Worst Call Ever!

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I was left speechless and still in shock over this little gem of a call out at New Albany tournament this weekend.

We had a 1 run lead with 2 outs needing 1 more out to win. Other team had runners at 2nd and 3rd when a ball was hit by the 1st basemen but the right fielder at 10U is right there and easily throws the girl out at first to end the game.

We came onto the field to shake hands and were shocked when the umpire came and told us that he called the runner at first safe because he didnt see the play. I asked what play he was looking at then because the ball was hit down around 1st and the play went to 1st so what play could he possible be looking at. He said he was watching the play at the plate.
Which I asked why because there was no play at the plate the ball was 75 feet away. He apologized and admitted he screwed up is probably the only reason I didnt just remove my team from the field but this takes the term "bad umpire" level. It cost us a #1 seed which for our team would be a great achievement to be proud of.

We had couple very good umpires at same tournament but then ended with a complete clown that was terrible. The guy came in laughing and joking about throwing people out then proceeded to stand and I am not kidding 15-18 feet behind the plate in a slump and called balls and strikes.

He blew calls all over the field but fortunatley our team was overmatched so it didnt cost us winning or anything. Of course he started threatening to throw people out when we asked him about a call. At the end he then called both coaches on to the field like we were going to the principles office. When got out there I asked what this was all about and he pointed to his cheap watch and said time limit is coming up this will be last inning. I laughed and said you could have just said that at the plate you didnt have to be all dramatic about it and call us out to the middle of the field - lol He promptly and intentionally hosed us on balls and stikes and called our runner out when wasnt even close, marched off the field before anyone could say anything got his check and left.

I found out from other parents that this guy does softball, basketball, football and it is a circus at every one of them. Which is why he doesnt linger because he probably fears for his life with some of the wackos that take stuff too serious.

There has to be something that we can do to try and root these guys out. Is there no recourse, no way these guys can be disciplined. To me it is reaching epic levels of incompetence.

 

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did you turn him into the TD?

 

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We had almost the exact thing happen a few years ago at Aunt Rosie's (yes, you never forget), but we had two umpires who wouldn't make the call because both said they didn't see the play (basic ground ball play at first). They were watching third - where no play was being made.

Meanwhile, our girls thought it was the third out while two of theirs came in home which gave them the game.

 

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Man, that stinks...

You should have played in Gahanna this weekend.

We had all the good umpires out there!

 

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Bretman I woulddnt go that far. We playeed a hard game against a good 12 team that the plate umpire called anything over the plate a strike. I am not kidding. He said to both coaches if it is over the plate within "reach" it was a strike. Balls in the dirt were called third strikes. Over the head, this isnt a joke, or fiction, it was fact. ASK BOTH TEAMS.

 

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have to agree with the comment about the gahanna ref, I did hear this from both teams.

 

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Bretman the tool that didnt see the play at first rushed us through our game because he had to go out to gahanna so you didnt have ALL the good umpires out there.

 

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I just always have to give ThatGuy a hard time- we both play on the same men's fastpitch team together!

 

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I think the coach of the other team blew a golden teaching opportunity. It was only pool play, so why not walk out and say, "Yeah, she was out"?. Great opportunity for that coach to show not just "good" sportsmanship, but "superior" sportsmanship. It's not like it was a bang-bang play that could go either way, (at least per your description). If that coach had done that, instead of a post about a bad call, you would have wrote a post about how much respect you have for that other team.

 

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Ha Ha Ha In Niles we had an Umpire Call our Runner Out for "Leaving Early" on a Pop to SS (She scored) The Umpire said He "THOUGHT" she left early ...but Didnt actually SEE IT ! Called her out anyway. and ADMITTED it ?? What the freak ??

 

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i had an umpire that called strike 3 on me when the pitch was literally about 3 inches off the ground. and then the week after an ump said i purposly went back and kicked a catcher when all i did was get up after being tagged out at the plate. her foot was under mine when i got up

 

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All of these sound bad, last week we had 6 illegal pitch calls in the first inning. 4 on the opposing team and 2 on us. The other coach and I got to talking and we asked what the umpire was telling each other. Both of us were being told that she must keep both feet on the rubber until she releases the ball. We approached him together and in a calm way asked if he could show us that in the rule book. His statement to us both was " he was the rule book get over it". Our teams have played each other several times and they are 1 game up on us. We both ended up in the 1 & 2 seed on a coin flip, not runs allowed or scored but a coin flip. Anyways the TD was called down to the field and he said he did not agree with the umpire and they talked for 15 minutes. The umpire then approached us both and said this was his game not the TD's and we had 1 minute to assume the field or it was a tie. The other coach and I laughed shook hands and the 2 teams went and had lunch together telling the umpire he could have his game.........

 

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The other coach and I laughed shook hands and the 2 teams went and had lunch together telling the umpire he could have his game.........

Great story.

 

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Here's another good one. This happened at Pastime on Sunday. USSSA umpires.

Runners on 1st and 2nd, two outs. Grounder hit to our shortstop, she gloves the ball, and when she is about to throw the ball to 1st the runner from 2nd runs into our shortstop knocking her off balance making her unable to throw to first base for the 3rd out. The base umpire calls everyone safe.

I come out on the field and I explain to the base ump that the runner ran into my player so offensive interference should be called. He told me that the book says the runner cannot interfere with a defensive player fielding the ball, the book does not say anything about interference when the defensive player is in the act of throwing. The plate umpire agrees with him.

Now I'm hot. I said in a ramped up voice, "You're telling me a base runner can run into a defensive player who has the ball as long as they're in the baseline? Do you understand what you've just opened up? If that's the case, I'm clocking every player with the ball in the baseline! Do you really want that? If so, then it's on!" Then the ump tells me that all my SS had to do was tag the girl instead of throwing to 1st, then proceeds to say, "If that's how you want to play the game....." Then the homeplate umpire comes to me and says "I don't want to hear any more about it. Get off the field now or you're gone." I said still in a ramped up voice, "No problem. You guys corrected me concerning base running. I had no idea you could run into a fielder who has the ball. That's gonna come in real handy this game! I hope you understand the can of worms you opened up with this!"

Unbelievable! Anyway, we did not have a USSSA book, the umpire would not break out his book, and it wasn't worth playing the game under protest. Our team proceeds to let the other team score four unanswered runs in that inning after the interference do to wild pitches, bad throws, fielding errors, and maybe a hit.

For the record, our runners did not run into any of the fielders. I told the kids in the dugout that I did not want them running into the fielders, I was just trying to make a point to the umpire. Lester, if you're reading this, the umpire was Hollywood.

Hey Hollywood, you might want to brush up on Rule 4, section 23 of the USSSA rule book!

Len

 

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Hollywood? That can explain so many things!

 

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Okay try this one on.....We're home team, extra innings, international tie breaker due to time limit, not because of innings. Opps are up one. We have runners on the corners, wild pitch goes back to the screen, Girl breaks from third, slides; catcher keeps ball, jumps over/on our runner, and tags her on the back of the helmet. Due to the physics both players players basically freeze--our runners leg from knee down is PAST the plate. Umpire, standing almost directly behind the plate and facing the third base line, calls our runner out. Issues: 1. Look down and see the leg past the plate. 2. Get in position to actually see the play by moving towards the field. 3. NEVER assume a tag. We lose, drop from #2 seed in tourny into losers bracket, play four more, and come home with nothing. It is truly terrible when a blown call or a series of them hoses the kids, because they deserve the fruits of thier labor. And, after a series of bad calls, it is very difficult to get the kids to keep thier chins up. And if it truly is for the kids, then when do we as the paying consumers of softball officiating continue to take this garbage? I would gladly pay a little extra if after every game, the TD would ask the coaches for an honest eval of the officiating, and root out the bad ones. Back in the Dark Ages(i.e., when I played baseball and softball) bad umps didn't last long, because when you are getting paid to play, you won't tolerate some idiot costing you a bonus check. And, if these guys stick around they probably slide into fast-pitch because it is safer for them to screw up these littlle girls than a whole bunch of grown men with bats!

 

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Hollywood? That can explain so many things!

It explains this guy to a tee......Do you know him????:lmao::lmao:

Len

 

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Had him for a couple games at OSP this summer. Seems more interested in performing than calling the game.

 

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All of these sound bad, last week we had 6 illegal pitch calls in the first inning. 4 on the opposing team and 2 on us. The other coach and I got to talking and we asked what the umpire was telling each other. Both of us were being told that she must keep both feet on the rubber until she releases the ball. We approached him together and in a calm way asked if he could show us that in the rule book. His statement to us both was " he was the rule book get over it". Our teams have played each other several times and they are 1 game up on us. We both ended up in the 1 & 2 seed on a coin flip, not runs allowed or scored but a coin flip. Anyways the TD was called down to the field and he said he did not agree with the umpire and they talked for 15 minutes. The umpire then approached us both and said this was his game not the TD's and we had 1 minute to assume the field or it was a tie. The other coach and I laughed shook hands and the 2 teams went and had lunch together telling the umpire he could have his game.........

The TD should of informed the umpire, that he was his employer, and if he continued to makeup his own rules then he would not be paid and would be replaced for the rest of the game and the tournament.

 

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Here's another good one. This happened at Pastime on Sunday. USSSA umpires.

Runners on 1st and 2nd, two outs. Grounder hit to our shortstop, she gloves the ball, and when she is about to throw the ball to 1st the runner from 2nd runs into our shortstop knocking her off balance making her unable to throw to first base for the 3rd out. The base umpire calls everyone safe.

I come out on the field and I explain to the base ump that the runner ran into my player so offensive interference should be called. He told me that the book says the runner cannot interfere with a defensive player fielding the ball, the book does not say anything about interference when the defensive player is in the act of throwing. The plate umpire agrees with him.

Now I'm hot. I said in a ramped up voice, "You're telling me a base runner can run into a defensive player who has the ball as long as they're in the baseline? Do you understand what you've just opened up? If that's the case, I'm clocking every player with the ball in the baseline! Do you really want that? If so, then it's on!" Then the ump tells me that all my SS had to do was tag the girl instead of throwing to 1st, then proceeds to say, "If that's how you want to play the game....." Then the homeplate umpire comes to me and says "I don't want to hear any more about it. Get off the field now or you're gone." I said still in a ramped up voice, "No problem. You guys corrected me concerning base running. I had no idea you could run into a fielder who has the ball. That's gonna come in real handy this game! I hope you understand the can of worms you opened up with this!"

Unbelievable! Anyway, we did not have a USSSA book, the umpire would not break out his book, and it wasn't worth playing the game under protest. Our team proceeds to let the other team score four unanswered runs in that inning after the interference do to wild pitches, bad throws, fielding errors, and maybe a hit.

For the record, our runners did not run into any of the fielders. I told the kids in the dugout that I did not want them running into the fielders, I was just trying to make a point to the umpire. Lester, if you're reading this, the umpire was Hollywood.

Hey Hollywood, you might want to brush up on Rule 4, section 23 of the USSSA rule book!

Len

You know I'm reading.... and I told you when Hollywood is in the house you will get calls that no one can explain. He can't even repeat himself, he will actually argue with himself and then think it's cool! Been there, done that... welcome to some of my nightmares of league play at Pastime and dealing with the umpires. Not all are that bad... Hollywood is one of a kind and not the kind that your mother loves!!!