Sometimes I just gotta shake my head

[dittoz]

Normally, I have nothing but respect for blue. The job inherently makes you the bad guy 50% of the time and constantly incurring the wrath of at least 1/2 of the fans...

But this weekend, we ran into the guy I have no problem calling the worst umpire I've seen in 17 years of coaching. Sure he could call balls and strikes and sure, he had the indicator in the proper hand and his mechincs were good...

BUT...

He umpired 7 games on Saturday alone, the last 3 were from behind the plate in 95+ weather. Give him credit for that feat, right? No Way - not this guy! In talking to one of the parents on the team we wound up tying with in game 3 Saturday, they had him for all 3 of their games. He made CLEAR bad call after bad call and cost them their 2nd game (they claim). I wouldn't have really listened, until our game rolled around and he started with the poor calls. Anything close went to the defense for making a good play. Even things that weren't close still went to the defense. We missed a tag entirely at the plate when our catcher had to pull down a high throw - it wasn't even close - runner was called out. We had a runner cross the plate on a suicide squeeze - feet first slide, the tag came down after her foot, leg and bee-hind had already crossed the plate, it was her BACK that was touching when the tag was applied - OUT! Unfortunately, that would have been our winning run, but instead we wound up tied.

Then the topper - opposing coach came out to discuss a call (and was amazingly calm about it) and the umpire very loudly told him that if he "asked another question" he was going to expand the strike zone against his hitters! Three times over the game, I watched him make a bad call, a coach asked him to get help, he refused and then what could only be defined as retaliatory calls would begin.

I could go on and on about what I saw from this guy over the 2 games he called of ours, but it's just frustrating to think that this guy is being paid for this kind of lunacy.

Really makes one shake the head...

[Tucson]

I hope you complain in writing to the commissioner. In fact, I had a blown call (illegal substitution) go against me one time and I was complaining here, the head umpire for the region contacted me.