I may not make a lot of friends but, umpires are human and subject to good and bad days like the rest of us. Although they play a big part in a game, as a coach I could never attribute a loss or victory to them. If the girls did not adjust to the way the plate umpire was calling balls and strikes then the blame would lay squarely on my shoulders for not bringing it to their attention. If their was a blown call in the field, unless it was on the last play of the game that halted or allowed the winning score for either side, it was not the direct cause of the loss. Misplays, errors, a better opponent or an overall poor team performance were the likely causes of the loss. Have I always agreed with the umpires calls, certainly not. Have I argued my point on occasion, absolutely! Are there rotten umpires out there, sure. But, on a whole I have found that for the most part they try to give you their best and no matter how well they call the game someone will walk away dissatisfied.
