Umpire Blows Call...Big Time!

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Here's a "reverse" rule question for you. Instead of answering a rule question from a coach, I thought that I would switch it around and have the umpire ask the question for the coaches to answer.

Sometimes umpires will make a call that seems so bad, a coach will definitely want to argue. But arguing might not get you anywhere and you want to do what's right for your team. Coaches, what would you do if this happened in your game?

Runner on second base. The base umpire is standing behind the shortstop. The batter swings and misses strike three. The pitch is not caught by the catcher and we have an uncaught third strike with the batter advancing toward first.

Runner from second advances toward third and catcher pumps a fake throw, then throws to first, wildly. The first baseman bobbles the ball and drops it. F3 then picks up the ball and stabs her foot at the bag, just ahead of the batter-runner.

Base umpire calls B/R out. The only problem is, it looks apparent to everybody on the field- except the umpire- that the fielder missed the bag with her foot.

You are the offensive coach and feel that the call has been blown and your runner should be safe.

What do you do now?

This one actually happened last night and the base umpire who blew the call was...me! I'll let you know what happened later. But if you're the coach, what is the best way to stand up for your team?

 

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I ask the plate umpire for help calmly of course ;D ;D I ask the base umpire to confirm his call if I do not get help from the plate umpire reminding him of his positioning relative to the call. I discuss it for a few minutes and then I move on. Hopefully it does not have an impact on the end result but I feel a continued arguement with the umpires is a waste of energy and a distraction to my team.

 

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Bretman ... great way to help some coaches including me ... I am anxious to hear what you say. I would ask for time to talk to the base ump who made the call. I would calmly ask him if it is possible from his angle that F3 did not actually touch the bag and, if so, would he consider asking the plate umpire who might have had a better angle. If he says no, its over and done with, and we have to move on.

 

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I ask for time, go to the base ump who made the call and say that was a wild play and ask him what did he see? I then inform him she missed the touch with her foot and would he ask for assistance from the plate. If he does then im fine with what ever they come up with , If he doesnt then thats his decision and I go back to my dugout. Not much more one can do.

 

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This happened last night? Ok, I would have sicced my Team Mom on you and by this time you would be in Ga. heading south at a high rate of speed on I-75 fleeing for your life. ;D

I probably would do pretty much of what 2424 said, maybe not all that calmly as he described but well in control. (not loud or boisterous) I tend not to go overboard in these type of situation since it a judgement on your part and you were in position to see the play moreso than I.

In 30+ years, I have never been able to change any umpires mind about calls of that sort.

 

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Bretman, Say it isn't so!!

 

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I would calmly try to tell the base umpire that it looked like she missed the bag and see if he would get a second opinion from the plate umpire. If he says yes, then whatever the ruling is after that is what it is. If it doesn't go my way,I walk back to the dugout and take a blood pressure pill.
I've coached for a lot of years and I've seen many calls that I thought were terrible. I always try to keep in mind that the umpires are only human and there are going to be bad calls from time to time. I also know how hard it was when I've tried to umpire games several years ago. I know several umpires in my area and I consider them all friends and sometimes I get mad at my friends for the decisions they make. I also know that if they have any doubt about the call they just made, I will usually get a make up call later in the game.
I tell my girls that we can't put the game into the hands of the umpire to win or lose. "Let's score enough runs so that one bad call doesn't lose the game for us". No Excuses!!

 

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I have never seen an ump change their call, so why approach it angrily. I would ask for time, ask the field guy what he saw, and ask if he could check to see if his counterpart behind the plate might have seen it differently.

I can imagine the last thing this ump or any other ump wants is to have some coach in his/her face saying "I told you so". Let them discuss it privately and render their decision, then live with it and go on.

 

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I would throw my beer on you, and let you know that this is "the 4th or 5th one you've blown today, Mr. Magoo", and then demand that you (and the criminal behind the plate) donate your pay to a charity like Lions Club which provides glasses and other forms of eye care for the indigent.

If this doesn't work I would politely request in fairness, that the next bogus call goes our way, while trying to "make friends" again.

Am I close? What do I win?

 

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we used to say, "ump, if you had another eye, we'd call you a cyclops"

but, since i wouldn't want to say that around the ladies, I'd ask for an appeal from the home plate ump (even knowing he was probably looking toward third, tying his shoes, or not wanting to trump another field ump)...since I'm a pessimist, I'd do one of my arms-raised-in-an-almost-touchdown mode, shake my head and go back to my business..
our parents would be more boastful i presume

 

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I would calmly ask for a conversation with the base umpire, armed with the digital camera with the picture of the blown call, and demand a recount (my attempt to institute instant replay in Travel Softball)

Really though, all coaches need to remember that the eyes, and ears, of all the young ladies on the field are on you and will learn how to handle a conflict situation. ?First, keep your batter runner at first base. ?Calmly approach the base umpire and ask him if a consultation with the plate umpire is possible. ?I believe at this point, the coach has done everything, short of making a jack*** out of himself, to try and undo a seemed unjustice to his team. ?Let the umpire make his decision and move on. ?Oh yea, if the ruling is not changed, then remove the batter/runner from 1st base. ?Play Ball!!!

Next game, tape half of a twenty dollar bill to the back of your catchers helmet with a note that the other half can be obtained after the game, depending on the result. ;D

 

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Ever since they started using those double safety bases I quit arguing calls at first base. They are much harder to get out of the ground and they don't go as far when you toss them across the field. I only argue calls at 2nd or 3rd or at home if there is a lot of loose dirt around the plate. So I guess I can't comment on the call at first, sorry.

 

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Pickledad....You win! ?Hands down the best response so far ?;D ?Although, I'd suggest throwing Gatorade instead, since throwing beer would be viewed as incredibly wasteful and you might lose your credibility while working to rekindle your friendship with the umpires. ?;D ?;D


Okay Brettman.....what happened...the suspense is killing us!!!!!!

 

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I have lost all faith in our resident umpire known as Bretman. :'(

No really like others I would approach the field umpire with respect (and Bretman all the games you have umped of mine you know that is how I would do it ?) and ask to check with the home plate umpire. I to believe he was probably watching 3rd so with no second view it is all over. All we can do ask that the field umpire by the next round.

 

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Pickledad's Got the answer!!!
But that is alcohol abuse!!

The main thing, Bretman, is stay calm. Remember we are trying to teach the girls not only about softball, but about sportsmanship!!! The coach's behavior reflects on all the team including the parents. There is nothing more embarassing as a parent than to see your DD's coaches make **** out of themselves.
Bad calles are uncontrollable. The more agruement put into it, the worse the calls get. At least that is how it always seems.

Bretman, I'm sure you felt really bad if you now know you made a bad call. One bad call should not be the game deciding factor. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone must stay composed and continue to "PLAY BALL" ;D

 

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Pickledad, I am a little surprised with you. Wasting a perfectly good beer? Jeez, drink quick and then throw the bottle or can. It's elementary man. They teach that in Coaching 101.

 

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Here's what happened on the one I blew...big time! ?

Starting out behind the shortstop, on the pump fake to third, I took a step toward third base. Bad move on my part! It was a split-second reaction that took me even farther away from the play at first. The call at first belongs to the base umpire, and my bad reaction put me about 90 feet away from the play.

After this was all over, I kicked myself in the pants and told myself to bear down and not be out of position again for the rest of the game!

What I should have done is cut into the diamond, being careful to clear the runner from second, and put myself in the "working area" between the pitcher's plate and second base. That would have given me a better view of first and the ability to pivot toward second or third if needed.

But I didn't, and my view to first base was awful. The fielder, after retreiving the ball, stabbed her foot at the bag and it looked from my bad vantage point like she touched it ahead of the runner. I called the runner out, knowing that there was the possibility the foot missed the bag.

You could tell right away that the offensive team coach was agitated, but he wasn't sure what he needed to do. He requested "time", got it, then calmly approached the plate umpire and asked if he could have the play reviewed.

Lesson #1: The coach remained calm and requested "time" before coming on the field.

One mistake coaches make is to just start screaming their objections from the dugout. This type of "arguing" will generally be ignored. If you think you have a valid complaint, wait for "time" to be granted then calmly bring your case to the umpire, where you can better communicate than screaming across the field.

The second, even bigger mistake is to run screaming from the dugout, making a beeline for the umpire. This is the worst option, as a coach running into live ball territory to argue a call is technically grounds for ejection. It puts the umpire on the defensive and you on thin ice! If you calm down quickly, you will probably stay in the game. Personally, since this call was mostly my fault, I would give the coach a little more rope but we aren't going to have a prolonged shouting match.

The plate umpire cannot reverse the base umpire's call. No umpire may reverse the call of another. This call belongs to the umpire who made it and he alone may reverse his decision.

The plate umpire directed the coach to the base umpire (me).

Lesson #2: You must go to the umpire who made the call and ask him to get help from his partner.

The coach approached me- still calm!- and asked if I would review the play with my partner, as he may have had a better view of the fielder's foot at first base. Since I knew that my view was horrible, and the fielder's foot could have possibly been inches off the base, I told the coach that I would check with the other umpire.

The plate umpire told me that he had a clear view from his angle and the foot did not touch the bag. I asked him how sure he was and he said 100%. That was good enough for me, with my bad angle.

As we stepped away from the conference, I gave a big safe signal and announced, "The fielder was off the bag".

Lesson #3: Only the umpire who made the original call can reverse the call, if he is offered compelling evidence from his partner.

But remember- he is not required to ask for help. If he did have a good view, and is certain of what he saw, he should tell the coach that and stick with his original call. The request for help might be denied and the only course of action is to accept the call and move on.

I glanced over toward the other coach, half expecting him to come running out of the dugout. But it must have been pretty obvious from his angle too, because he just nodded his head and smiled!

The amazing thing was that we had an umpire blow a call and there was no real arguing or yelling. Everybody stayed calm, the coach asked the right umpire (after some prodding from the plate umpire) the right questions and the umpires handled it exactly the way they are supposed to. The whole thing took less than a minute and the game continued on without incident.

Better yet, in the end, the RIGHT call was made!

Lesson #4 is for me: Umpires need to stay focused and make darn sure they are in position to see the play.

 

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Bretman,

Thanks for the enlightenment. Your insight is very helpful and always entertaining. The best thing about that story is that in the end, everyone cooperated properly and fairly, the correct call was ultimately made, everyone was happy, and no beer was lost. We have all been re-educated a little within our own individual issues .

 

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The key, as Bretman and many others pointed out, is to stay calm and ask the right question. I've had similar plays go for my teams and against my teams, and usually, when its handled properly by the coach, the outcome is as it should be.

But the real key for the head coach is to remain calm while taking care of business and at the same time shushing their assistant coach and the angry moms and dads!

 

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Bretman, great information you have provided here. Thanks for helping us understand that mistakes do happen and as long as everything is handled with maturity and respect on both sides then errors and misunderstandings usually can be resolved.