Umpire Grade Card

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Is there anywhere out there where comments can be posted on Umpires. I know they are all given their own identification number. I think it would be nice imput for them to see what coaches, players and fans think of their ability....both positive and negative.

 

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i second and third that idea..........

 

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"Is there anywhere out there where comments can be posted on Umpires?"

We get comments posted right here all the time! :

But I imagine that's not what you are looking for. You are looking to file a complaint- or even a compliment- that can be shared and acted upon.

I don't know if they all get an I.D. number, but they do for some organizations.

My advice for anyone with a comment about an umpire is to contact the particular body that oversees them. At a tournament this might be a tournament director. If it's a recreational league, contact the league officials. In high school ball all umpires are assigned through a local umpire association and you can find the contact information on the OHSAA website.

We get some real horror stories about umpires here all the time. If an umpire gets enough complaints filed against him, you would think that it would raise a red flag with whichever organization oversees him. Likewise, if he gets a lot of compliments, he will likely be assigned more games.

My own observation, from doing umpire evaluations, training and assigning for local leagues is that many complaints against umpires have no merit. Maybe 1/4 of them are the result of personality conflicts, 1/4 are sour grapes because a call didn't go the way someone wanted, 1/4 are cases where the person complaining doesn't know the rule and 1/4 might have some valid basis.

Of course, the compliments are usually 100% right on the money!

 

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Attached is link to a copy of the form I use to evaluate umpires. (It's a PDF file, so you need Adobe Reader to view it).

This will give you some idea what an "umpire grade card" should look like.

http://www.naso.org/modelevalform/images/modelevalform.pdf

 

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I'm with Bman-

Umpire evaluations are too subjective and biased. ?They are strongly tied to the "outcome" of the game. ?We win= Blue was awesome; we lose= Umpire is a blind, knucklehead.

with the simple fact that umps get "paid" (and not very much BTW) most are under the impression that that gives others the right to overscrutinize them. ?I (personally) only expect the officails to approach the game with the same intensity, passion and devotion as the players and coaches. ?If both teams play hard and Blue "plays hard," ?I ?for one am happy.

It has been my experience that almost all officails approach the game this way. ?There are very few knucleheads that don't care if they do a good job. ?I mean really, if $ per hoiur is calculated-- I believe pay would be pretty insignificant. ?AND everyone must admit it is not an "easy" job, for those looking for "easy $" 99% of the men and women officiating in the tourney world give their all, and their passion for the sport is obvious.

The Pride organization insists that the players respect and show gratitude toward the officials. ?One thing that I think all in the fastpitch world need to remember----- (but often forgets) is WITHOUT them, we cannot play.

 

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I'm guessing the Ohio Pride gets a couple fortuitous calls from the blue this weekend. lol

 

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catchfp

sometimes yes; sometimes no ;D

HOPE the Toledo umps read this ;D ;D

 

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hmmmm....... as long as umpires can leave a grade cards for coaches, fans parents, and players... both positive and negative.

 

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First off let me give you my thoughts on the subject. Most umpires make the correct calls most of the time. Somtimes we make calls that coaches do not like. Alot of coaches don't have a clue what they are even looking at when it comes to making a call they only se what they want to see. I am not picking on any one coach, just giving you and idea waht we as umpires have to deal with on a weekly basis. I don't know of many umpires that do this for the money, they do it because of the kids involved. Yet we take constant badgering from the umpires in the stands and in the dugouts who have almost got me believing they can see things better from 60 to 150' away than me. If everyone want to be an umpire come out to some classes , pay your dues and join us, because you all seem to know the rules better than us.

For all the complaints I hear on this forum it leads me to belive that there is not one good ump anywhere that we go. Well except Brettman but he must live in Alaska or I am sure you would all be telling us how bad he is if he did any games in this forums areas.

You think we do this for the money, before i make one dime umpiring I have spent over 500.00 to 1000.00 just in equipment, uniforms, shoes, hats, ball bags, socks, etc.

This is not a one time purchase I buy new shirts every year, new hats, shoes, brushes, you get the idea. I umpire ASA, NSA, Pony, NCAA and to keep up with the different rules for those associations you have to attend classes, clinics, etc. Now I know not all umpires spend or do as many games in year as I maybe do and probably don't belong to more than one of the above associations. But for the most part there are a lot of good umpires out there and most don't deserve the things that are said about them. I can't speak for the other umpires but I do this because i enjoy seeing a kid smile when she makes a good play. this sport keeps kids out of trouble and give them the chance to play ball at the college level when they get older.

If we didn't make mistakes somtimes they wouldn't even call us umpires........

they would call us Coaches and Parents because we all know they never make a mistake.

 

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For all the complaints I hear on this forum it leads me to belive that there is not one good ump anywhere that we go.

You're right - give credit where credit is due.

There is a pair of women umpires that have worked Marysville, Rebellion, Beavercreek and GAPSS that I feel are the best. I only know their first names Blair and Laura. Great umpires.

 

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Blair (the brunette) and Lori (the blonde) are two of the umpires I use in our local rec leagues in Westerville.

Never had a problem with either one of them!

 

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I have a new perspective on umpires now. Had I known what it ws like being "blue" a few years ago when I was coaching and DD playing, I would have appreciated the committment that umpires make. I started umpiring last year and now realize how different it is being on the other side of the lines. It's more difficult than I expexted. It was so easy as a coach to critisize "blue" for what I thought were bad calls and poor pitch calls. Any of you coaches or parents who think you can do better than that umpire you crtisized, then get out there and do it. First, you need to learn the rules inside and out. There's more in the book than you realize. It's just not that simple. Then you need to make split-second decisions based upon all of these rules according to the situation on the field. Please give the umps a break the next time you disagree with a call.

I'm stepping down off my soap box now. It's really lonely up there.

 

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As a fairly new umpire myself, I must admit that I have spent more $$$ ( NSA fee's, ASA fee's, training, plate brush's, counter's, shoes, hats, ASA uniform's and NSA uniforms ) ?than I have made this year and never thought twice about it until I was told that I am being "paid" to umpire a perfect game ?>. ?Well I can't speak for anyone but myself and let me tell you, I am human and error's are part of being human ?. ?And I didn't start to umpire for the money, I am here for the love of the game and the expierence for the girls involved ?. So Coaches and parents please remember the next time you meet an umpire and he or she makes a questionable call for you or against you that he or she is there for the same reason you are OUR DD's! ;D

 

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I agree 100% with kaylasdad, no one is perfect,and mistakes will be made. Such as coaches calling wrong defenses, coaches getting girls thrown out out etc. Everyone makes mistakes. Umpiring I agree is a tough job, but what bothers me is that when the umpiring becomes a power trip for the few umpires out there (notice I said the few) When a comment is made just about a pitch call or a questionable out from the coaches or the fans. Should that warrant the umpire to become so defensive that he has to stop the game to address the fans That they better be quite or they are all gone? I have seen some very good umpiring this summer, and my dd is a pitcher and I sometime question the strike zone, but like anything I tell her she has to adjust to his strike zone. But when the umpire spends so much time worrying about the fans ,coaches etc. can they truly be effective umpiring? To all those who umpire I say ty for you all are important to the game. For those who watchers that get all bent on calls made by them just remember $45.00 and you can get your licennse too. Goodluck to all teams for the rest of the season and be careful on your travel to the nationals.