ThinkingFold
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Not in first but .500 at the All-Star break is more than I could hope for. Now I just need to hope that Skenes isn't traded before the season is over.
![Wink ;) ;)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png)
Ten to one it's slow-pitch softball, with all the usual rules that have very little in common with actual baseball.I umpire with people in their 60's and 70's, and they still have a love for the game, and are involved with it. You don't have to play to be involved.
Baseball ….Ten to one it's slow-pitch softball, with all the usual rules that have very little in common with actual baseball.
Yeah, I used to love pitching slow-pitch myself...
Really? I heard the Orioles were desperate for players, but that doesn't sound right.Baseball ….
wow, you really are out of touch with the current state of the sport ..Really? I heard the Orioles were desperate for players, but that doesn't sound right.
Which is a growing problem in the sport in general.that is, unless you are in the "all umpires suck" camp .. which unfortunately, too many are
Krafty, I'm certain that you're an (a) great ump because (b) you must be (c) reading too many (d) rulebooks that you (e) type this way.Which is a growing problem in the sport in general.
- Parents, when the kids are at a young age, feel that it is OK to yell, scream, insult, and belittle an umpire for every close call that does not go little Johnny's way. - Now, Little Johnny thinks that if all the parents are doing this, they can do it too, and they get this attitude.
- Coaches add on, and feel that yelling and screaming is going to make it better, or try to intimidate an umpire now, or for the rest of the game.
- Most umpires are out there for the love of the game, and not the money (it's not bad, but it's not great), and these parents/coaches/kids start to steal the love away.
Now, you get the umpires that are a) new to the "profession", are either learning the ways, b) still love the game and can deal with the BS, or c) no longer have the love of the game and just want the cash ... and could care less if their calls are good/bad/HORRIBLE. As time moves on, you start to lose the (a) group quickly, and some of the (b) group. That leaves you with that (c) group, and all of the videos and stories on umpire hate.
and really all should start, and end, with the coaches. You teach the kids AND the PARENTS at every stage of the game, that there is no place for this; not at 8u, not at 13u, not in High School, not rec baseball ... nowhere. You teach them to respect the umpires and accept their calls. That isn't to say you agree with every call, and that you debate some .. but there are correct ways to do this.
This weekend, there was a bang-bang play at the plate. I see the throw come in, catcher catches, swipe tags the runner a second before he touches the plate. I call him out. The coach comes out, looks at me, and very politely asks "what did you see there blue". I explain that the catcher had possession of the ball and tagged the runner before any part of him touched the plate. I said it was close, but in my view, he was out. He thanked me, and walked away without a negative comment or any animosity. THAT is how you question a call. No yelling, no name calling, no "get your partner from 2nd base over to see if he saw if differently". Just a "what did you see", and a thank you.
More times than not, around here, you have good coaches and good parents. You get some rough ones in there occasionally, but the good outweighs the bad for me.
I'm still in the (a) group above for now. Hopefully I can start the (d) group .. umpires that still have a love for the game, and have been doing this for a while.
You teach kids and parents this, and you keep the good umpires around.
Yeah, I'm out of touch with the game, for sure. But you need work on your sense of humor, Mark. For the record, I played ball in high school, for an Army team in Germany, and in college at Rutgers. Then I played (and pitched) slow-pitch for about twenty years for IBM, then umped for years, including the annual Congressional baseball game.wow, you really are out of touch with the current state of the sport ..
Most of the umpires in our org are former coaches, and still love the game. We might not be able to PLAY at the high level, but we are contributing and are part of the sport .. at a high level.
that is, unless you are in the "all umpires suck" camp .. which unfortunately, too many are
you keep playing your badminton in the mornings my friend. ;-)
Nolan Ryan pisses on pitch counts.
Hosting a poker game in late September to unveil my new CPC set. Just sayin'.(leaving only one active park -- Seattle -- that I haven't been to)
Hosting a poker game in late September to unveil my new CPC set. Just sayin'.
I'll get I could twist @liftapint's arm to go to another Mariners game with me.![]()
You should have scrolled up a couple posts.
You should have scrolled down a few posts.You should have scrolled up a couple posts.
You should have scrolled down a few posts.
Was supposed to be a double-header. Rain delayed game 2 until 8:30. Which is too late for us. Bummer.
Analytics very nearly ruined baseball. But at least they killed that soul sucking infield shift bullshit.Watching Cubs vs. Cardinals. This ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast stinks. All the Statcast graphics are too much. Let us follow along on the app or something, but all the "his xwOBA vs left handers with a rWHIP+ of 49 or lower is 313, so his barrel speed against low sinkers will affect his spin rate less than 4% with the win blowing in" stuff is too much.
I get why people like the analytics, but it just clutters up the broadcast. And on top of that, these 3 guys are plain boring.Analytics very nearly ruined baseball. But at least they killed that soul sucking infield shift bullshit.
The ESPN broadcast has to be the worst one. Even the Apple TV broadcast is tolerable.Watching Cubs vs. Cardinals. This ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast stinks. All the Statcast graphics are too much. Let us follow along on the app or something, but all the "his xwOBA vs left handers with a rWHIP+ of 49 or lower is 313, so his barrel speed against low sinkers will affect his spin rate less than 4% with the win blowing in" stuff is too much.
I hate the start on second base bullshit. Pitch clock, ok. Not allowing shifts, yeah sure. But starting with a guy on 2nd just fundamentally changes how extra innings were addressed and played for over a hundred years. It’s moronic and pointless.I get why people like the analytics, but it just clutters up the broadcast. And on top of that, these 3 guys are plain boring.
Also, I never minded the shift. The defense should be able to position themselves wherever they want. And I like the pace with the pitch clock, but not some of the dumb situations that arise because of it. But for the love of all that is good and holy, can we please make the pitchers pitch the intentional walk, and stop it with the ghost runner in extra innings?