Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

[PVarck31]

I am so pumped to do this. I have about 4 years umpiring experience at the little league level and now I will be Umping high school games. Any other high school umpires in here? Is the test hard? What should i expect?

[dkgojackets]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

I did a bit of umpiring back in Charlotte. The test isn't really hard at all. Basic rules stuff.

[countryboy]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

I heard that they bring in Lou Pinnella to get in your face and curse and call you everything but a nice human being.

Thats just what I heard.

[Bruins]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

I heard that they bring in Lou Pinnella to get in your face and curse and call you everything but a nice human being.

Thats just what I heard.

Nah, they bring in this guy:

<object data="http://www.youtube.com/v/qoLkWWvwAIk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="350" width="425">Baseball Manager Goes Crazy</object>

[mgoblue]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

Don't even worry bro! The vision test is such a joke, my legally blind grandpa passed it

[theaub]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

Dunno what the rules are for umpiring levels in the States, but in Ontario we have levels. Right now I'm a Level 3, which means that I can do any little league/senior league game, any high school game or any national level game up to minor peewee (12-13 years old). Last year I did the Ontario AAA Provincial Championships for the Minor Bantam Level (15 years old). It was quite fun.

Quiz should be pretty easy though.

[theaub]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

I heard that they bring in Lou Pinnella to get in your face and curse and call you everything but a nice human being.

Thats just what I heard.

When I did my Level 2 exam three years ago, our instructor decided to simulate some arguments. He told some woman there go to back to the kitchen and make him a sammich, and told some fat guy that he was so fat he didn't even need a chest protector. It was the best thing I've ever seen.

[countryboy]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

When I did my Level 2 exam three years ago, our instructor decided to simulate some arguments. He told some woman there go to back to the kitchen and make him a sammich, and told some fat guy that he was so fat he didn't even need a chest protector. It was the best thing I've ever seen.

BTW... did he get his sammich?

[deeman11747]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

When I played... I remember high school umpires being the most incompetent...unballsy individuals they could put out there.

My advice: Establish your strike zone early...communicate with the catcher and hitter where the pitch is and why you're calling it like that. And even if your zone sucks...as long as its consistent its fine.

Players always liked umpires that talked to them like they actually liked their job...not that they were forced to be there to collect a paycheck...so have fun with it.

[oakfan162]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

Good luck. I always enjoyed when umpires were human with you. Don't take yourself too seriously, but maintain your professionalism. But as a pitcher, I enjoyed a running convo with the umpire in between batters, innings, etc.

[theaub]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

BTW... did he get his sammich?

Haha...the room just went silent for a second, and then everyone cracked up.

When I played... I remember high school umpires being the most incompetent...unballsy individuals they could put out there.

My advice: Establish your strike zone early...communicate with the catcher and hitter where the pitch is and why you're calling it like that. And even if your zone sucks...as long as its consistent its fine.

Players always liked umpires that talked to them like they actually liked their job...not that they were forced to be there to collect a paycheck...so have fun with it.

Yeah, I hate to say it, but the high school umps who did most of our games were pretty horrible. Some guys who I knew from the league where I umped were good, but when we went anywhere outside of Thornhill (see: location), it was ugly.

Best example I have was in the quarterfinals of my high school playoffs two years ago. The winner of the game got a chance to play for a trip to OFSAA (provincial championships), so it was pretty intense. Me and this other guy were pitching well and it was 1-1 going into the bottom of the final inning. We have the bases loaded with one out, and I'm up. Our coach calls a suicide squeeze on the next pitch. Runner's going, I square, but the pitcher throws this nasty-*** slider, and I miss the ball. It hits me square in the chest. Ump calls it a HBP and we win. One of the worst calls I can remember.

Also, I'll post my general umping advice to anyone who has interest in doing it. Its a good thing to do, short hours and good pay.

1) You can **** up all the judgment calls and no one should say a word to you as long as you were in position. As a player, coach and umpire, I can say this from every angle of the game: if you're right on top of a play and you completely miss it, I mean you'll get yelled at, but really no one's going to say anything bad. Its when you're out of position and you miss a call where you'll take a lot of crap from everyone.

By the same token, if any coach ever argues a judgment call, just laugh at him.

2) Know the rulebook really well. There's nothing worse than getting something wrong thats in the book, because not only do you look bad, but if you have either of the two teams again they'll think you don't know what you're doing. This applies more to league games...I screwed up an infield fly rule call one game in May and the coach was still harping on me in August for it (until I tossed him ). On the flip side, if you nail some complex play it gives you a lot of respect points lol.

3) As someone said, be consistent behind the plate. If you have a strike zone where you're consistently calling pitches 3 inches below the knees, then batters will usually be smart enough to start swinging at those pitches. If they keep on complaining, just run 'em. Never take crap about your strike zone. Once you give them something, they'll be on your *** all game long.

4) Be loud, and be confident.

Now, this doesn't guarantee success, but those are the four key steps. Also being witty helps you...on that note I feel like telling my quick story.

When I was doing the AAA's last year, I actually had the Thornhill team (it was in Thornhill) for a quarterfinal game. I'd done them a few times throughout the year, and all their coaches did was complain about the strike zone and a lack of balks. I think I ran their coach every game during the year. Funny thing was that the coach was an umpire as well.

Anyhow, it was a close game for 5 innings, and then all hell broke loose. Thornhill's down 2-0 with the bases loaded in the 5th with 2 outs, and the guy takes the first pitch inside. Then I see him trotting down to first for some reason. The guy from third starts jogging in, and the catcher tags him for the third out. I swear I thought the player was going to go George Brett on me. He used about 5 of the "auto-toss" words in a 7 word sentence. It was funny because the pitch missed him by about 6 inches. So we go to the top of the 6th, and that bench is fuming. Everyone in the park knows they're going to explode in a very short time. Well they imploded instead...made about 5 errors in the inning, and its 9-0 going into the bottom of the 6th. All three guys strike out looking.

Three guys in a row striking out looking is NEVER a good thing for an umpire.

In between the bottom of 6 and top of 7, I toss two assistant coaches and three players. And I'm not doing this because I want to, but anytime the family gets brought in, or you call me a cough sufferer (think of what it sounds like lol), you're done. Also one guy told me that he'd meet me in the parking lot after the game, to which I told him, "Well you can start getting the ring set up now because I'm sending you there." That didn't go over too well with the guy. Ah well.

So the rest of the game goes by pretty quickly, and I'm standing there for the post-game handshake. I can tell this coach is just looking to lay into me for like 20 minutes. Conversation goes like this.

Coach: That was an embarrassment to the organization tonight.
Me (without anything close to a pause): Yeah, you guys really are a pitiful baseball team.

The two partners I have are cracking up...I've never seen a man's face turn as red as this guy's did. He was so damn mad he was speaking some mix of English and cement. I just started laughing 30 seconds in, and it just pissed off the guy even more. Now the parents (of which I know quite a few from playing with siblings and such) are looking on, and this guy is making a complete *** of himself in front of the entire park, which also includes the head of Baseball Ontario. Let's just say that guy wasn't too pleased.

That sort of made me want to start umping again

[dust247]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

Coach: That was an embarrassment to the organization tonight.
Me (without anything close to a pause): Yeah, you guys really are a pitiful baseball team.

Instant classic.

[fishepa]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

Anybody ever referreed bball? That is what I want to get into.

[PVarck31]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

Anybody ever referreed bball? That is what I want to get into.

I plan on running the gammit this year. After Baseball i will ref football then basketball.

[nyisles16]

Re: Starting OHSAA Umpiring classes on Feb 6th.

never did the plate, but used to do the field for LL tourneys by me.. good stuff.. I remember calling the runner leaving from 3rd early twice in a row & the coach kept yelling at me he never did it.. guess what happened on the third pitch? you guessed it - left early AGAIN..