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Thats not cowardly at all. I was a catcher all through legion ball and the umps are always your enemy. Sometimes you want to tick it to them whenever you can. I have seen that done before (I have never done it myself) but you really need a good pitcher who throws the ball pretty hard with good accuracy. Obviously it should be done with no men on base. You need to hit him in the arms and shoulders, not the mask. Getting hit in the mask is pointless it doesn't hurt at all. This catcher was an idiot for dropping on his knees and ducking. You can sell it alot better than that. He should have just "missed" it with his glove.
Thats not cowardly at all. I was a catcher all through legion ball and the umps are always your enemy. Sometimes you want to tick it to them whenever you can. I have seen that done before (I have never done it myself) but you really need a good pitcher who throws the ball pretty hard with good accuracy. Obviously it should be done with no men on base. You need to hit him in the arms and shoulders, not the mask. Getting hit in the mask is pointless it doesn't hurt at all. This catcher was an idiot for dropping on his knees and ducking. You can sell it alot better than that. He should have just "missed" it with his glove.
+1 Couldn't have said it better myself. I too played ball in my youth days.
Ump needs to be aware of what's going on. If he can't duck a wild pitch, how's he going to call strikes and balls? Sometimes umps need a wakeup call. I also played catcher for a bit. No sympathy for the ump.
Thats not cowardly at all. I was a catcher all through legion ball and the umps are always your enemy. Sometimes you want to tick it to them whenever you can. I have seen that done before (I have never done it myself) but you really need a good pitcher who throws the ball pretty hard with good accuracy. Obviously it should be done with no men on base. You need to hit him in the arms and shoulders, not the mask. Getting hit in the mask is pointless it doesn't hurt at all. This catcher was an idiot for dropping on his knees and ducking. You can sell it alot better than that. He should have just "missed" it with his glove.
If you played…and were any good…you’d know that’s a dik move and should never be done. If anything, the catcher and umpire are friendly back there. The catcher wants the calls and the umpire should stay consistent with the zone. If you went through thinking the umpire was your enemy, I’m sorry for you. Just because you don’t like his zone doesn’t mean he “deserves it.” And you bet getting hit in the head hurts, just like in the throat, arms, legs, nuts, or foot. Even good protection isn’t going to fully protect everything, especially when you aren’t expecting it. As a catcher, 99% of the time you can defend yourself and move around. Not as an umpire. I’d be willing to bet you couldn’t last a season as an umpire without losing your cool if you get frustrated by not getting a few calls in a game.
Quote:
Originally Posted by XxKwestxX
+1 Couldn't have said it better myself. I too played ball in my youth days.
The fact that you agreed with him is more than pathetic. “Youth days” probably means bench on the Freshman B squad. Sucks to be judged based on someone who has no knowledge of you, huh?
Quote:
Originally Posted by g35cfan
Ump needs to be aware of what's going on. If he can't duck a wild pitch, how's he going to call strikes and balls? Sometimes umps need a wakeup call. I also played catcher for a bit. No sympathy for the ump.
Seriously? You can’t be for real, right? No one is this stupid. To call a consistent strike zone, the umpire cannot move his head or body until after the ball is caught. The umpire has to track the ball all the way in with his eyes….why would he ever expect the catcher to not make an attempt at the ball?? Any catcher with 2 eyes will get a glove—at a minimum---on that pitch. Why don’t you toss yourself behind the plate in an extremely vulnerable position and see how much of a wake up call you get. So easy to critique what you only think you know about.
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Originally Posted by Fluid1
He didn't even have to duck that much, just move his glove. That ball was going straight at the ump's face the whole time lol
Which is why both players were ejected. The umpire stayed in there the entire time to get that pitch called correctly and was helpless against what was coming. If the umpire was acting like a dik before the inning, then the players tell the coach, and the coach goes out there. The coach and ump exchange words---and move on. But something like that makes the umpire a part of the game now and messes with sportsmanship and integrity. Players can charge the mound, throw inside, slide in hard---but what can the umpire do? Nothing. No umpire deserves that, no matter how much of a jag they are. What happens if that catches him in the throat or he loses consciousness and slams his head on the ground? We don’t think about that because we are too worried about getting even and thinking it’s ok. Pretty sad, guys.
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I was reading this thread at work so I couldnt see the video. I didnt realize this was in high school, yanno when the Umps arent wearing pads. They would seriously have to surgically remove my foot from that catcher's a$$ if I were the Ump. At least at the college and pro levels, the Umps are wearing their padding (which only helps a little, but its something). This guy could have been seriously injured.
I was reading this thread at work so I couldnt see the video. I didnt realize this was in high school, yanno when the Umps arent wearing pads. They would seriously have to surgically remove my foot from that catcher's a$$ if I were the Ump. At least at the college and pro levels, the Umps are wearing their padding (which only helps a little, but its something). This guy could have been seriously injured.
Umpires are always wearing padding...and it's highly recommended that if you plan on working varsity baseball and above, you upgrade your equip to something that is reinforced for extra absorbing. Extra padding doesn't mean it's going to fully protect though. I've seen jaws, fingers, forearms broken off of foul balls in fully padded or fully exposed areas.
Back to this game....this was a championship game (I think I read that, but you see they have more than 2 umpires, which usually only happens later in the playoffs in high school). If it's far along in the playoffs, these players are pretty good players and this doesn't happen by chance. I've been on both sides of the equation---as a player and as an official, and you really don't know how tough it is to officiate until you do it. Everyone says, "Oh, I can do better than that," but when I offer up the number to my coordinator to start working games, nobody takes it. Officials are humans and make mistakes, and some are pricks, but no one deserves taking an 80 plus mph pitch straight to the body with no way of protecting him/herself. Argue, swear, yell all you want to vent about how you don't like the call---but never, ever, ever touch a player or umpire. This incident is worse than bumping an umpire during an argument because he cannot protect himself here. The fact that people think it's ok or justified to do this is just sickening to me. These guys don't make a lot of money doing these games and most umpires really care about being fair and unbiased.
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"Alcoholism is a disease, but it's the only one you can get yelled at for having. Goddamn it Otto, you are an alcoholic. Goddamn it Otto, you have Lupis... one of those two doesn't sound right."
If you played…and were any good…you’d know that’s a dik move and should never be done. If anything, the catcher and umpire are friendly back there. The catcher wants the calls and the umpire should stay consistent with the zone. If you went through thinking the umpire was your enemy, I’m sorry for you. Just because you don’t like his zone doesn’t mean he “deserves it.” And you bet getting hit in the head hurts, just like in the throat, arms, legs, nuts, or foot. Even good protection isn’t going to fully protect everything, especially when you aren’t expecting it. As a catcher, 99% of the time you can defend yourself and move around. Not as an umpire. I’d be willing to bet you couldn’t last a season as an umpire without losing your cool if you get frustrated by not getting a few calls in a game.
I can honestly say I was pretty good defensively. I can't say much about my offense. (I was the sterotypical catcher that couldn't hit but could stop a ball in the dirt and had a quick release to the bases) I really don't think that is a dick move at all. I didn't say it was because I didn't like the zone, in my experience it was beacuse more than half the umps I dealt with were pricks and were really arrogant. I don't like that $hit!!!
About getting hit in the mask. IT DOES NOT HURT AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't tell me it does. Yes getting hit in the arms hurts sometimes. Getting hit in the legs DO NOT HURT unless it hits straight in the knee cap between the pads. I only have been hit there a handful of times in the 11 years I was catching. Foot? Doesn't hurt. Throat? Very rare if you have the right equipment. And about being an umpire for a season, I wouldn't do it because I don't like them. They have too much power.
I promise that I'm only here for a discussion. I'm not singling you out, but you seem willing to discuss. The issue at hand is that you are looking at it from the perspective of a catcher still. I'm saying that as an umpire, if you expect things to hit you and brace yourself for the hit, you cannot make a proper pitch call. You are not tracking the ball correctly if you are moving around back there. So, being hit anywhere but the chest protector stings because you aren't expecting it. Example....
All I'm saying is that no one deserves to be hit with a baseball at 80 plus mph. That's like hoping more coaches get hit in the head with line drives---ala last year's unfortunate incident in the minors---because they are loud/abrasive. Now, if the umpire is hit because of a foul ball, that's the game...can't predict that. But what happened here was avoidable.
If you have been around a-hole umps, then that's unfortunate. I would blame your league for hiring umpires that were not approachable and fair. You pay for a service and if the providers suck, go elsewhere. As for power, an umpire's power is no different from other positions of power. Muscles should only be flexed when needed and should not be abused. But, like any other position of authority, it can be misused and emotions can get in the way of clear judgement. If you have a statement to make, go and make it with words, not with physical contact or passive agressive behavior (as these kids did).
The only way to make any position better is to have good people take interest in doing the work. If you want to change the perception of an umpire and show they aren't what you think, why not do the work? The problem is that people just want to complain about how "terrible" umpires are, and not offer their services to make the position better. If you don't like umpires, fine...that's your opinion, but don't wish harm on a general person you don't know that does a job you won't even attempt to take because you have a personal issue from years ago.
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"Alcoholism is a disease, but it's the only one you can get yelled at for having. Goddamn it Otto, you are an alcoholic. Goddamn it Otto, you have Lupis... one of those two doesn't sound right."
i would have to disagree on the catcher being there more for defense. i am not saying the position is easy by all means but there have been plenty of good offensive catchers...afterall, playing that position should give you an advantage as a hitter. in general i would say that the catcher, first base, and third base are there more for offense than defense...just my .02
didn't watch the vid but i would say that move probably didn't help his team at all doing that....more likely to get less calls for the remainder of the game and future games...bad sportsmanship imo
you are always gonna have games where the umpires suck or seem one sided so you have to rely on your team and individual skills to win games
Catcher ducks to bean Ump
