Ump walks out on little league game

[edjr 5,556]

21 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

That guy. 

pigby

[JohnD. 22]

On 11/22/2019 at 10:08 AM, Hardcore troubadour said:

What does a ref/ump make a game these days? 

I'm out in the sticks so I get 55-60$ if I'm Center ref or I get 45-50$ if I run the AR (sideline ref). Higher level play, bigger schools, offers more typically. Some schools still pay you cash but most have moved on to Arbiter Pay around here so you pay taxes on it. I'm getting certified to do club ball in the spring and they all pay cash.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,624]

3 minutes ago, JohnD. said:

I'm out in the sticks so I get 55-60$ if I'm Center ref or I get 45-50$ if I run the AR (sideline ref). Higher level play, bigger schools, offers more typically. Some schools still pay you cash but most have moved on to Arbiter Pay around here so you pay taxes on it. I'm getting certified to do club ball in the spring and they all pay cash.

Doesn't sound like it's enough. I've heard of places that don't let the parents watch. Might be the only solution. Not a good one, but if the parents won't control themselves what choice is there? 

[edjr 5,556]

5 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Doesn't sound like it's enough. I've heard of places that don't let the parents watch. Might be the only solution. Not a good one, but if the parents won't control themselves what choice is there? 

I like the idea of a stadium with fiberglass surrounding the field, kinda like hockey, but higher

[Hardcore troubadour 12,624]

I went to one of my nephews hockey games once. It was so nice to see the parents tailgating and getting a nice buzz on. 

[vuduchile 1,941]

Everybody's talking about the umps and refs around the country, but another looming crisis for youth sports is the lack of coaches.  

Umps and Refs get paid.  Most youth sports coaches don't.  Fewer and fewer parents want to volunteer their time and deal with the sh!tass kids and fockface parents who sit in the stands criticizing every move and acting like these games mean something.

We're currently looking for elementary and middle school hoops coaches. These are paid gigs and we're having trouble finding people who are capable and can pass the background check. 

 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,624]

7 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

Everybody's talking about the umps and refs around the country, but another looming crisis for youth sports is the lack of coaches.  

Umps and Refs get paid.  Most youth sports coaches don't.  Fewer and fewer parents want to volunteer their time and deal with the sh!tass kids and fockface parents who sit in the stands criticizing every move and acting like these games mean something.

We're currently looking for elementary and middle school hoops coaches. These are paid gigs and we're having trouble finding people who are capable and can pass the background check. 

 

I'm mulling getting into it when my son is going to be playing in the next year or so. Will do T Ball next year. At least help. If it goes beyond that I'm not taking any BS from parents. They will be shut  down immidiately. I had a hard ass football coach and an even harder baseball coach. If you struck out looking you had to run a lap and if you didn't get back in time to take the field you didn't play that inning. Pitchers and catchers included. Can you imagine that today? It worked btw. Rarely did someone take a third strike with two outs. 

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

6 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

Everybody's talking about the umps and refs around the country, but another looming crisis for youth sports is the lack of coaches.  

Umps and Refs get paid.  Most youth sports coaches don't.  Fewer and fewer parents want to volunteer their time and deal with the sh!tass kids and fockface parents who sit in the stands criticizing every move and acting like these games mean something.

We're currently looking for elementary and middle school hoops coaches. These are paid gigs and we're having trouble finding people who are capable and can pass the background check. 

 

It is pretty bad where we are.  We have a lot of parents who just want to drop their kid off and let someone else deal with the coaching. I can't get volunteers for equipment or anything in football.  I haven't had a kid in the program for 3 years and I am finally walking away because I am not going to enable the entitled parents.  You want your kid to have a great experience?  Then get off your ass and help out.  

[vuduchile 1,941]

3 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

I'm mulling getting into it when my son is going to be playing in the next year or so. Will do T Ball next year. At least help. If it goes beyond that I'm not taking any BS from parents. They will be shut  down immidiately. I had a hard ass football coach and an even harder baseball coach. If you struck out looking you had to run a lap and if you didn't get back in time to take the field you didn't play that inning. Pitchers and catchers included. Can you imagine that today? It worked btw. Rarely did someone take a third strike with two outs. 

It's a great way for dads and sons to spend time together.  There's not much I'd rather do than watch my kids play the same sports I loved as a kid. 

The problem with being a hard-ass these days is that kids and parents can't take it.  Kids will just stop coming to practice, parents will complain to the board, the board will whine at you, and so on.  I'm  pretty hard on my own kids, but I have to dial it back a bit with the others.  

My advice is:

Set expectations with parents and players up front.

Focus on developing ALL players.  Especially the ones that suck.  Give them all a chance to try the position they want.   I had 15 kids on my team last year and I had 12 of them pitch.  We only lost 2 games, and those losses weren't because I let the scrubs pitch.  

Everybody wants to win, but don't focus solely on that during the reg season.  When you're up 5 runs, put the bench warmers in the infield and let them figure things out. 

Avoid daddy ball. 

Once you get to tournament play and all stars,  you can ramp things up and play to win.

I'd like to tell you that you won't encounter any problems in t- ball, but 2 years ago, we had to kick a t-ball coach out on his first day of practice.  He went really hard on the kids and parents right out of the gate.  It was pretty insane.  

Good luck

[vuduchile 1,941]

23 minutes ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

It is pretty bad where we are.  We have a lot of parents who just want to drop their kid off and let someone else deal with the coaching. I can't get volunteers for equipment or anything in football.  I haven't had a kid in the program for 3 years and I am finally walking away because I am not going to enable the entitled parents.  You want your kid to have a great experience?  Then get off your ass and help out.  

Yeah.  That sucks.  We even have a hard time getting parents to work concessions for one friggin' game.  I'll only continue coaching if my kids are involved.  Thankfully, there will be some head and asst coach opportunities for me in middle and high school.  

I was offered the HS baseball coaching gig for this year, but the schedule would prevent me from coaching my son's team.  I don't wanna do that.  

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

My daughter played that ripiff JO volleyball.  Was like 500 dollars a season.  

Anyway...the coach...on sign up day had a parent meeting and your contract to sign...

What yout 500 dollars buys you and what it doesnt.

1.  It buys your daughter practice time on a JO volleyball team...

It does not guarantee playing time during games or tournaments.

If you have a problem with rule 1 JO is not for you.

Then a whole behavior code...and all that.  

 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,624]

40 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

It's a great way for dads and sons to spend time together.  There's not much I'd rather do than watch my kids play the same sports I loved as a kid. 

The problem with being a hard-ass these days is that kids and parents can't take it.  Kids will just stop coming to practice, parents will complain to the board, the board will whine at you, and so on.  I'm  pretty hard on my own kids, but I have to dial it back a bit with the others.  

My advice is:

Set expectations with parents and players up front.

Focus on developing ALL players.  Especially the ones that suck.  Give them all a chance to try the position they want.   I had 15 kids on my team last year and I had 12 of them pitch.  We only lost 2 games, and those losses weren't because I let the scrubs pitch.  

Everybody wants to win, but don't focus solely on that during the reg season.  When you're up 5 runs, put the bench warmers in the infield and let them figure things out. 

Avoid daddy ball. 

Once you get to tournament play and all stars,  you can ramp things up and play to win.

I'd like to tell you that you won't encounter any problems in t- ball, but 2 years ago, we had to kick a t-ball coach out on his first day of practice.  He went really hard on the kids and parents right out of the gate.  It was pretty insane.  

Good luck

Good advice. If I find myself getting worked up over T Ball no one will have to tell me to leave. My daughter played one year, didn't see anything bad.  She had fun but went to gymnastics instead. That's good for now but I hear it gets worse. We'll see. 

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

4 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Good advice. If I find myself getting worked up over T Ball no one will have to tell me to leave. My daughter played one year, didn't see anything bad.  She had fun but went to gymnastics instead. That's good for now but I hear it gets worse. We'll see. 

Here is what I tell our youth coaches.  If there is a situation in a game where you get tossed, then you are the .  No gray area at all.  Don't be disrespectful even if you are right.  The kids learn from that.

I also tell them that when you are coaching, you no longer have a kid.  You have a team full of kids. Treat them all the same way.  It is harder than it looks, though.  

 

BTW - I had a great time coaching my kids.  My oldest was mainly in baseball, although he did a little basketball.  Youngest played football and he had a great group of kids to coach.  I put in a ton of time, but it was totally worth it.  You get more out of it than you put into it.  

[Hardcore troubadour 12,624]

1 minute ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

Here is what I tell our youth coaches.  If there is a situation in a game where you get tossed, then you are the .  No gray area at all.  Don't be disrespectful even if you are right.  The kids learn from that.

I also tell them that when you are coaching, you no longer have a kid.  You have a team full of kids. Treat them all the same way.  It is harder than it looks, though.  

Not for me. I wasn't coddled by anyone, and most definetly not my parents. Not in my genes. I'm a sink or swim person.  With boys anyway. 

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

2 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Not for me. I wasn't coddled by anyone, and most definetly not my parents. Not in my genes. I'm a sink or swim person.  With boys anyway. 

You don't have to coddle anyone.  Doesn't mean you have to be an either.  Most kids actually want some discipline, which is what I like about football.

For example, making kids run if they mess up is usually not real effective.  If they make a mistake, it can be because of a physical error or a mental error, both of which are going to happen.  The only time I will want to use some sort of physical "punishment" is lack of effort or lack of self control.  If a kid is acting out or doesn't want to try, then that is when having them do something can help resolve it.  In a team sport, it is actually more effective to have the rest of the team get the punishment.  Usually just happens once. 

[Utilit99 4,099]

My first baseball coach was more like Buttermaker. I'm sure that dude had a cooler of beers in his car. It was a pretty fun time. And funny enough, there was a jerk coach in the league like Roy Turner from Bad News Bears movie. Dude was always yelling. 

I played 3rd base and pitched. My dad one day taught me that at 3rd base I should get any ball in my range to my left so it doesn't have to go all the way back to the shortstop. So then in practice, the coach started out by hitting ground balls to all the infielders and i got the ones he hit to me and I started cutting off all the ones to the shortstop until the shortstop threw his mitt on the ground and yelled, "hey, that was supposed to go to me!!"

The coach kind of laughed and asked me to let the balls go through to him if it's his turn.  I was kind of embarrassed. 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,624]

2 minutes ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

You don't have to coddle anyone.  Doesn't mean you have to be an either.  Most kids actually want some discipline, which is what I like about football.

For example, making kids run if they mess up is usually not real effective.  If they make a mistake, it can be because of a physical error or a mental error, both of which are going to happen.  The only time I will want to use some sort of physical "punishment" is lack of effort or lack of self control.  If a kid is acting out or doesn't want to try, then that is when having them do something can help resolve it.  In a team sport, it is actually more effective to have the rest of the team get the punishment.  Usually just happens once. 

Not a fan of the everyone gets punished method. Lived through it for 24 years. I would use that sparingly. I think making an example of the offender is the fair way. I never felt the other way was fair. Unless there are multiple offenders. 

[vuduchile 1,941]

2 hours ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Not a fan of the everyone gets punished method. Lived through it for 24 years. I would use that sparingly. I think making an example of the offender is the fair way. I never felt the other way was fair. Unless there are multiple offenders. 

Some kids are just arseholes.  There's no getting around it.  My only real expectations are:

Be a good sport

Be a good teammate

Give 100% in practice and in games

I'll never punish a kid for making a mistake, and I keep my comments 100% positive during the games.  If a kid lets a ground ball go through his legs, he doesn't need me, a couple of assistant coaches, his dad, his grandpa, and Joe Sixpack telling him to keep his glove down.  He knows he focked up.  We'll work on it at the next practice.  

[Hardcore troubadour 12,624]

1 hour ago, vuduchile said:

Some kids are just arseholes.  There's no getting around it.  My only real expectations are:

Be a good sport

Be a good teammate

Give 100% in practice and in games

I'll never punish a kid for making a mistake, and I keep my comments 100% positive during the games.  If a kid lets a ground ball go through his legs, he doesn't need me, a couple of assistant coaches, his dad, his grandpa, and Joe Sixpack telling him to keep his glove down.  He knows he focked up.  We'll work on it at the next practice.  

Exactly.  

[posty 2,296]

3 hours ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

If a kid is acting out or doesn't want to try, then that is when having them do something can help resolve it.  In a team sport, it is actually more effective to have the rest of the team get the punishment.  Usually just happens once. 

Did that before in basketball when coaching fifth and sixth grade...  Works like a charm...

Most of the time it works, except in Private Pyle's case...

[nzoner 936]

I did a fair amount of umpiring boys little league and young women's fast pitch softball back in the 80's and it was getting rough then,so I can't imagine now.I will say of all the ones I did a girls fast pitch game was the worst when I had to toss a young lady for going on an. F bomb tirade when I called her out at third base.She then proceeds to tell me that she and her boyfriend would see me after the game.

My female boss was present and made a point to be there when sure enough after the game the girl and her bf were waiting.I didn't get to say a word as my boss let the young lady have it telling her the call was right and if she ever wanted to even think about playing in the league again she would apologize and take her butt home.

[JohnD. 22]

19 hours ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

I'm mulling getting into it when my son is going to be playing in the next year or so. Will do T Ball next year. At least help. If it goes beyond that I'm not taking any BS from parents. They will be shut  down immidiately. I had a hard ass football coach and an even harder baseball coach. If you struck out looking you had to run a lap and if you didn't get back in time to take the field you didn't play that inning. Pitchers and catchers included. Can you imagine that today? It worked btw. Rarely did someone take a third strike with two outs. 

You won't regret it. I coached my son from t-ball all the way up to high level select travel ball 18U and I miss it. You will have a-hole parents (and kids) to deal with but 90% of the time it was a blast. Don't need to be super strict as a coach. You lay down the rules early as far as practice day expectations, pre game expectations, etc and let the boys know that they will make mistakes and that's fine but don't turn mistakes into bad habits. If you joke with the kids and have fun while making sure that they are learning and putting all that practice to use then the parents and the players will have a good season.