Makes sense. Not even a Kent state branch campus (and I don’t think they even have baseball).Umpire 16, you mentioned recruiting. A story from several years ago. I was an assistant on a small D4 school, that from year to year, was .500 or above. We had a soph that barely made varsity, but was getting very little time, as he struggled to put the ball into play and wasn't adding anything on defense. Dad came to us and informed us that he was upset because Kent State was looking his boy and he wasn't getting enough time. Sorry buddy, Kent State wasn't looking at your son, who didn't play summer ball, and wasn't hitting average D4 pitching, but you go ahead and live in your fantasy world. It was all we could do not to look at each other.
One more story. Three freshmen were starting, well-deservedly. There was a junior, nice kid, but again, was below the Mendoza line. Well, mom wasn't having any of this. During a game she came into the dugout, yelling that it was demeaning for her son to sit while three freshmen were starting. Well, mom, this isn't coach pitch. She was promptly escorted from the field. The poor kid wanted to crawl under the bench.
Thanks for the support!ump mentioned a couple things that irk me.
The first is parents that do not know the rules. I love hearing "tie goes to the runner." I had a knucklehead parent scream that one time and the ump said show me that in the rule book. The inflied fly rule is a courtesy and at the umps discretion. I never understood yelling at umpires. Most of the time the guy yelling, let alone yelling dumb $chit, never played, and never umpired.
The second is clueless parents when it comes to recruiting. They outnumber those who undrstand baseball recruitment by far. I've watched countless helicopter parents ruin their kid with over-management. I often wonder why baseball brings out so many rose colored glasses and I believe it has to do with the game being so complex and arbitrary that parents see what they want to see. It is like golf in that bad golfers remember their one good shot out of twenty.
The ultra elite travel BS has ruined everything.
Similar to this, there is a coach that says something to the batter on EVERY swing that they didn't get a hit. It could be feet, knees, hips, arms, head, hands, shoulders or eyes. Every swing and it is always a different "mistake". Then when a batter gets a hit, he sits back and smiles saying something like, "that was a great swing, he really listens." Takes credit for every hit. What makes it worse is that he gets into the kids' heads and they think there is something wrong with their swing all the time. Batting averages drop and he needs to work more with them. And their averages continue to drop. Those players would be better off if they wore earplugs to the game.Some cliche moments that I cringe about is that so many think a hitter 'did something wrong' when he didnt get a hit, or believe he did everything right when he gets a hit.
I'm talking about tweener plays where the ball might take some effort but is still fairly routine. Umpire discretion right?Thanks for the support!
can you clarify what you mean by infield fly as the umpires discretion and a courtesy?
I get it now. I’d use the word judgment as that’s what’s in many of our rules. But still appreciate the effort on your part.I'm talking about tweener plays where the ball might take some effort but is still fairly routine. Umpire discretion right?
Too many coaches feel that they need to say something between every pitch to the batter/hitter/fielders and information overload falls upon deaf ears after a bit.Similar to this, there is a coach that says something to the batter on EVERY swing that they didn't get a hit. It could be feet, knees, hips, arms, head, hands, shoulders or eyes. Every swing and it is always a different "mistake". Then when a batter gets a hit, he sits back and smiles saying something like, "that was a great swing, he really listens." Takes credit for every hit. What makes it worse is that he gets into the kids' heads and they think there is something wrong with their swing all the time. Batting averages drop and he needs to work more with them. And their averages continue to drop. Those players would be better off if they wore earplugs to the game.
Sorry for the vent but this type of coaching drives me crazy. I've seen it twice in my coaching life and it is what I despise the most...
One of my favorite books, and I recommend it to ALL parents, coaches, and commissioners involved with youth sports!I suggest every parent read The Matheny Manifesto.
No matter how many are on base or how many outs I will hear "IFF" from a parent. As others have mentioned I will hear "that's a balk" on any pickoff move. I will have figured out that every close call went the wrong way. Unless it the call went our way.I get it now. I’d use the word judgment as that’s what’s in many of our rules. But still appreciate the effort on your part.
I look at the ball of the hat first for Fair/foul (our process starts with this and it’s important for IFF). Then I look at arc. I have no official measure but I tend to know when it’s a fly ball or a line drive. I then pick up the fielder(s). Is one going to get to it and be able to make the catch under ordinary effort? Where is the ball? Remember an IFF can be caught on the outfield grass. If there are multiple fielders converging I look at legit opportunities to make a catch with ordinary effort. If all three are running to converge and no one has a clear shot it’s not ordinary. Then when the ball is on its way down I call the IFF. It involves judgment. But over time you tend to know an IFF when you see it.
100% Agree on youth ball. My first year I had this 9U team. The coach and some parents were a real trip. I hated going there. Had them at 10U and it was the same.No matter how many are on base or how many outs I will hear "IFF" from a parent. As others have mentioned I will hear "that's a balk" on any pickoff move. I will have figured out that every close call went the wrong way. Unless it the call went our way.
I have gotten pretty heated when a coach keeps calling a balk when it is clearly not a balk. Usually the same guy will refer to my batter by saying things like "this kid does not want to swing." Refer to your players and not mine. At the youth level the kids hear this garbage and it affects them and the coaches know it which is mega bush league.
Another thing that always amazed me when it came to local youth baseball is how the umps got treated. Usually a HS kid and an old man doing a game. Maybe two kids. You knew going in they were green and you might not get the best game called and after all it is YOUTH BASEBALL. There would always be parents going bonkers over every little thing. I've had to tell more than one parent to chill out. And they wonder why they cannot find umpires and officials.
Any baseball game I watch in person these days is from the OF fence with no parents near me.100% Agree on youth ball. My first year I had this 9U team. The coach and some parents were a real trip. I hated going there. Had them at 10U and it was the same.
Flash forward to when those kids were in HS and I had moved up (and, like you said, not been green anymore), Coach came up to me after a game and said how sorry he was for those youth games, and he said he felt like I did a great job on the plate that night. Maybe I did, who knows. I encouraged him to join us. He did two years later and became one of the good officials. He and I worked a post-season game last year together. Full circle - I wish more did this like him, while 99% remain like that.
I don't even sit near parents at my kids' events. I cannot stand it. We had a bunch want to fight the 16 year old basketball ref a few weeks ago at my second grader's game.
Parents, by far, are THE worst fans. They just cannot watch a game objectively and see a call against their team as a bad call, and never recognize a call they get was bad for the other team.
I recently saw parents, a mom, grandma, mock 10-12 year old kids, all girls, across the isle during a game. A dad, yelling at the same kids, "no wonder you win so many games, you hire the worst officials" and other things RE officials to the kids. As of those kids hired the refs....
It was quite embarrassing and I was about to say something as I had enough.....buuut the parents stopped mocking when they blew the lead!
Sports cannot go on without the parents but by golly....they are THE worst fans
I bet she wants any error her son made to be counted as a hit when he's on defense.Was at a travel tournament a couple of summers ago when one of the mothers approached another who was keeping Gamechanger on her phone to argue about whether her son should've been given a hit on grounder that eluded the shortstop.
"I'm sorry, but that was a hit. The coaches look at that stuff."
Uh, yeah. I'm sure 50 games into your kid's 14U travel season the coaches are relying on GC to determine whether or not he can hit.
It realied heavily on the reputation of your HS coach. I recall a legendary coach. A college coach would send a letter sight unseen if he recommended you. I recall sitting down with him talking about the future. Gave him like 5-6 places I was thinking about and he would flat out tell ya which ones he would send a recommendation about.I bet she wants any error her son made to be counted as a hit when he's on defense.
Some of these things make me wonder about my own recruitment. Not to sound old man and all but we didn't have things like GC or film highlights to the extent now. Maybe I'd have played at a different place - or more likely, not at all
I started to notice this ablut ten years ago......mom's. mom's have become the absolute worst than the dads.Was at a travel tournament a couple of summers ago when one of the mothers approached another who was keeping Gamechanger on her phone to argue about whether her son should've been given a hit on grounder that eluded the shortstop.
"I'm sorry, but that was a hit. The coaches look at that stuff."
Uh, yeah. I'm sure 50 games into your kid's 14U travel season the coaches are relying on GC to determine whether or not he can hit.