Jun 6, 2011 11:33 AM
How to lose your job - A semi funny / sad story.
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You've probably run into some guys who are under qualified to do certain games because of lack of experience. Well how about a guy that's over qualified?
This guy is new to our park but from what I can tell from our pre game discussion adn the first few innings, this guy is good. Knows the mechanics, has a great presence behind the plate and looks good doing it all.
Well this is a Rec ball game and a low level one at that. Semi lob ball comes in and the catcher totally misses it. No swing by the batter, just a missed inside pitch.
Direct hit on the Plate umpires hand (who was resting them on his knees)
"G*D D*mn it Dude" Ahhhh... And he tries to shake off the hit.
After the inning I walk up to him and say "Welcome to Rec baseball" He goes on to say that if these guys can't catch or throw they shouldn't be playing out here.
Next inning the coach of the catcher who caught heck asks him to either apologize for cussing out his player or he'll go talk to the UIC. He tells him to go ahead and gives him his name and goes on to try and blame the catcher.
Later on the UIC asks me if the coach's story is true and I verify it. "Looks like he just lost his job"
What age group?
If, as I suspect, we're talking about kids, then I hope you're not looking for sympathy for this guy?
P.S. If he's experienced and overqualified and is doing games in a Rec League like the one described, you might ask yourself whether there's a reason for that.
Yeah they were kids.
Our Park has mixed levels of play. One game might be a relativley high end travel team and then the next game might be the Rec ball kids.
I think he got what he deserved. We don't tolerate it from coaches. Umpires should be held to the same standard..
Guy drops a G-D after getting whacked and you "fire" him? You guys take yourselves WAY too seriously. WAAAAY
I didn't fire him but I imagine that was a collective "you" that you were refering to.
That being said, you think it's O.K. then? Where would you draw the line? Again, it's not tolerated from coaches so why should it be tolerated from an umpire.
It probably would have been overlooked if it had been some random shout out, but everyone who heard it knew he was talking directly to the catcher. That is where I think "they" felt he crossed the line.
Again, these are kids, not "shaving teens". I sure wouldn't appreciate it if someone talked to my kid that way.
You don't think a coach has ever dropped a G-D when one of his kids hits him with a ball? So, based solely on your description of what happened -one comment - even considering that poor little johnny got his feelings hurt a little bit, I stand by my assertion that you guys are wound waayy too tight.
If a coach treats his own players that way, so be it. So you think it's O.K then for an adult "stranger" to talk that way to a kid? Where do YOU draw the line at what's acceptable?
BTW... do you have any kids?
Beowolf wasnt born, he was hatched. TM
On the one hand you say that you don't tolerate that behavior from coaches and on the other you say that if the coach treats his players taht way, so be it. Which is it? I DO have kids, and the best thing you can do for a kid is be straight with them. "G-D it, dude" doesn't come close to crossing the line. Now if the response from the ump was something like "What the F#^k is that matter with you?? Catch the G-D ball!", that's a problem. But you being from St. Louis and all (guessing by the handle), where people are just so, well, nice, I guess you have different standards. As an aside, I'd have a couple words for the coach, asking him why he wants to use me as a backstop for a kid who can't catch. I'd ask him if he'd like to have baseballs thrown at him all night long. And I'd end it by saying that the next time I got hit, I'm calling the game from behind the pitcher when his team is in the field, and the view ain't so good from out there.
St Lou, in your post you said a "Rec League" and a semi lob pitch? Was this baseball or softball, and was it grownups or kids? If kids, how old? TM
Where I live the parents would be all over the pres and any other officer they could find complaining about it. Things may be different where you live.
I guess you skipped over what else ensued during the incident. Please go back and read it.
When in Rome . . . .
So these were kids and a "Semi Lob Pitch" and this "Overqualified Umpire" couldn't avoid being hit by it?? MMMmmm Something is rotten in Denmark. TM
Semi-lob pitch = a ball not thrown very hard with an arcing trajectory
If a coach wants to cuss at his players (not within ear shot of the "authorities") thats his perogative. But once the coach or player or umpire is at the park there are certain rules that are mandated and need to be followed.
It's rec ball and that's part of the territory (being an occasional backstop) when you take the job. You think all kids are going to be select players and be highly skilled? I doubt you think that if you have kids of your own. And with less skilled players this is going to happen. It's part of umping these type of games. It was an accident. No one did it on purpose.
Maybe where you come from that reaction directed at a player is tolerated. But not here. We are too "nice".
And by the way, when did being "nice" as you put it, become a bad thing? I think this world could use a bit more niceness. Especially when it comes to sports. I've seen way to much meaness that was directed at umpires or other teams and players by parents and coaches in the name of "sports". It doesn't need to come from umpires as well.
I can imagine that there are a lot of complaints where you live. What did I skip concerning the "incident"? The part where the coach demands that the umpire apologize to the clueless catcher? That's not happening. The kid AND coach should apologize to the umpire.
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