Previous Columns:
MAY 17, 2005
There were 3 12-inning games this week. Thanks to
those umpires who put in an extra hour or so — as Dave and I finished up our
2:08 game in Plain, we leisurely made our way back to Waunakee and still saw the
finish of that game as we were walking into the park.
Two more ejections this week, for those of you who are counting. That’s a total
of four on the season, all for arguing balls and strikes. Keep up the good
work. Do not tolerate arguing of balls and strikes. Put a stop to it and if it
persists, take care of business. If a player draws a line in the dirt
indicating to all the position of the pitch, it’s automatic.
In the same note, please use good diplomacy skills and game management skills to
defuse potential situations. We don’t want to miss necessary ejections, but we
don’t want to go looking for them either.
Loud profanity should also be dealt with. Give a warning if you feel it
appropriate, but be prepared to back it up if necessary. My guideline has
always been that profanity that is audible to the stands is not acceptable.
This past weekend, one of our umpires was subjected to loud, persistent
profanity after a game is over, right in front of his wife and child. Anytime a
situation like this occurs, we need an incident report so that we can see if
there’s a pattern with any teams.
I’m sure all of you saw the back and forth emails regarding helmets. All
batters and base runners and catchers must wear helmets — the batting helmet
must have an earflap facing the pitcher. I’m not getting into a prolonged
discussion about liability. Helmet use is a HTL rule and is not an option for
individual umpires to enforce. If the player refuses even after being told he
will be ejected, eject under 9.01(d).
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Now, on 2 brighter notes:
(1) It’s only mid-May, but Dave and I are starting to think about umpire
assignments for the playoffs. We would like, as part of the request of the HTL
tied to our increased game fees, to provide training for the umpires -- to hold
a 3-man and 4-man clinic sometime in late July to help prepare umpires for
working the playoffs.
Most HTL umpires will be working the playoffs this season and many more umpires
will be involved in the later rounds and round-robin and we want umpires to have
a foundation in working in larger crews. If there are any thoughts about a
clinic date, time, location, etc., please email us at
htlumpires@charter.net with your
thoughts. The clinic will be voluntary, of course, but will be well-planned to
provide as much information in a relatively short (2-3 hours) period of time.
Newer umpires wishing to work the playoffs this season are encouraged to
attend.
(2) We’re going to be having a series of HTL Umpire get-togethers after games
this year. One is already being tentatively planned (details as the plans are
finalized) and we are talking about having a barbeque later in the season
involving umpires and their families, who tolerate us being away a good part of
Sunday afternoon.
Another thought would be HTUA day at the Mallards where we could rent out one of
the areas complete with food and drink -- their season is just about to begin on
June 1. Any other ideas on places, events, etc., again, please respond to
htlumpires@charter.net.
Three weeks in, and only one game rained out so far. Thanks for reading through
this novel. Dave will be back in this spot next week.
--Rich