Little League Baseball

[Dryden]

I used to umpire Little League baseball and I can assure you the kids will be the least of your problems - it'll be the parents. Between the dad who never fulfilled his sports dreams and the mom who thinks everyone is out to get her precious little angel, you'll have your hands full in ways you never expected.

As for the kids, tell them to swing the bat. The ump isn't getting paid a lot of money, and it won't take long before the strike zone expands if the little bastards are waiting for walks while the kid whose pants keep falling down can't get the ball over the plate without it bouncing in front of it.

Good luck.

Uh... You're responding to a post from 14 years ago.

@ScriptOhio strikes again!

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

Lemme relay a horrible lesson I learned while coaching... note "follow your gut"

I let a parent and a fellow HS coach badger me into playing his 14 yr old son in the infield because I only played him in right field (my gut).. so I succumbed and played him at 2nd DURING A PRACTICE... batter hits a line drive to 2nd... and as I am watching in super slow motion... am horrified how slowly this kid is getting his glove up and it crushes him in the face breaking numerous permanent adult teeth... and I am screaming at myself for not following my gut and keeping him in the outfield.. coached for 29 yrs but this one scars me

 

[Mike80]

I used to care when the parents would chirp when I umpire but not anymore. I literally don't hear them.

Depending on the level, when younger kids are pitching in baseball or softball, I tell the coaches I'm calling it a ball to either side of the plate as a strike. When I umpire the older kids, they don't get that. I HATE walkathons.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

House rule.. Dad never says a word on a swinging 3rd strike.. but if it's a called 3rd strike.. there will be grief

Didn't have to deal with it too much... the adult boys still site the mantra...

 

[Jake]

Uh... You're responding to a post from 14 years ago.

@ScriptOhio strikes again!

It's been longer than that since I umpired and it's still relevant today.

 

[Nutriaitch]

Maybe you're in the leagues where "Hey, my son had to try out just to make this team, so he must be pretty good." My son plays in a league where of the players need a cut-off man to throw the ball from third base to first.

nah, it’s open league with no tryouts.
teams divided up according to home address.

he’s 13 playing in a 14-15 year old league.

my son got stuck on this team when his normal team didn’t have enough kids for a full roster so they got dispersed throughout the league (didn’t have a vote on where he went).

i kinda took over coaching duties in pre-season from a guy that’s been coaching the main group of this team since they was 5.

had to change some SERIOUSLY wrong ways of doing most of what they’d been taught. and none of them know how to think baseball.

horrible regular season, but finished 3rd in post season tournament.
record wise it’s the worst team my son has ever been a part of (he started playing when he was 4), but according to “coach” and the kids, this was their best season ever.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

I was 'drafted' to coach a summer HS team of kids from about a 45 mile radius
The makeup of the team was pretty much random by the league...
Turns out the league was really premier but mine was beyond exceptional
And my pitchers... holy shit... I had pro scouts at almost every game
PS You wanna turn a phenom pitcher into a piece of crap... pitch him when there are a half dozen radar guns behind the fence...
We went 18-1.. and had zero to do with my coaching

One embarrassing time came when one of my kids stole 2nd and 3rd when we were way up...
Other coach yelled at me for it... for calling the steal... problem was... we had no steal sign.. my rule "if you think you can make it.. go"
Kid comes to dugout and I ask.. "why did you go"... "Coach, catcher is an asshole and told me... you even try to steal I got your ass... so I made him eat his shit"

 

[Nutriaitch]

One embarrassing time came when one of my kids stole 2nd and 3rd when we were way up...
Other coach yelled at me for it... for calling the steal... problem was... we had no steal sign.. my rule "if you think you can make it.. go"
Kid comes to dugout and I ask.. "why did you go"... "Coach, catcher is an asshole and told me... you even try to steal I got your ass... so I made him eat his shit"

kids is awesome!

Kid on my team has never played organized ball before. Very talented naturally, just doesn’t completely comprehend every situation.
Gets hit by a pitch and trots down to first (i’m 1B coach).
I tell him “you’re the winning run. you score, we win”
Dude looks at me and says “sweet, we win”

i urge him to get a lead, and he replies “i don’t need a lead!”

steals 2nd on next pitch, takes 3rd on following pitch.

2 pitches later, he has a suicide lead at 3, and acts like he’s breaking for plate on the pitch.
catcher mishandles it and kid scores.

with almost no emotion, walks over to the team to lineup and shake hands and says “told you we were gonna win”

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

The kid in my post.. was fabulous... shocked he didn't have a scholarship so I called Kent State coach and said "you've got to see this kid" .. by end of season, Kent State gave him a ride.. I was like a proud dad... they also took my leadoff hitter, his little brother, 2 years later .. Kent State should have sent me presents... cuz I didn't screw up anyone's baseball career

 

[Nutriaitch]

one of the hardest things to watch happened this year.

we playing team from next town over.
these kids all go to school together and know each other very well.
and their teenagers. so the shit talking gets personal. calling each other moms out by name and stuff.

my son is playing like this is the last time hel ever step foot on a baseball field.
couple diving catches up middle (playing 2B), made both throws to gun the runner.

threw 2 shutout innings down the stretch.

was 2 for 2 pair of RBI, stole a base, and scored twice.

comes to bat bottom 7. team down 8-7.
2 outs bases juiced.

fouled off a couple. steps out takes a deep breath and steps back in.

absolutely tattooed one right on the screws.
dead at the SS. as in kid barely flinched to catch the liner. ball game.

son just collapsed in the dirt at 1st.
i had to literally scoop him up off the ground and help hold him up.
he was crushed.

he’d been playing on a pair of bad ankles all season.
busted his ass all game long. was drenched in sweat, caked in mud, sporting a half shiner from a nasty hop, and had a chance to beat the hated rivals and fell just short.

rest of team was upset, but he was devastated.

told me after the game “dad, they were saying stuff like oh well we wasn’t supposed to be that close anyway. just glad to give them a scare”

so he says “fuck that! we had them.” “this attitude is why this team sucks every year”

 

[brodybuck21]

one of the hardest things to watch happened this year.

we playing team from next town over.
these kids all go to school together and know each other very well.
and their teenagers. so the shit talking gets personal. calling each other moms out by name and stuff.

my son is playing like this is the last time hel ever step foot on a baseball field.
couple diving catches up middle (playing 2B), made both throws to gun the runner.

threw 2 shutout innings down the stretch.

was 2 for 2 pair of RBI, stole a base, and scored twice.

comes to bat bottom 7. team down 8-7.
2 outs bases juiced.

fouled off a couple. steps out takes a deep breath and steps back in.

absolutely tattooed one right on the screws.
dead at the SS. as in kid barely flinched to catch the liner. ball game.

son just collapsed in the dirt at 1st.
i had to literally scoop him up off the ground and help hold him up.
he was crushed.

he’d been playing on a pair of bad ankles all season.
busted his ass all game long. was drenched in sweat, caked in mud, sporting a half shiner from a nasty hop, and had a chance to beat the hated rivals and fell just short.

rest of team was upset, but he was devastated.

told me after the game “dad, they were saying stuff like oh well we wasn’t supposed to be that close anyway. just glad to give them a scare”

so he says “fuck that! we had them.” “this attitude is why this team sucks every year”

damn baseball is a cruel mistress...also why it is the best sport on the planet

 

[Nutriaitch]

damn baseball is a cruel mistress...also why it is the best sport on the planet

yes it is.

he’s played a LOT of baseball over the last 8-9 years.
Been in some bigs spots. Sometimes he comes through, sometimes not.

And he’s always tough on himself when he doesn’t.

but this game was different.
he’s the smallest kid on team (as usual) and 2 years younger than the bulk of our starters. He’s the only 13 year old on team.

but he’s become a leader. both vocally and in the field.

and here is was carrying them in this game.
he was hurt going into the game, took a couple more lumps during the game.
but still put them on his back and took them all the way to the end.

he was devastated.
he wanted this one more than any other.

i literally had to hold him up to take the first few steps after i picked him up.

but he held his head up during postgame handshakes up until we got in my truck.


poor fucker has been beat to hell this year too.
tendinitis in left achilles that won’t completely heal until probably mid offseason.
had an elbow issue that sidelined his pitching for a month.
jammed his right ankle sliding into a catcher.
tweaked his left knee on follow through on a pitch.

 

[brodybuck21]

yes it is.

he’s played a LOT of baseball over the last 8-9 years.
Been in some bigs spots. Sometimes he comes through, sometimes not.

And he’s always tough on himself when he doesn’t.

but this game was different.
he’s the smallest kid on team (as usual) and 2 years younger than the bulk of our starters. He’s the only 13 year old on team.

but he’s become a leader. both vocally and in the field.

and here is was carrying them in this game.
he was hurt going into the game, took a couple more lumps during the game.
but still put them on his back and took them all the way to the end.

he was devastated.
he wanted this one more than any other.

i literally had to hold him up to take the first few steps after i picked him up.

but he held his head up during postgame handshakes up until we got in my truck.


poor fucker has been beat to hell this year too.
tendinitis in left achilles that won’t completely heal until probably mid offseason.
had an elbow issue that sidelined his pitching for a month.
jammed his right ankle sliding into a catcher.
tweaked his left knee on follow through on a pitch.

definition of a ballplayer. you should be (as im sure you are) extremely proud

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

heck, I'm proud of him

 

[Wingate1217]

It has been a long time since I umpired and when I was younger thought about making it a career. Played at a fairly high level but got hurt (torn rotator) but my cousin played in the Red Sox organization. Anyway like I stated (since I couldn't play anymore) decided to make a go of umpiring and make some extra $ and that was before I met my wife. Had a guy (who had umpired in the Big Leagues) took my under his wing and Dale taught me all the things you should and more importantly shouldn't do. I actually umpired some minor league ball and I really enjoyed it but then I met the wife and a steady paycheck with some actual money left at the end of the week won out.
Anyway I still held my certification and my brother calls me one day and he is umpiring a girl's fast pitch high school game and his partner is sick and will not make it. I haven't been on a field for a couple of years but he was in real need and he needed the money so I say way not. I figured I would be in the field as I didn't have any of my behind the plate gear (not even an indicator) anymore. I get to the field and my brother informs me that I am behind the plate and I can use his partner's gear. I figure its fast pitch so I don't have to worry about arc, etc. so how different can it be from baseball?
The difference? I am dealing with females and logic need not apply. No matter where the pitch was one side or the other was bitching. A pitch down the middle of the plate called a strike "how dare you?" Mind you that was the longest game (bitching and moaning wise) that I had every been associate with....

As soon as the final out was made I didn't even stay for the check. I told my bro he could keep it (he needed it more than I) and not to call me every for a girl's game. Most of them didn't know the rules, they thought they did and some of the coaches (especially on one side didn't either) and they ended up winning.

It was like going back and umpiring pee wee league. My mentor always told me that people think it is really hard to umpire in the Major Leagues actually it is a lot easier one you get used to the speed of the game. The real tough games are in the fundamental leagues as the kids seem to be always throwing to the wrong play on the diamond and as an umpire you are now totally out of position, and then you are in a world of hurt. As you progress up the ladder you can really anticipate where the play will be and usually be in good position. Good advice.....