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

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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.

 

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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?

 

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...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!

 

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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!

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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!

 

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Did that happen in the 10u Championship game?

 

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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".

 

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Yes, Berliner 10u umps this weekend left a bit to be desired to say the least...
Seen a few other age groups not too bad, but yeah, I guess the rookies and less talented umps dropped towards that age...
Frustrating at times, but I have to remember the players are young and learning the game, and often, at this age group, we get less experienced or quality umpires that are learning still also...

But regardless, some things we seen~~
Had:
A) Batter awarded 1st when hit WHILE swinging. (Ump asked me to show her that in the book. I did...lol. Didn't matter, she said she KNOWS somewhere else in the book it says hands aren't part of the bat (I understand that, but she was swinging). Needless to say, that warmed me up after showing her in writing and still wouldn't back off her stance. I get told to drop it, and do. End of the inning, she comes to our dugout and starts it back with me! Two way street, if I need to drop it so we can play ball, mam, you must also....

B) Time called early. End of inning, 3 minutes left. We confirm our time and write it down for a reason.
To me this is same as clocking out early. Would like to see some partial game payments made when they 'round off' game times just to get done. Nothing was running behind, simply for their own reasons to get off the field. If games are behind, or other circumstances I can understand and cooperate (and we normally do, if requested to start early we are there and ready to go...but don't shorten a game because your in a hurry to get out of there!)

C) A ball carried out of play on defense (backing up overthrow). Not one or two steps either, try 10 feet plus.
No base awarded...just a 'dead ball'...not what was explained at the plate for ground rules - lol. Blowout game, time to smile and just go on...

D) Dropped third strike with 2 outs - BASES LOADED. Didn't understand that catcher has a 'force out' at the plate (she just stepped on the plate). Eventually got the call correct, but the puzzled look was priceless!

 

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Did that happen in the 10u Championship game?

No. It was 12U on Saturday.

 

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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.

Catcher obstruction is a delayed dead ball. You can take the result of the play or the awarded base. If the base is awarded, then the play at second didn't happen becasue the ball was dead. Sounds like the proper call to me. (or was there some other sort of obstruction?)

 

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Catcher obstruction is a delayed dead ball. You can take the result of the play or the awarded base. If the base is awarded, then the play at second didn't happen becasue the ball was dead. Sounds like the proper call to me. (or was there some other sort of obstruction?)

You're forgetting one other part of the rule that might apply on this play...

If the batter-runner, and all other runners on base, safely advance at least one base, then the catcher obstruction is cancelled. If that was the case, then there would be no "result of play/awarded base" option available. It's just the result of the play.

 

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We have a runner on third, the batter walks. We have the walked batter continue to second. As the runner is continuing to second the plate ump walks out from behind the plate puts both hands up and start calling time. Our runner slows down as she here?s the plate ump call time. As the ump is calling time the defensive team throws to second and tags our girl. We thought since the ump was calling time which stops the play she just put the runner back on first and move on. Nope that didn?t happen. This is what the home plate ump said to us ?I messed up and should not have called time. I am taking back the timeout and since the runner was tagged before she got to the second base she is out.?

 

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We are playing a team as the pitcher is pitching she isleaping off the mound her back foot was 5” above the rubber. I said something the field ump, he replied she is fine she is not replanting. I say to him doesn’t she have to drag the back toe he replies she is fine she is not replanting. This goes on for 3 innings. In between the 3rd and 4th inning I walk down to home plate and say something to both field and home plate ump. They talk for a few minutes, then field ump calls the other teams coach and me to the pitching circle. He says to the other coach your pitcher is illegaland she has to drag the back toe. If shedoesn’t start doing it he is going to start calling for an illegal pitch.

 

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This weekend, we got in a bases loaded jam with no outs, to lead off the game at that. Our pitcher gets two strike outs. So two outs, bases loaded. Next batter comes up and hits a foul fly ball to right field. Our right fielder lays out (her whole body is in foul territory) and gets a glove on it, but can't make the catch. The umpire calls a fair ball and all three runs score. We go talk to the umpire after the play and he says "It doesn't matter where her body is, its where the ball is" That part is right. I say "Sir, her entire body was in foul territory. She wasn't diving back into the field." His response was "It was fair." I felt so bad for the girl. We had just talked about laying out for balls and knowing when and when not to. She knew it was a foul ball and nothing would happen if she missed it, and she'd be a hero if she caught it. Then the umpire makes a terrible call. Poor girl. Needless to say, we lost by 1.

 

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@bluff11:

Ouch.

 

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My 10u DD who plays travel and rec played a rec game yesterday. The ump was impressed with her pitching and gave compliments until she got up to bat wearing her travel batting helmet. Suddenly is demeanor changed and he called all 3 strikes on her that bounced in front the plate. I thought only rec coaches hated travel players. :lmao:

 

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One out, runner on 2nd base. Fly ball to short center field is caught for the 2nd out. Runner on second leaves the base, but gets back in time to beat the throw from center field but didn't slide back to the base and her momentum carried her past the bag and her foot came off 2nd base for just a split second and right back down on the base. No tag was made on the runner, but the shortstop had her foot on the base the whole time. The umpire shouts,"SAFE!....NO SHE PULLED HER FOOT...OUT!! There was no discussing it with this umpire, he just couldn't comprehend that it was only a force until she touched 2nd base and once her foot came off the base a tag was necessary for the out.