First posted May 17, 2021
At today’s Senior Men’s Baseball game, my partner was on
the bases and I was working behind the plate. In the second inning there was a
runner on first base, as the ball was pitched, the runner from first began to
steal second base. At the same time the batter swung at the pitch and stepped
across home plate interfering with the catcher who threw to second in an
attempt to put out the runner. This scenario was a textbook “a bit complicated”
infraction in baseball called Batter’s Interference.
This infraction can be subtle or obvious, and in either
case it can be challenging for the umpire to even recognize it took place in
real time, that alone verbally announce he saw it. If the umpire does announce
it took place, the play has to finish playing out, in case the runner is thrown
out by the catcher, the interference is ignored. If the runner is not thrown
out the umpire calls time, calls the batter out for interference and the runner
is returned to the base he was at before the play. I said it was “a bit
complicated”.
The way it played out in today’s game the runner was
safe, I called time, announced the batter was out for interference, and
returned the runner to first base. As luck would have it, two innings later it
happened again with a different batter, and I again enforced the penalties.
Here is where it gets interesting.
As I began applying the penalties, and as the batter
walked toward the dugout, he became vocal with his displeasure regarding “in
his eyes” my incorrect call. In baseball this is often the case. When his vocal
displeasure continued on, now louder, I told him to stop in an umpire’s stern
command voice and he did. For a second. He then continued to the dugout yelling
even louder, then dangerously he threw his bat against the dugout, followed by
his helmet. It was at the point my base partner ejected him from the game.
As expected, the ejection elevated his rage to the next
level of insanity and rambling cuss words that would make a lumberjack blush
and small children cry. We waited as he packed his belongings and left the
park, then continued the game. By the sixth inning it was a six-six tie. In the
bottom of eight and final inning “time limit” it was an eight-eight tie, the
home team with the two batter interference infractions, scoring and actually
winning the game. What happened next was stunning.
After the game both teams went out of their way to tell
my partner and I how they sincerely appreciated the job we did, complete with
handshakes, fist bumps and pats on the back, at a level I’ve seldom seen in
over 20 years officiating. Being praised by both teams for the job we did on
the field was several things. Not common, and a tribute to our skills as
umpires and the good nature of both teams. In the game today two veteran
umpires where paid $95 each, but we were also paid something more important than
the money, the respect after the game shown by both teams.
This game could have easily gone 180 degrees the other
direction right into the toilet, even with two seasoned, skilled umpires. It’s
difficult to consider what may have occurred if a newer official had made these
calls, or failed to make them. Sadly, in sports today many officials are unable
to or too scared to make these complicated calls, for fear of being yelled,
screamed at by players, teams and or fans.
These bad scene scenarios are the leading causes for the
national shortage of sports officials and new recruits, as well as other
contributing factors. Lack of rule knowledge which creates doubt, which creates
lack of confidence, which creates peer or group scorn, which reinforces failure
to act, which increases doubt, lack of confidence and peer or group ridicule.
Young umpires too often handle all of this for either
very little, or no pay, and or very little support driving a national shortage
of officials. This must change, or the current trend of no officials will
continue to grow. But even worse, young umpires will never feel the pride my
partner and I felt after the game, being shown gratitude by both teams for
doing our jobs. And, just like having no officials, that’s a very sad thing.
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