Umpire Information


	Last updated May 16, 2012

The News-Herald Newspaper, Wednesday, July 19, 2000

Great Expectations - Umpires

The lower the age of the player, the greater the parent’s expectations said Stephens, who like many officials said that the lowest levels of baseball are the most difficult to call.
The major reasons cited are the raw talent levels, smaller size of players effecting strike zones and additional parental demands.
For second year umpire Dominic Frontera, the pressure from parents at the lowest levels was what initially shocked him.
"What I found the most surprising was the level these young kids were at, and the level they were expected to play at," Frontera, 37, of Riverview said. "That bar’s been raised, there’s more pressure on them at an earlier age. The fundamentals have to be there first."
Problems with overzealous parents occur at all levels however and in recent years those problems have increased.
According to Owens, verbal and physical incidents between parents and baseball officials have risen 50% over the past five years.
"Problems from parents, especially at the lower levels have raised just over the past three years," Owens added. "We had two guys quit this year. One was 16; one was 15. They quit because of the constant abuse."
Despite being new to it all, Cooke said he knows what to expect.
"If (coaches or parents) keep it up, I’m supposed to throw them out," Cooke said. "I haven’t had to do that yet."
Owens believes the increased parental conflicts are a result of the expensive cost for their children participating in summer baseball travel teams.
According to Owens, a typical travel team budget would be $20,000, while others have budgets much higher.

Abusive Behavior:

Although one reason for the current shortage of officials can be blamed on the younger dropouts, burnout occurs at all ages.
"I had a really good guy who the got (abuse) constantly the past two years from coaches and it burned him out," said Owens, whose alliance members have called everything from Division II and III college baseball to 10-year-old house league games. "Coaches don’t realize that there’s a human element, they expect their games to be called perfect."
Protection from parents and coaches is supposed to come from the baseball leagues the incidents occurred in. Sometimes the more highly esteemed the league, the more protection and vice versa.
Fines aren’t issued, but suspensions – sometimes lasting years – are.
"The leagues are starting to protect officials better," Owens said. "A coach in Windsor was suspended two years for physically assaulting an official over a check – swing call in a Little Caesar’s League."
While professional umpires retire to their locker rooms after games, the only office recreational baseball officials’ uses are their cars.
Officials are often followed back to the parking lot while being yelled at by coaches.
"We average 10 incidents per year, per 8,000 games, which is a pretty low number," Owens said. "But if you multiply that by thousands of leagues across the country, it’s a pretty high number."
According to Stephens the best way to cut down on ugly incidents is through the coaches.
In the preseason, coaches must be informed by their leagues about the expectations of their behavior. And the duty of informing the parents then comes from them.
"Is it too late for that"? Stephens asked. "I don’t know."
Tough Calls, Bad Games
Although coaches and parents often deserve the blame for incidents, sometimes umpires do their part to fan the flames.
Horrible decisions, tough calls, and "bad games" influence outcomes and can end baseball seasons.
According to Owens, his alliance has tried to alleviate this. While there will always be the human element, his organization emphasizes fundamentals of trusting one’s instincts.
At the organization’s mandatory annual clinic the finer points of umpiring techniques and basics are stressed.
"Your head has to be a camera out there," said Owens, who has 112 umpires in his alliance. "When a play happens you have to keep your head steady like it’s on a swivel. Getting a good look at the play from the right angle is important."
The yearly clinic spends four hours on "administration". That is, teaching officials professional conduct to handle volatile situations during games, including acting out situations, Owens said.
Most officials agree that the hardest scenario to teach is how to handle the close call.
"When it comes to what I call ‘judgement calls’, an official has to do their job," Frontera said. "You have to let coaches know that it’s my judgement against yours and unfortunately mine counts."
The alliance holds weekly meetings discussing issues or incidents affecting officials.
When calling a game of 200-300 plays, missed calls are part of the game.
"Studies show that a pro ump misses three to five calls per game," said Owens. "I’m happy if one of my guys miss less than 10."
For many, the ability to "put it behind them", only comes through experience.
"You have to accept the fact that you’re going to have bad days," Frontera said. "It happens to everybody."

The Payoff Pitch:

Despite the rampant abuse, sometimes a tipped ball or errant pitch can sting worse than any buzzword from an irate coach or parent.
Bumps, bruises and sore backs are rites of passages for working the plate or the bases.
"They have better equipment now than they did when I started," said Owens, while still showing off a grapefruit-sized purplish black bruise on his inner arm. "You learn after awhile how to avoid it but you still get hit."
Over the past few years, Owens has also broken his arm and once was knocked unconscious when a tipped ball hit his throat.
While constantly in harm’s way through the course of the spring and summer, all these umps agreed that he benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
"It’s just a way for me to stay a part of the game, "Owens said, summing it up. "And it’s good to see kids’ faces after a well-officiated game. Knowing we gave out best to the kids, makes it all worth it."