Friday, February 29, 2008

varsity girls softball
good money good ball
had some soft strikes that i missed
and some balls that i probably could have pulled into the strike zone.
I am getting pressure to join the high school officials organization but i do not want to as they are rife with politics and bickering

I did some JV baseball
was nice and clean on the bases but got a little screwy behind the plate.
at one point i got caught watching a baseball game instead of umpiring. thank god my partner was fast and made the call at third.
sorry dude!

Did some league softball
this was nice because i could work on my strike zone and and my field positioning.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

baseball starts next month

Baseball season starts next week.
so does Softball.
This year i am signed up for tournaments for both sports and for both leagues.
Looks like i will be doing softball two nights a week and baseball two nights and starting this weekend i will be doing tournaments every weekend.
Good because i was feeling low on hatred and anger.
Time to filler up.
Coaches! we are on the clock!


"do not argue with an idiot. people watching will not be able to tell the difference"

Monday, February 11, 2008

5 games this weekend

2 12 year old games
Plate was good no arguments and no real close calls

3 coach pitch games
a couple coaches chirping about calling time too soon.
A couple got upset when i stopped them from defensive coaching on the fence. one had the nerve to bring his cell phone with the rules to me and put it in my face. i told him that if that was not put away right now he was going to have to leave.
I stated the rules are no coaching from the fence and that is that.
Some whinnying and that was that.
Nothing else to say either i was that good or they were that relaxed.

Monday, February 4, 2008

8 games round robin

All games are 55 minutes
Game 1
plate 55 minutes 12u fast pitch
Lost the bottom half of the zone for 3 pitches. reminded me that timing was utmost in calling balls and strikes one never wants to lose a strike.

Game 2
plate 55 minutes 12u fast pitch
tipped ball down with 2 strikes
I watched ball with all clarity and full vision
ball hits dirt and into glove
i call "foul"
coach calls time
says that the ball was caught
No coach i watched that ball all the way to the dirt and into the glove
can you ask for help on that?
No coach i saw the play clearly and there was no obstruction to my view i saw dirt fly and then leather.
coach is pissed.
pitcher pitches ball 3 now full count
Pitcher pitches dribbler to short and batter oput before getting to the 2/3rd mark on the baseline
After the game my partner says he thought the ball was caught. I know what i saw and i can not for the life of me figure these things out when a partner says that there was something different.

Game 3
Bases
Timing good a couple bangers but i sell them with the timing it is amazing what timing will do for an umpire.

Game 4
Bases
same as game 3

Game 5
plate
Nothing to say
Lost 1 strike high outside. if i had waited another second i would have called that a strike

game 6
Plate lost 2 strikes at the bottom of the zone again. but i also lost 3 balls so i was ahead by 1 strike yeah me. timing timing timing gad damn it john slow the fuck down what is your hurry.
At some point i pissed off the third base coach. i do not know exactly what the deal was because it was sort of random but the coach came half way down from the third base line and yelled at me to clean the plate. I could see the corners and the front edge and the dirt was minimal.
I called time and called the coach over to me.
Coach we have a problem.
whats that?
You were just out of line
i was ?
yes?
So here is the deal i am giving you.
what?
no listen to me carefully.
ok
I will clean that plate off and you will go all the way out to the parking lot.
or we will leave the plate the way it is and you will be quiet and never yell at me or tell me to do anything for the rest of the game.
Really?
yes coach
alright you are right the plate is fine.

Game 7
bases
Partner appeared to have lost the entire zone for an entire 1/2 inning. so much so that the coaches all started to complain and my partner had a private conference with the manager and every was quite. but the zone was not fixed.
Now that is to say from where i was it looked like that but he was there and closer he knows what he saw. if he had asked my i would have told him that too.

Game 8
bases
obstruction at first base real bad. protected to second.
batter Interference at the plate partner called runner out. coach came unglued. i let coach chew fro about 30 seconds and when he started to repeat him self i stepped up and told the coach hat that was enough and to go back to his third base box. he started to bitch at me about the play. i told him that it was interference and that the runner was out. he started to complain some more i motioned for the coach to come to me. i explained that i was doing him a favor by letting him stop now and go to the box.
he asked a "doing me a favor"
Yes coach because any more conversation about this play at all will result in an ejection.
Me?
Hey i just said i was doing you a favor
so what is is going to be.

Friday, February 1, 2008

New year new Games

The season is around the corner the clinics are all done and i am gonna have my first games of the season this weekend.
Yep softball 8 games in one day.
10-14 should be fun and fast.
at the plate on the barrel head yippee.
I have been working out for the past couple months to build my speed stamina and concentration.
Looking to give it the Chevy zone. after the certification for ASA i found that my zone although text book was part of my grief. every one wants a zone looking like the Chevy logo. WTF oh well lets go