First Game of 2011

Well now, I guess it has been a while since I posted anything here, eh?

Today was my first game of the 2011 season. And, let me tell you this, it was an exciting one! For my first game, in my second year as being an umpire, I was assigned to a Varsity game. Yep, kinda exciting…it’s like being called up to the big leagues!

And, as to be expected, this year is starting off a lot like how last season went, I am assigned as the plate umpire again. As you might tell by reading my previous post on this blog, last season I was scheduled heavily as a plate umpire. During the school baseball season (middle, JV, and Varsity games) I was assigned 22 games, and 14 of them were behind the plate. I went on to call summer ball (high school level and an adult baseball league) and put in about another 14 games or so. But, mostly all of those were double-headers, so I behind the plate and in the field equally.

Anyways, today’s game was between Rosman and Andrews, at Rosman. Rosman ended up winning the game 11-4, but the game was actually a little closer than what the score shows. If the starting pitcher for Andrews would have been able to go longer than the fourth inning, I think they would have had a chance since the score was close until he couldn’t pitch anymore. It was in the fourth inning, when the starter was pulled, that Rosman scored 5 runs to take the lead and never looked back.

Rosman used two pitchers, and, in my opinion, the second pitcher was a lot better than the starter. Andrews sent four pitchers to the mound, and two of them (the starter and the third pitcher) were the only players that looked promising for the team. Of course, the coach informed me that they were hurting for pitching right now because their pitchers are all dealing with arm injuries.

One bit of real excitment, and this is a little information that I would like to pass on to all players and coaches… just because a batter is hit by a pitch does not mean that they are automatically awarded first base. Today there was a Rosman player that literally leaned into a perfect strike pitch (fastball…right down broadway!!), and started to trot to first base. The coaches, and some of the players, got a little upset when I called the pitch a strike and had the batter return. If the pitch was inside, I probably would have given him the base, but he had to lean over so far to get hit, he almost had to step on the plate to do it.

All in all, I had fun and really enjoyed being back on the field for a regular baseball game. As it stands right now, I have three more games scheduled through next Friday; another Varsity, a JV, and a Middle School game. It looks like I might actually surpass last season’s surprising game total, but only time will tell. And, hopefully, this year the plate/field ratio is a little more equal.

Games 10 & 11

Games 10 & 11 took place on Saturday, April 17th as part of a JV double-header between North Buncombe and West Henderson. The double-header was played as two five inning games. I was working the bases for the first game and behind the plate for the second.

Game 10, first game of the double-header, started out to be a good one. West Henderson scored one run in the top of the first, early. As a matter of fact, it was so early in the top of the first that when the half-inning ended I had forgotten that a run had even scored. North Buncombe shut them down from there on out until the top of the third. West Henderson scored four runs in the top of the third but three of the runs came on a three run home run. They added another run in the top of the fifth.

North Buncombe could not get anything going. They went scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when they decided to make the end of the game a little interesting by scoring four runs. The game ended with the tying run stranded on first base.

Other than the comeback attempt by North Buncombe in the bottom of the fifth there really wasn’t anything too exciting that happened in the game. Both teams played really well, and both teams are very well coached.

I would say that the only thing that could have/would have made this game better would have been if the sun would have been out. This was the first game in a while that I had to have my jacket on. Although, the sun did start to peek out after the second inning.

Game 11, second game of the double-header, was another good, close game until the fourth inning. West Henderson scored one run in the top of the first and the top of the third innings. Then, they exploded for five runs in the top of the fourth capped by a solo home run.

North Buncombe really could not get anything going in the second game at all. Once again they were held scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning where they made a feeble attempt at another comeback. This time, however, they only managed to plate two runs.

There was only one play during this game that even I had to really question myself on. There was a flyball hit to right field that became “trouble” real quickly. I mean, this ball started heading towards right-center field but sliced hard towards the right field foul line. I got into the best position that I could straddling the line to see if the ball was going to land fair or foul. The only problem? Whoever painted the lines must have been a little drunk or something. It was not straight at all! I could see where the foul pole came up the fence at, but the foul line was to the right of the pole. Where the ball actually landed there was a little hill where I could see where the line came to the crest of it but couldn’t see anything else other than the foul pole. Because of where the ball hit, and the location of the pole, I called it a foul ball because it hit to the right of the foul pole.

West Henderson was at bat during the foul ball play. The head coach, who was standing in the third base coaches box, asked his first base coach where the ball landed? The first base coach said that it landed fair, so he called time and came and asked me where the ball landed? I told him that I seen it hit outside the foul line. He thanked me and headed back to the coaches box.

Like I said, neither game was really all that interesting. Both games were played well, and, if I must say so myself, I called a good game for both.

However, when I got home and took my uniform off I noticed that when I was putting on my plate equipment between games I got some tar, from the wood retaining wall I used to sit on, on the but of my pants. Good thing the tar was on my back pocket and not near the center seam of my pants. That really would not have looked good. Now I have to take them to the dry cleaners to see if they can get the tar out. If they are not able to then I guess that I will just have to order new pants.

My next game is scheduled for today at 4:30. It is middle school game between North Buncombe Middle and Valley Springs. I am scheduled to work the plate.

Game 9

Game 9 was a middle school game played on Thursday, April 15th between Easy Yancey and Cane River. This game was a rivalry game between two middles schools where the student players will move on to Mountain Heritage. Because of this, the two teams played the game at Mountain Heritage High School.

For this game I was scheduled to work the bases, something that I do not get to do too often for some reason.

From the first pitch to the final out this game was the best game that I have been a part of this season. Especially with it being a middle school game. Typically the games are one-sided blowouts, but this game was close all the way through.

Cane River took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning. East Yancey just could not get anything going to get any runs, so it looked as if this was going to be another one of those games. That was until they scored three runs in the bottom of the third to tie the game up 3-3.

After going through the fourth with no runs scored, and no runner getting close to scoring, the game was shaping up to being a nailbighter. Easy Yancey broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth and added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Cane River could not do anything to manufacture a run after the second inning. Easy Yancey won the game 5-3.

Although the game was good and close, it wasn’t absent of questionable calls and rookie mistakes. In the top of the first inning a Cane River baserunner was stealing second. The ball beat him to the bag by a mile and the short stop made the tag. I called the baserunner out, but then the short stop opened his glove and the ball was not in it. The baserunner had successfully kicked the ball out of the glove. I had to quickly change my call to safe.

The mistake that I made on that play was making the call too quickly without having the fielder show me the ball. Had I done that, I would not have looked like a fool for having to change my call. The good thing was that neither of the coaches felt the need to complain about the call that I made. They both knew that I made the correct call.

Then, there was the foul ball that might not have been. With Cane River at bat, and two strikes on the batter, I heard the ball hit off the batters bat, but the plate umpire did not. The plate umpire called it strike three and Cane River’s coach was complaining like crazy. During his rant he asked the plate umpire if he could get help from me. When my partner asked for my assistance I informed him that it was a foul ball. On the play I heard the “tink” of metal. The only way that could be possible is if the bat hit the ball. After making my call, all was good, no one was complaining about it, but my partner informed me at the end of the half inning that the batter said that he did not foul it off.

Then, there was the appeal. East Yancey had a runner on second and the batter at the plate hit a fly ball ball to center field. Because of where the ball was hit, I turned to face the center fielder and backed up at an angle where I could see the baserunner on second and the center fielder. Doing what every umpire in a two man system has to do, I began looking in two directions at once. I saw the catch, then I saw the baserunner take off.

The Cane River coach told his pitcher to ask for an appeal on the runner that was on second. The pitcher asked me if he could appeal and I told him that he could. Then his coach told him to appeal it to the plate umpire saying that it was his call. So, the pitcher asked my partner if he could appeal and he told him that he could. The pitcher threw the ball to the second baseman, who then stepped on second base, and I called the runner safe. The coach for Cane River went crazy. He asked me if that was my call, and I confirmed that it was. He was not happy.

Tomorrow’s posting will be over games 10 & 11 to get me caught up on the games. Games 10 & 11 will be covered in one posting because of them being a double header.