competitive little kid sports

[Cartierfor3]

I reffed volleyball and basketball also this year, can't remember if I mentioned. Basketball is hard to ref!

basketball is much easier to imo because you can set your tone/tolerance level and just roll with it.  consistency is key.  baseball is more black and white, right or wrong.

i’ve obviously earned my keep doing both at different times throughout my life.

I might be thinking basketball is tougher just because I have 100x more experience in baseball.

[pissclams]

I reffed volleyball and basketball also this year, can't remember if I mentioned. Basketball is hard to ref!

basketball is much easier to imo because you can set your tone/tolerance level and just roll with it.  consistency is key.  baseball is more black and white, right or wrong.

i’ve obviously earned my keep doing both at different times throughout my life.

I might be thinking basketball is tougher just because I have 100x more experience in baseball.

for sure that plays into it.

with baseball, there’s really very little room for any shades of gray.  a foul ball is a foul ball, the runner is either safe or not.

no one expects a basketball official to call everything, they don’t want the official to call everything- especially in youth hoops.  so, setting the tone for what you’re going to call, and then remaining consistent, will generally be acceptable by all parties.

the strike zone is one exception where it too can be different from night to night, umpire to umpire.  i watch 11 year olds play at the J and the zone is essentially anything vertically from 5’ high to the ground and horizontally as long as it’s anywhere near the plate.  i appreciate the officials pushing the kids to swing the bat.

[steve dave]

A thing I appreciate from baseball umps is being open to a plate meeting to discuss a rule and also willing to overturn their original call based on rules. Also when we have two blues being willing to let the other blue pow wow with them and overturn their call. Most do both of these things very well. Also I absolutely adore the very professional kid umps. Like some HS kid has mastered the craft and talks like an adult and is confident in his calls. Incredible people.


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[steve dave]

We also often will talk to the kid blues about their strike zone after the game. Not quality of calls but size of it for our age/level. Helping them get it dialed in.


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[steve dave]

The only thing we ever do with balls and strikes is yell “lil sd, where was that one?” And he knows to look over, shrug, and yell back “RIGHT DOWN THE PIPE”. Also lil sd will hold a called ball he thinks was a strike for an excessive amount of time to make them look at it and think about what they’ve done. Baseball rules guys.


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[steve dave]

The other day we played my coworkers team and had a bang bang call at first that was probably ours that they called the other kid safe but no big deal. My buddy was 1B coach and I yelled “little help with that one Lemaster!?” as a joke and the blue warned me and told me I’d watch the game from the parking lot and between innings I explained the coach was my buddy and we had a chuckle and I was like “jfc dude settle down” but only in my head because that parking lot is boring.


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[steve dave]

We play in Des Moines this weekend and rented out a couple areas at a pickleball place and a court for the boys for Saturday afternoon after pool play. They are going to be so rough ridin' gassed for bracket play, lmao. Going to get wrecked by some crap team game 1 probably.




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[Stupid Fitz]

We play in Des Moines this weekend and rented out a couple areas at a pickleball place and a court for the boys for Saturday afternoon after pool play. They are going to be so rough ridin' gassed for bracket play, lmao. Going to get wrecked by some crap team game 1 probably.




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Ha, we did this last year. We went to St Louis and played in a tourney (Lil SF got team MVP  ). We kicked the crap out of teams in pool play. We went to city museum and the kids were in the hotel pool and messing around in each others rooms having a ball all weekend. Made it to the championship of bracket play and they were rough ridin' gassed. Got beat by a team we crushed in pool play. 

Also those were the good old days. The Lil guy is on like the back seat where all the weird kids sit on the struggle bus. He just can't put it together this year. Little bastard just mashes and has a short quick swing in the back yard, but during games he is just a mess sometimes. Driving me nuts. Its just weird as he's not really even getting overmatched. He's actually been much better against better and faster pitchers, but he just can't get anything going consistently. I've seen him do it so I know he can play. I just feel so bad for him when he struggles. Being a parent blows ass sometimes. He handles it like a champ though, which is awesome.

[Cartierfor3]

A thing I appreciate from baseball umps is being open to a plate meeting to discuss a rule and also willing to overturn their original call based on rules. Also when we have two blues being willing to let the other blue pow wow with them and overturn their call. Most do both of these things very well. Also I absolutely adore the very professional kid umps. Like some HS kid has mastered the craft and talks like an adult and is confident in his calls. Incredible people.


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There are so many weird rules that it just takes time. Biggest ones that get you in trouble as an umpire are obstruction plays because you are going to have an argument whatever you call

[meow meow]

We play in Des Moines this weekend and rented out a couple areas at a pickleball place and a court for the boys for Saturday afternoon after pool play. They are going to be so rough ridin' gassed for bracket play, lmao. Going to get wrecked by some crap team game 1 probably.




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we go to that same place when we play in Des Moines for soccer

[steve dave]

A thing I appreciate from baseball umps is being open to a plate meeting to discuss a rule and also willing to overturn their original call based on rules. Also when we have two blues being willing to let the other blue pow wow with them and overturn their call. Most do both of these things very well. Also I absolutely adore the very professional kid umps. Like some HS kid has mastered the craft and talks like an adult and is confident in his calls. Incredible people.


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There are so many weird rules that it just takes time. Biggest ones that get you in trouble as an umpire are obstruction plays because you are going to have an argument whatever you call

I don’t think we’ve had an infield fly called correctly in the last 3 years. Also half the blues aren’t aware that a bounced pitch gloved and resulting in a swinging strike 3 is still an uncaught ball and the runner can try for first.


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[KST8FAN]

Enjoying the umpire talk.  I refereed basketball one winter in exchange for a ymca membership. It's the most stressful thing I've ever done.  Always treated our officials with appreciation since it's a tough job. If there was an issue, make your point and move on.

Having said that, only had one run in with a baseball umpire.  He wasn't a kid, but adult who appeared to have  done a lot of games.

Early in the game, we had a play involving a rules interpretation.  We asked for field supervisor who overruled this guy.

Now you can tell this umpire is agitated for the next couple of innings. 

Later in the game, our pitcher is batting and grounds out.  We're in 3B dugout, no one picks up our P glove and hat.  So I grab them and meet the kid between mound and 3B line.   I told the kid, shake it off and go get em on the mound.  The umpire raises his hand and announces, "Coach, that's your first mound visit." 

Like WtF.


Tom

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[steve dave]

lmao


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[Gamerzone]

Enjoying the umpire talk.  I refereed basketball one winter in exchange for a ymca membership. It's the most stressful thing I've ever done.  Always treated our officials with appreciation since it's a tough job. If there was an issue, make your point and move on.

Having said that, only had one run in with a baseball umpire.  He wasn't a kid, but adult who appeared to have  done a lot of games.

Early in the game, we had a play involving a rules interpretation.  We asked for field supervisor who overruled this guy.

Now you can tell this umpire is agitated for the next couple of innings. 

Later in the game, our pitcher is batting and grounds out.  We're in 3B dugout, no one picks up our P glove and hat.  So I grab them and meet the kid between mound and 3B line.   I told the kid, shake it off and go get em on the mound.  The umpire raises his hand and announces, "Coach, that's your first mound visit." 

Like WtF.


Tom

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Hey Tom,

I completely understand where you're coming from. Officiating any sport can be incredibly stressful and thankless. I respect the way you always appreciate the officials despite the tough job they have.

Your story about the baseball umpire made me chuckle and cringe at the same time. It's frustrating when a simple action gets misinterpreted, especially when emotions are already running high.

I've had similar experiences where officials made calls that left me shaking my head. It’s definitely a tough position to be in, but your approach of making your point and moving on is spot on.

Thanks for sharing your story!