Thread: Umps - Blown calls that have made you laugh, cry, scratch your head, or pop a gasket!

Feel free to share any crazy blown call stories ....... figured I'd share one that left both teams laughing.

July 2010 ... Painesville Styx Tournament

Full count ...... batter swings and misses for strike 3 .... umpire calls "Ball 4" .... the batter already started walking to the dugout, umpire says "take your base" ..... our coach says "Blue, she swung and missed!" ....... he says "I did not see it, batter take your base". Both coaches look at each other shaking their heads .... a few parents on our side shouted some friendly comments.

Been there. Just this past weekend my DD grounded out to first, turned right after crossing first base to head back and grab her bat from the plate area. Bout that time the ump picks up her 300$ xeno and throws it all of fifteen feet almost hitting one of the poles on the steel dugout. When I very calmly and nicely asked him to "please not throw the bat its very
expensive he told me he didn't need my opinion on equipment... told.him its not an opinion but a.fact about the cost of the bat. Just thought he was kind of a douche about it.... am I wrong?

Originally Posted by larrybowman

...am I wrong?

No, you're not. This is just one of the many reasons why nowadays umpires are instructed to NOT handle equipment. Damage to the bat aside, suppose this guy slings the bat toward the dugout and some unsuspecting kid just happens to walk in the way...

The equipment belongs to the players, they're responsible for it, let them handle it.

As far as the douchey attitude...you can teach rules, you can teach mechanics, but you can't teach personality. Some guys just don't have a personality conductive to civil interaction. Umps with hard-*** attitudes probably contributes to more problems than do lack of rules knowledge, poor judgment or bad mechanics. And, usually, the bigger the hard-***, the more it's a front to cover up for their lack of rule knowledge, poor judgment and bad mechanics!

Bretman, you couldn't say it better...

I cant stress enough to my umps on how to handle people and situations...yet, crazy stuff happens!

Originally Posted by bretman

No, you're not. This is just one of the many reasons why nowadays umpires are instructed to NOT handle equipment. Damage to the bat aside, suppose this guy slings the bat toward the dugout and some unsuspecting kid just happens to walk in the way...

The equipment belongs to the players, they're responsible for it, let them handle it.

As far as the douchey attitude...you can teach rules, you can teach mechanics, but you can't teach personality. Some guys just don't have a personality conductive to civil interaction. Umps with hard-*** attitudes probably contributes to more problems than do lack of rules knowledge, poor judgment or bad mechanics. And, usually, the bigger the hard-***, the more it's a front to cover up for their lack of rule knowledge, poor judgment and bad mechanics!

This is why everyone listens to your comments Bretman. You tell it straight!!

BTW, I had a good one this weekend, no boxes outlined so the plate umpire said my players couldn't have either foot in front of the plate. I explained the box went 4 feet up from the rear corners of the plate and offered to take out a tape. He got angry and told me to get it out. (I shouldn't have........but I did) His response was, "there is no way the box goes that far up?"????? Oh well, I paid the price. In the top of the next inning, the waist high pitches right over the center of the plate had even the opposing coach laughing at the called balls - I learned my lessen. Great game Dewitt Harrell, nice team.

Never pays to point out an umpires ignorance.

Had one this weekend... Girl reaches first on an obstruction call, rounds first as our player throws the ball back into the circle. Runner hesitates and then heads toward second. We throw her out... coach argues, umpire changes his mind and places her back on first.... yes, she ended up scoring.

May be a good place to mention our wonderful umpire at Bat Wars who helped with a girl involved in a collision. Standing on the sidelines I saw him take control and calm her down greatly. He was so good in this situation I meant to thank him, but at the end of the game he was walking the other way and it was already 90 degrees out! I wasn't going to chase after him. Anyway - thanks for being there Blue.

Bat Wars last weekend. Runners on 1st and 2nd, batter hits what could be an infield fly (seemed like "extra-ordinary effort" was required to me). Defense does NOT execute the catch. No call is made by the umpires and all runners are safe, now bases are loaded. Plate umpire calls time, conferences with the field umpire and declares the batter out due to infield fly rule. During the discussion, plate umpire says that he doesn't have to call anything. I said, "Blue, the infield fly rule was written to protect the offense. By you not calling anything, how were we protected?" He replies, "First, that rule was NOT written to protect the offense. Second, Infield Flys are AUTOMATIC in that situation." I ask, "Who judges 'ordinary effort' if they are 'automatic'?" The response, "The UMPIRES are the judges here!" RIGHT!

Did that happen in the 10u Championship game?

Last weekend, our runners kept getting called out if they ran too close to a defensive player. We were told the rule had changed.

See thread "Interference/Obstruction".