is pretty simple. I want to be as focused as possible on my primary responsiblities to the organization I am licensed through. If I do a bunch high school games and then a couple of 12U's and then back to high school, I get thrown off my game.
During the summer, I pretty much will umpire anything from 12 and under to American Legion baseball. My favorite summer ball to work is the American Legion because it is very good baseball and the atmosphere (for the most part) is very relaxed and enjoyable. I do two very good American Legion tournaments here in Indiana. I work one in Anderson every year and a wood bat tournament in Elkhart.
As far as this high school season was concerned, it was a decent season. I did not get selected you officiate in the Indiana state tournament, which was disappointing but I will have many more opportunities in the future. I only ejected one player for malicious contact (running over the catcher) but everyone else I was able to keep in the game. I ended up with 22 Varsity contests and 10 JV contests.
I had a good season and now it is time to move on to the summer season. I promise I will blog more and keep you all up to date!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Dealing with rowdy coaches
First off I want to apologize for my lack of writing. It has been crazy around here and my home internet is not wanting to cooperate.
I would like to write about dealing with rowdy coaches and benches. A couple of weeks ago I had a bench that would just not leave me alone. I gave them a clear warning and they finally settled down. At the half inning, the coach came over and told me that they were giving ME a hard time because they felt my partner missed a call at third base. This made absolutely no sense to me. Does it make sense to anyone else or am I alone on this one?
Anyways, as the last point shows, no matter what happens, coaches will always find a way to complain until the cows come home to the umpires. It is our job to not let them under our skin and not stoop down to his level.
Coaches will never stop complaining, we just need to continue to find ways to keep them quiet.
I would like to write about dealing with rowdy coaches and benches. A couple of weeks ago I had a bench that would just not leave me alone. I gave them a clear warning and they finally settled down. At the half inning, the coach came over and told me that they were giving ME a hard time because they felt my partner missed a call at third base. This made absolutely no sense to me. Does it make sense to anyone else or am I alone on this one?
Anyways, as the last point shows, no matter what happens, coaches will always find a way to complain until the cows come home to the umpires. It is our job to not let them under our skin and not stoop down to his level.
Coaches will never stop complaining, we just need to continue to find ways to keep them quiet.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
When Your Partner Struggles
Last night I had a really tough game. Unfortunately the reason behind the tough game was because my partner had a bad game behind the plate. I will not mention my partner's name or even the game I worked because he was trying very hard and I refuse to through anyone under the bus.
He just struggled behind the plate with his mechanics and his confidence. The worst part about it was that I was not the only one who noticed this. Both coaches and fans on each side pick up on it and gave him grief the entire game. His tough game seemed to make my game on the bases tougher. I had 3 bang bang plays on the bases in a row and they all went against the team losing big, which did not help.
I am bringing this up today because I want to talk about and discuss what can/should an umpire do when our partner is really having a tough time. Last night I did not do a whole lot except for a couple of rule interpretations I was able to help him out on. I basically kept to myself and just stayed in my outfield position in between innings. I figured if he was going to struggle, I would try and let him work his way out of it. After the game I did try and give him some pointers on what I thought he could improve on and then we left.
What do you do when you have situations like this one? Was I acting professionally by just leaving him alone until the end of the game? How can we avoiding these type of games?
Let me know what you think!
He just struggled behind the plate with his mechanics and his confidence. The worst part about it was that I was not the only one who noticed this. Both coaches and fans on each side pick up on it and gave him grief the entire game. His tough game seemed to make my game on the bases tougher. I had 3 bang bang plays on the bases in a row and they all went against the team losing big, which did not help.
I am bringing this up today because I want to talk about and discuss what can/should an umpire do when our partner is really having a tough time. Last night I did not do a whole lot except for a couple of rule interpretations I was able to help him out on. I basically kept to myself and just stayed in my outfield position in between innings. I figured if he was going to struggle, I would try and let him work his way out of it. After the game I did try and give him some pointers on what I thought he could improve on and then we left.
What do you do when you have situations like this one? Was I acting professionally by just leaving him alone until the end of the game? How can we avoiding these type of games?
Let me know what you think!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Interesting plays in a good game
I was down at Wabash last night to officiate a varsity baseball game with Tippy Valley (Akron, IN) and Wabash. The game was actually a great experience. I worked with a state finals level official and I was able to work the plate for a pretty good game. Tippy Valley won the game 11-2. There were not many tough calls but there were a couple.
The first play was a batter that was hit by a pitch. It was a tough play because I heard it graze his shoulder but I didn't see it because I was blocked by the catcher. I was confident that it hit him because I heard a "double click" and the first "click" was not the bat. The opposing coach argued that it only hit the glove. I was pretty conifident in my ruling and I sent the batter to first base. Later on, I talked to my partner and he said I was correct in my ruling. Again, he is a state finals level official, I will take him at his word.
The other play was one I definitely missed but nobody complained or even said anything. The pitcher lost his footing while pitching the ball and the ball bounced on the ground and then hit the batter. By rule this is a hit by pitch and he should have been awarded, but I did not rule it that way. I just ruled it a ball and we played on. Nobody complained and the batter eventually was walked. It ate at me and I checked with my partner at the end of the game and it was what I suspected, it should have been a hit by pitch.
It was a great game. Both teams played hard and it was well worth the drive. Hopefully you all have had a great season so far. I have 3 more games this week. So look forward for more posts!
The first play was a batter that was hit by a pitch. It was a tough play because I heard it graze his shoulder but I didn't see it because I was blocked by the catcher. I was confident that it hit him because I heard a "double click" and the first "click" was not the bat. The opposing coach argued that it only hit the glove. I was pretty conifident in my ruling and I sent the batter to first base. Later on, I talked to my partner and he said I was correct in my ruling. Again, he is a state finals level official, I will take him at his word.
The other play was one I definitely missed but nobody complained or even said anything. The pitcher lost his footing while pitching the ball and the ball bounced on the ground and then hit the batter. By rule this is a hit by pitch and he should have been awarded, but I did not rule it that way. I just ruled it a ball and we played on. Nobody complained and the batter eventually was walked. It ate at me and I checked with my partner at the end of the game and it was what I suspected, it should have been a hit by pitch.
It was a great game. Both teams played hard and it was well worth the drive. Hopefully you all have had a great season so far. I have 3 more games this week. So look forward for more posts!
Friday, April 4, 2008
First Games of the Year!
I had my first two baseball games this past Saturday(3/29)! It was great to finally quit talking about the season and get out there and actually work a couple. I will not lie however, it was chilly and very windy which made it worse. I was at Bethany Christian (Goshen, IN) for a Varsity double header vs Fremont (Fremont, IN). It was a pretty simple outing. Fremont won both games. The first one 10-0 and the second one 6-5.
I had the plate for the first game and was very pleased with my performance. I had a good consistent stike zone and had no complaints from either side.
The second game was much closer and I was on the bases. I had quite a few close pick off attempts at first base. Other than that, the game was pretty standard.
I do have a question for all of you out there in baseball land. What do you do with the batter's boxes? Do you keep them as is? Do you brush them out? I ask you this because it was a topic at one of my association meeting and I'm just curious about what you all do. I brush out all but one line of the box, the back one.
Let me know! Hope your seasons have started as well as mine!
I had the plate for the first game and was very pleased with my performance. I had a good consistent stike zone and had no complaints from either side.
The second game was much closer and I was on the bases. I had quite a few close pick off attempts at first base. Other than that, the game was pretty standard.
I do have a question for all of you out there in baseball land. What do you do with the batter's boxes? Do you keep them as is? Do you brush them out? I ask you this because it was a topic at one of my association meeting and I'm just curious about what you all do. I brush out all but one line of the box, the back one.
Let me know! Hope your seasons have started as well as mine!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Pre-Game Conference: SET THE TONE! (Part 2)
The second part of pre game conferences I want to talk about is the coaches pre game conference.
Keep it short and sweet. Head Coaches want to be at the pre game conference just as much as we do (which is not very much). They want to get it over with and back to their teams. No need for small talk and things like that. If it is a rivalry game or a high intensity game (such as a tournament game) it might not hurt to try to lighten the mood a little bit but keep it professional.
Hit the major stuff:
Introductions
Line Up Cards
Ground Rules
Sportsmanship
Anything else is basically extra. Get the major stuff done first.
When you get the line up cards, look them over, find the DH (if used) and then declare them official. The home team head coach is responsible in most case for giving the ground rules for the day. LISTEN CAREFULLY and enforce them properly. Also make sure that the ground rules don't conflict with any rules in the book. Express to the coaches that not only is sportsmanship encouraged, it is EXPECTED. Tell both of them good luck and send them back to their dugouts.
Again, its important to get the conference finished quickly and efficiently. Don't be there any longer than you have to.
Keep it short and sweet. Head Coaches want to be at the pre game conference just as much as we do (which is not very much). They want to get it over with and back to their teams. No need for small talk and things like that. If it is a rivalry game or a high intensity game (such as a tournament game) it might not hurt to try to lighten the mood a little bit but keep it professional.
Hit the major stuff:
Introductions
Line Up Cards
Ground Rules
Sportsmanship
Anything else is basically extra. Get the major stuff done first.
When you get the line up cards, look them over, find the DH (if used) and then declare them official. The home team head coach is responsible in most case for giving the ground rules for the day. LISTEN CAREFULLY and enforce them properly. Also make sure that the ground rules don't conflict with any rules in the book. Express to the coaches that not only is sportsmanship encouraged, it is EXPECTED. Tell both of them good luck and send them back to their dugouts.
Again, its important to get the conference finished quickly and efficiently. Don't be there any longer than you have to.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Pre - Game: SET THE TONE! (Part 1)
At our last association meeting, we talked about pre game conferences (with your partner and then the coaches). It got me thinking about the importance of having a good pre game conference to make sure everything goes smoothly during the game. For this post, I will focus on the pre-game with your partner. My next post will deal with pre-game conference with coaches.
Your pre-game conference begins with your partner the moment you both get to the game site (if you travel to the game together, start while you are in the car). Before you do anything, decide who will take the plate so you both can begin to dress appropriately. The plate umpire is the umpire in chief and should be the one taking control of the pre-game. As it concerns the plate umpire, he is the one in charge of everything on the field. It is the job of the base umpire to support and help the plate umpire when he is conducting pre game conference matters.
Before you go out on the field, be sure to cover the following:
verbal and nonverbal communications
who's going to watch tagging runners
foul line coverage (standard rule of thumb: either bag and beyond is the base umpires or the plate umpire has it the whole way)
check swings
The "V" with runners on base
Try to not leave any stone unturned during the pregame conference. I even go over what happens if there is a threat of bad weather (the umpire in chief makes the call on how bad is too bad, but the base umpire needs to help the umpire in chief especially if the umpire in chief cannot see the bad weather coming). You can never be too prepared going into a game.
What other things do you do to prepare for a game during the pregame conference. I know there are many ways of doing everything.
Your pre-game conference begins with your partner the moment you both get to the game site (if you travel to the game together, start while you are in the car). Before you do anything, decide who will take the plate so you both can begin to dress appropriately. The plate umpire is the umpire in chief and should be the one taking control of the pre-game. As it concerns the plate umpire, he is the one in charge of everything on the field. It is the job of the base umpire to support and help the plate umpire when he is conducting pre game conference matters.
Before you go out on the field, be sure to cover the following:
verbal and nonverbal communications
who's going to watch tagging runners
foul line coverage (standard rule of thumb: either bag and beyond is the base umpires or the plate umpire has it the whole way)
check swings
The "V" with runners on base
Try to not leave any stone unturned during the pregame conference. I even go over what happens if there is a threat of bad weather (the umpire in chief makes the call on how bad is too bad, but the base umpire needs to help the umpire in chief especially if the umpire in chief cannot see the bad weather coming). You can never be too prepared going into a game.
What other things do you do to prepare for a game during the pregame conference. I know there are many ways of doing everything.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Preparing for the upcoming season
It is March and baseball season (at least in Indiana) is less than 1 month away! My season starts on March 25th and I have been thinking to myself (and now out loud) what do I need to do to get ready for the season? After doing a little bit of research and drawing from my past couple years of umpiring, I have come up with a few ideas that will help you get ready for the upcoming season:
1. Attending local association meetings: I feel that this is one of the most important things an amatuer umpire can do before the season starts. Attending local association meeting will do a couple of things for you as an umpire: 1) It will connect (or reconnect) you with other local umpires. 2) You will learn about the new rule changes, points of emphasis, and rules interpretations for the season. 3) You will be able to brush up on the rules and refresh your memory. 4) You will be brought up to speed on all of the things you will need to know for the upcoming season.
2. Watching games: Believe it or not, they are playing baseball in some parts of the country and most colleges have started their seasons already. One thing I have done the last couple of years is go to a college game (especially convienient when I was in college) and just watch the action unfold. I liked to watch the umpires, how they acted, their mechanics, just to get the feel of a baseball game back in my mind. It helped me but you will need to find what helps you.
3. Attend Clinics: There are (were) a lot of great clinics for amatuer umpires that were offered during the winter and some that will be offered that are really high quality camps. There are camps out there that range from sponsored by the State Association to camps and clinics hosted by MLB umpires.
4. Work a scrimmage: If you can't get a scrimmage, contact a coach and ask if you can come over and get a few good looks at some pitcher pitching the ball. This always made me feel more comfortable behind the plate when the action was for real.
Those are some of the tips I could come up with. Are their any tips that anyone may have about getting ready for the season? I would really like to read what you all do to get ready for the season!
1. Attending local association meetings: I feel that this is one of the most important things an amatuer umpire can do before the season starts. Attending local association meeting will do a couple of things for you as an umpire: 1) It will connect (or reconnect) you with other local umpires. 2) You will learn about the new rule changes, points of emphasis, and rules interpretations for the season. 3) You will be able to brush up on the rules and refresh your memory. 4) You will be brought up to speed on all of the things you will need to know for the upcoming season.
2. Watching games: Believe it or not, they are playing baseball in some parts of the country and most colleges have started their seasons already. One thing I have done the last couple of years is go to a college game (especially convienient when I was in college) and just watch the action unfold. I liked to watch the umpires, how they acted, their mechanics, just to get the feel of a baseball game back in my mind. It helped me but you will need to find what helps you.
3. Attend Clinics: There are (were) a lot of great clinics for amatuer umpires that were offered during the winter and some that will be offered that are really high quality camps. There are camps out there that range from sponsored by the State Association to camps and clinics hosted by MLB umpires.
4. Work a scrimmage: If you can't get a scrimmage, contact a coach and ask if you can come over and get a few good looks at some pitcher pitching the ball. This always made me feel more comfortable behind the plate when the action was for real.
Those are some of the tips I could come up with. Are their any tips that anyone may have about getting ready for the season? I would really like to read what you all do to get ready for the season!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Being a "professional" amatuer
"Professional" is a word that is thrown about a lot in society today, especially in sports. From a classification for high school officials, to high school and college kids wanting to "jump to the pros," before they are truly ready, or a young player making a "pro-like" move on the diamond or court. Being a "professional" basically means showing a businesslike manner in a workplace (thank you Mr. Webster).
If you think about it, as amatuer umpires, we always want to strive to be the most "professional" umpires we can be. We will never be truly professional umpires in baseball terms unless we go to umpire school and make it through the ranks in Professional ball. Even though we don't make hundreds of thousands of dollars, we drive to all our games, and our locker room is the trunk of our cars in the parking lot, we strive to be and are expected to strive to be a "professional" umpire.
Just because we don't get paid the big bucks to work the local high school or rec. league games, doesn't mean we can't (or shouldn't) act professional. Here are some things, I have found out (either by experience, or from others) that will help you gain a "professional" image:
1. Appearance: Appearance is first because it is hands down the most important thing to being a "professional" umpire. Fans, coaches, and players (and other umpires) can tell a lot about an umpire by the way he looks. Make sure your uniform is following state or association standards. It needs to be clean and pressed. Polish your shoes. I do it at least once a week (some suggest before every game) and also before big/important games. Your uniform is the most basic way to show professionalism on the diamond. A sloppy uniform indicates that you may not care enough about the game to take the time to press it (or at least clean it). A sloppy uniform also might indicate a lack of knowledge of the rules. A sloppy uniform will damage your credibility.
2. Hustle: Good "professional" amatuer umpires hustle to get into good positions to make the correct calls. You movements on the diamond should be crisp, clean, and direct. Hustling on a play increases your chances of having the best position to make a critical decision. Be careful, however, you can overhustle and hustle yourself out of position.
3. Calm, Cool, and Collected: Great "professional" amatuer umpires stay calm and under control even in the craziest of situations. The world could be falling apart around you but you need to be in complete control of your emotions, mannerisms, and tone. In a nut shell, you will many times be the only voice of reason and control in a ball game. A "professional" umpire rarely has to raise their voice or eject a player/coach/fan from a game. You have to keep collected and focused to do your job right. Don't get wrapped up in all of the emotion of the game. As soon as you do, you have officially lost control of the game, the game now has you under control. You need to stay in control in order to make the correct call at a crucial part of the game.
Hopefully these three things can help you move on your way to being not only a better, more respected umpire, but help you get noticed and maybe selected for your state/league tournament.
If you think about it, as amatuer umpires, we always want to strive to be the most "professional" umpires we can be. We will never be truly professional umpires in baseball terms unless we go to umpire school and make it through the ranks in Professional ball. Even though we don't make hundreds of thousands of dollars, we drive to all our games, and our locker room is the trunk of our cars in the parking lot, we strive to be and are expected to strive to be a "professional" umpire.
Just because we don't get paid the big bucks to work the local high school or rec. league games, doesn't mean we can't (or shouldn't) act professional. Here are some things, I have found out (either by experience, or from others) that will help you gain a "professional" image:
1. Appearance: Appearance is first because it is hands down the most important thing to being a "professional" umpire. Fans, coaches, and players (and other umpires) can tell a lot about an umpire by the way he looks. Make sure your uniform is following state or association standards. It needs to be clean and pressed. Polish your shoes. I do it at least once a week (some suggest before every game) and also before big/important games. Your uniform is the most basic way to show professionalism on the diamond. A sloppy uniform indicates that you may not care enough about the game to take the time to press it (or at least clean it). A sloppy uniform also might indicate a lack of knowledge of the rules. A sloppy uniform will damage your credibility.
2. Hustle: Good "professional" amatuer umpires hustle to get into good positions to make the correct calls. You movements on the diamond should be crisp, clean, and direct. Hustling on a play increases your chances of having the best position to make a critical decision. Be careful, however, you can overhustle and hustle yourself out of position.
3. Calm, Cool, and Collected: Great "professional" amatuer umpires stay calm and under control even in the craziest of situations. The world could be falling apart around you but you need to be in complete control of your emotions, mannerisms, and tone. In a nut shell, you will many times be the only voice of reason and control in a ball game. A "professional" umpire rarely has to raise their voice or eject a player/coach/fan from a game. You have to keep collected and focused to do your job right. Don't get wrapped up in all of the emotion of the game. As soon as you do, you have officially lost control of the game, the game now has you under control. You need to stay in control in order to make the correct call at a crucial part of the game.
Hopefully these three things can help you move on your way to being not only a better, more respected umpire, but help you get noticed and maybe selected for your state/league tournament.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Points of Emphasis for 2008
I got my 2008 rule book a couple of weeks ago and over the weekend I decided to begin checking it out and refreshing my memory since I have been officiating basketball all winter. I looked at the points of emphasis this year and I found them to be quite interesting. Here are the ones I consider big time important or significant with a short description (straight from the rule book with some commentary from me)
1. Batters Hit By a Pitch: They want us, as umpires, to watch more carefully players that are not "making a reasonable attempt" to get out of the way and avoid getting hit. The batter has to make every attempt to get out of the way of the ball. This will be an interesting and tough point of emphasis because each umpire will have a completely different interpretation. It's a good point of emphasis, just one that will require a little explaining to the coaches.
2. Obstruction: They are really talking about obstruction when it comes to first basemen and catchers denying access to a base without the ball. Also don't forget that obstruction is physical AND verbal (see A-Rod @ Twins last season).
3. Coaches Professionalism: Boy oh boy is this a good point to emphasize (again) this year. The emphasis specifically mentions the pregame conference and making sure the HEAD coach attends and, along with the umpires, sets a good, positive tone for the rest of the game and maintain control of the dugout. As we all know, there will be some coaches who will be less positive (especially toward us) as we would like and dugouts may get out of control from time to time. It will be important, as umpires, to snuff out issues and decent as quickly (and professionally) as possible, whether that be by restricting coaches (or players) to the dugout or removing a specific problem (coach or player) from the dugout.
4. Pitching Requirements: This is an interesting point and will need to be enforced for our own good. It mainly emphasizes balks and that, from the windup, the pitcher's non pivot foot cannot be in front of his pivot foot. This emphasis also points out that in the stretch, the pitcher's ENTIRE pivot foot must be in contact with the rubber. Not some of it, not a toe, all of it.
Those are the points I thought I would bring up for today. If you are reading the books and notice something else. Let me know!
1. Batters Hit By a Pitch: They want us, as umpires, to watch more carefully players that are not "making a reasonable attempt" to get out of the way and avoid getting hit. The batter has to make every attempt to get out of the way of the ball. This will be an interesting and tough point of emphasis because each umpire will have a completely different interpretation. It's a good point of emphasis, just one that will require a little explaining to the coaches.
2. Obstruction: They are really talking about obstruction when it comes to first basemen and catchers denying access to a base without the ball. Also don't forget that obstruction is physical AND verbal (see A-Rod @ Twins last season).
3. Coaches Professionalism: Boy oh boy is this a good point to emphasize (again) this year. The emphasis specifically mentions the pregame conference and making sure the HEAD coach attends and, along with the umpires, sets a good, positive tone for the rest of the game and maintain control of the dugout. As we all know, there will be some coaches who will be less positive (especially toward us) as we would like and dugouts may get out of control from time to time. It will be important, as umpires, to snuff out issues and decent as quickly (and professionally) as possible, whether that be by restricting coaches (or players) to the dugout or removing a specific problem (coach or player) from the dugout.
4. Pitching Requirements: This is an interesting point and will need to be enforced for our own good. It mainly emphasizes balks and that, from the windup, the pitcher's non pivot foot cannot be in front of his pivot foot. This emphasis also points out that in the stretch, the pitcher's ENTIRE pivot foot must be in contact with the rubber. Not some of it, not a toe, all of it.
Those are the points I thought I would bring up for today. If you are reading the books and notice something else. Let me know!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Using the Internet to Schedule Games
This morning I did something I have never done before. I scheduled a game using Arbiter.net. It is an assigning site that is used by a lot of college assignors and as of January 1, the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) went to using this website as a way for schools to contract officials for their games. Schools can either contact you via this website and offer you a specific game or you can "self assign" by picking up games that are posted on the site. I picked up a Varsity game, Merrillville at Michigan City. Its a decent drive but it is a Varsity game and I am looking to not only qualify but be selected for the state tournament this year.
My question today is does anyone use this site (or a similar assigning site) on a regular basis and how do you like it? I am used to just getting game through emails and phone calls. The jury is still out (in my opinion) on this primarily because I just haven't used it. Although my opinion is beginning to change. I think that if it is used right by athletic directors and the IHSAA, it should work pretty well here in Indiana.
My question today is does anyone use this site (or a similar assigning site) on a regular basis and how do you like it? I am used to just getting game through emails and phone calls. The jury is still out (in my opinion) on this primarily because I just haven't used it. Although my opinion is beginning to change. I think that if it is used right by athletic directors and the IHSAA, it should work pretty well here in Indiana.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
A New Year, A New Baseball Season Around the Corner
Welcome to the year 2008! It is going to be a great here for this blog and for the baseball season as a whole. Now that it is January, this means that umpire clinics, game scheduling, rules interpretation meetings, and Association Meetings are just around the corner! If you live in Northern Indiana you are having a hard time thinking of baseball right now with the 1 foot + of snow on the ground, but have now fear, the snow will eventually melt and the smell of baseball will be back in the air.
For the new year on this blog, I will begin making regular posts (they will become much more regular as the season gets closer) about baseball and umpire topics that effects amatuer umpires through the course of the season. Of course, there will be opportunities for your comments and I encourage everyone to give their opinion (as long as they are on the specific topic and are clean and not defamitory). The opinions are what will set this blog apart. This will be a great forum for all umpires.
For the new year on this blog, I will begin making regular posts (they will become much more regular as the season gets closer) about baseball and umpire topics that effects amatuer umpires through the course of the season. Of course, there will be opportunities for your comments and I encourage everyone to give their opinion (as long as they are on the specific topic and are clean and not defamitory). The opinions are what will set this blog apart. This will be a great forum for all umpires.
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