Bad Umps and Good Pitchers.

[Superstar555]

Pitchers, how do you deal with terrible umps?

I'm not even talking about a blue that will squeeze you into a zone the size of a BB, I'm talking about umps that have no consistent zone all night. I know this is a whine post, but dammit, nothing frustrates me more than feeling like I have zero control of what will be a called a strike or a ball from one pitch to the next.

With umps like these, I am jealous of leagues with a plate apron...

 

[OG_\FlyingPigs]

Pitch balls that batters swing at.

 

[stang7222]

i hate it when they call where it lands and not where it crosses...

 

[hacker72]

You have to adjust to what they call, right, wrong or indifferent. After an inning or two I usually will just ask a question or two on how they call balls and strikes (not being a richard about it) and usually they will work with me. If it is that bad then I switch out with another pitcher!!!

 

[djh88stang]

Had an ump like that 2 weeks ago...first inning pitcher walked 4 batters and was telling me he was done pitching, luckily talked him out of it but he had to throw perfect pitches to get a strike called! High scoring game because he wasn't one sided he wouldn't call a strike for either team!

 

[russmcd]

Pitch balls that batters swing at.

What he said and let your team back you up with their gloves.

Been there and it is frustrating.

 

[stickin2j]

I agree. I would much rather have a tight strike-zone than an inconsistent one.

Stang, as a pitcher, I like it a little bit. Once I know they're doing this, I constantly aim for the corners just behind the plate.

 

[Pinky12]

I pitch Asa. There's a plate and mat. Can't really make a bad call either way. Either it hits or it doesn't

 

[Superstar555]

I pitch Asa. There's a plate and mat. Can't really make a bad call either way. Either it hits or it doesn't

That's what I meant by apron. I'd LOVE that, but our city only uses them in the developmental COED leagues.

 

[russmcd]

I miss the days when we had a mat....added a whole lot to the pitching bag. We've have been doing the 6-10 chest/knees zone for about 6 -7 years now for ASA.

 

[Superstar555]

Pitch balls that batters swing at.

This works fine for men, but in COED, the girls are not there to swing (usually). They stand there holding the bat like a loaf of bread and take whatever gets thrown, period.

It was funny when the girl playing first for us looked into the first-base dugout and yelled "if you bi%$#es wanna walk you should go to the mall and stop wasting my GD time!!"

It was worth the warning.

 

[russmcd]

^^^^^^^^^^nice!!! Lol

 

[Hunter4ever89]

some of our tounry's we do the plate and mat strike zone with unlimited height arc. Makes for some interesting swings by ppl. Hard to mess that up though!!

 

[baldgriff]

Had an ump at Worlds this year make this statement on a pitch I put in there that landed just behind the plate.... "It hit Black - Ball"... he called it 4 times that game... I know quit landing the ball an inch behind the plate....

 

[dttruax]

i hate it when they call where it lands and not where it crosses...

^^^This. Hate it when the umps play "invisible mat ball".... usually means they're too lazy (or ignorant) to learn the strike zone. Goes along with my other pet peeve when I hear the ump call pitches "deep".... uh, there's no such thing in the ASA rule book.

 

[Brian#29]

Played league game(ASA) last nite and other team had a player that stood in front of the plate. My pitcher threw two strike that landed about 6-8 inches behind home plate and ump calls em both balls, asked where the pitch was and he said they came over his back shoulder too deep????? Ask'd him if it was becuase of where he was standing and ump still says no??????? So a pitch that never went over 10ft and landed 6-8" behind home plate is a ball...OK. Didn't help that this was against a local B player(prob too afraid to ring him up). Also later that game batter steps accross the front of home plate before even making contact and even after i point it out same ump says i couldn't see it, but later that inning he see's a guy at first not standing on the white bag before a pitch..............Guess just a bad night and Yes we did win so it didn't matter, just frustrates you that he missed the obvious calls.

 

[dttruax]

This works fine for men, but in COED, the girls are not there to swing (usually). They stand there holding the bat like a loaf of bread and take whatever gets thrown, period.

It was funny when the girl playing first for us looked into the first-base dugout and yelled "if you bi%$#es wanna walk you should go to the mall and stop wasting my GD time!!"

It was worth the warning.

Nice. I know what you mean. Play in some co-ed leagues where some of the girls just can't hit at all so they're told to not even swing unless, maybe, there's 2 strikes. That combined with umps who don't know the strike zone makes for a frustrating game.

 

[crdawg2521]

As said before, if you have a conversation about the strike zone and what they are calling a strike it seems to improve. Otherwise there isn't a lot you can do except try to throw strikes and remember its the same for both sides.

 

[Sappho4]

This works fine for men, but in COED, the girls are not there to swing (usually). They stand there holding the bat like a loaf of bread and take whatever gets thrown, period.

It was funny when the girl playing first for us looked into the first-base dugout and yelled "if you bi%$#es wanna walk you should go to the mall and stop wasting my GD time!!"

It was worth the warning.

Awesome. Definitely worth a warning.

We played last night against a team that's known to walk a lot. Our pitcher was doing a good job throwing strikes the first 4 innings or so and making them swing or strike out (there were at least 3 strike outs LOOKING in the double header last night). After an inning where he finally walked a few people our pitcher and their pitcher (who walked on three close pitches) started getting into it. No clue what was going on until about 2 innings later I asked him while walking out on defense... His response "I called him a P-S-Y." I laughed my butt off.

 

[Sappho4]

^^^This. Hate it when the umps play "invisible mat ball".... usually means they're too lazy (or ignorant) to learn the strike zone. Goes along with my other pet peeve when I hear the ump call pitches "deep".... uh, there's no such thing in the ASA rule book.

When I first started umpiring, I refused to ever call a pitch deep when a pitcher asked me where it was. After about a year of confusion and me having to explain what I meant by "high" or "over the zone" I gave in and now I simply use the term "deep" because it's what so many pitchers expect for an explanation. So I blame pitchers for that one!

 

[richard#2]

We had one in coed this year. New guy. If you threw the same pitch twice.. one would be a strike the other a ball... he didnt ump the plate any more after that night.

 

[dttruax]

When I first started umpiring, I refused to ever call a pitch deep when a pitcher asked me where it was. After about a year of confusion and me having to explain what I meant by "high" or "over the zone" I gave in and now I simply use the term "deep" because it's what so many pitchers expect for an explanation. So I blame pitchers for that one!

Just because the pitchers are ignorant doesn't mean you have to resort to bad/incorrect umpiring mechanics.

 

[S20]

You have to take a deep breath and try to keep your focus and deal. Easier said than done, I know. But the other team has to deal with the same umpire.

 

[jbo911]

Threw a pitch last night that had the runner on second cracking up when it was called a ball. Later in the same inning threw a ball four that was so much of a strike the batter didn't go to first until the ump told him to take his base a third time. It doesn't get much worse than the guy we had last night.

 

[Superstar555]

When I first started umpiring, I refused to ever call a pitch deep when a pitcher asked me where it was. After about a year of confusion and me having to explain what I meant by "high" or "over the zone" I gave in and now I simply use the term "deep" because it's what so many pitchers expect for an explanation. So I blame pitchers for that one!

Here's one...explain to me how it is possible to throw an ASA 6'-10' arc strike-zone strike to a girl that is 5'0" tall and standing in front of the plate?

The laws of physics say it isn't! I'm just glad most females (or short men) don't realize this...

 

[jbo911]

Here's one...explain to me how it is possible to throw an ASA 6'-10' arc strike-zone strike to a girl that is 5'0" tall and standing in front of the plate?

The laws of physics say it isn't! I'm just glad most females (or short men) don't realize this...

I haven't read them recently, but most associations used to define a strike based on the batter standing even with the plate. If you chose to stand in front or behind it then it was on you as the batter.

 

[Superstar555]

Threw a pitch last night that had the runner on second cracking up when it was called a ball. Later in the same inning threw a ball four that was so much of a strike the batter didn't go to first until the ump told him to take his base a third time. It doesn't get much worse than the guy we had last night.

And then you get the chirping from your OF..."throw a strike, man!". A couple innings of that and I'm ready to run out to RF and strangle a mofo.

I actually had the opposing (girl) pitcher look me up after the game and apologize for the ump last night. That was a first. I'm now convinced that being a 6'4"/220 male pitcher is a handicap in COED. If the other team has a cute 5-foot-nothing-buck-o-five blonde girl on the rubber...I'm screwed.

 

[CAJones17]

Here's one...explain to me how it is possible to throw an ASA 6'-10' arc strike-zone strike to a girl that is 5'0" tall and standing in front of the plate?

The laws of physics say it isn't! I'm just glad most females (or short men) don't realize this...

Physics would not say this is impossible, cuz physics be smart

 

[rhound50]

This works fine for men, but in COED, the girls are not there to swing (usually). They stand there holding the bat like a loaf of bread and take whatever gets thrown, period.

It was funny when the girl playing first for us looked into the first-base dugout and yelled "if you bi%$#es wanna walk you should go to the mall and stop wasting my GD time!!"

It was worth the warning.

Throw a cookie that lands right behind the point of the plate, hard for the umpire to not call it a strike.

 

[MarlSrSoftball]

that is why I love pitching with a mat. Don't have to put up with that nonsense.

My biggest objection to umps is they call the strike zone where the batter is. In an unlimited arc game, I stand way behind the plate, I got called out on a 3rd strike that came down behind my shoulder and I was 3-4' behind the plate.