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TOPIC: A reason the switch to USSSA was a good one. |
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| RyMan
June 5, 2008
12:50:34 PM
Entry #: 2779868
| So we've all seemed to enjoy the switch to USSSA for the umpires at least. We at Patriot Oil haven't had an issue with any umpires so far, but I wanted to share this story from my other league (which is still ASA) that I think illustrates the different levels of officiating from the 2 associations. This happened a few weeks ago.
For my other team im their everyday third baseman and one of the 2 or so guys who really understands the finer points of the rules and regulations. As you all know I'm a self proclaimed bat expert, and one thing I do during games where I play in the infield is check out the bat the opposing batter is using. Well in this game I notice one of their batters come up with an Easton Synergy 2 (the one that got ousted with this years banned ASA bats). Now I didn't think one guy and one bat were gonna beat our team, but rules are rules and I'd have gone out and bought a Miken Freak 100 for this season if it were allowed. Imagine if in our league a guy broke out an Ultra II.
So during the break between innings I go to this ASA umpire, nice guy, very approachable, and mention the bat in question hoping that with him being the game official he would be informed in regards to rule changes in the association he is employed with and that they wouldn't allow someone to be an umpire for ASA if he wasn't a walking rule book for them. Well he comes back with something along the lines of "Is it a composite bat? Because as far as I know all composite bats are out of ASA this year".
I was in shock. I looked at both teams bats and saw that if this guy said we couldn't use composite bats, there would be TWO bats that's be useable, and I think my team had both of them. I tried to tell him to just look for the ASA 2004 stamp because its a sure fire sign that its a good bat, to which he replied "Those stamps don't mean anything anymore".
We play through a half an inning and he gets a printed piece of paper from his car with pictures and names of all the outlawed bats. Its all Utrip, senior league, and the old ASA bats. Im trying to show him our bats and im quickly pointing out the Utrip equivalent on his little sheet to speed his process along, but he insisted on checking every little picture with every bat we had, and ignore the fact that im showing him that every bat he's giving the ok to is composite AND has the ASA 2004 stamp. It took him almost half an hour to go through both teams bats (the Synergy was placed back in a bat bag before the check was done). I also asked him why bat companies would make new composite ASA bats if they were all banned to which he had no reply. What an idiot.
My main point here is I saw no huge difference in the switch in umpires until that travesty. Artie, thanks for pushing for the switch. I may try to get some info from you to make the same push in my other league for next season.
Anyone else have any good sucky ASA umpire stories??
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| EW33
June 5, 2008
1:33:50 PM
Entry #: 2779931
| Too many to list. As soon as the game changes from a pickup game to an organized game ASA is useless. That is all that needs to be said.
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| RyMan
June 5, 2008
1:45:21 PM
Entry #: 2779947
| Don't say that's all that needs to be said! I know that it is as cut and dry as you say Ernie, but I know there are guys that have been playing ASA softball since back when the ball was a balled up boxing glove and the bats were broomsticks *cough* lb4lb *cough*, and im dying to hear some stories. Im sure you even have one worth mentioning, Big Ern.
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| Hinske
June 5, 2008
3:21:10 PM
Entry #: 2780106
| Here is a great story for ya.
I play down in west kingston on monday nights. This happend a few weeks ago between us and another team who are battling back and forth for first place all year. Mind you we only play each team three times. We lost the first game to them and heres how the second game went.
We were deadlocked 8-8 in the last game of the night on the field in which the curfew is 10 pm. This umpire unprofessionally took two instances of instigating arguments with the other team so bad to the point of us telling him to just letus play the game. On the two instances he took 15 min each time to get the game back in order.
That being said at the end of the seventh inning and we are tied ready to go out for the eigth inning and the umpire says nope boys thats it times up games are only suppose to go for an 1hr 15mins in asa. Mean while we have never ever used that rule as long as we dont go past ten oclock. I am not even sure if that is an asa rule or a leugue rule. None the less the game was called a tie.
I have no problem with umpires controlling the game in that they either put up with some jawing or they dont. But he stopped the game and argued and told the guy he was going to meet him in the parking lot. now this is an ump that is yelling at a player. We beat the team this past monday so now we are not allowed to decide the out come of the year on the field. its a shame and i am glad that we have guys now that care about the game.
Unprofessional and i think asa should be baned from all competitive leagues.
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| Brian Stevens
June 5, 2008
5:31:45 PM
Entry #: 2780388
| Umpires are great and I can hit home runs again.
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| lb4lb
June 6, 2008
7:07:52 PM
Entry #: 2782106
| since you referenced me Ryman I will participate....what I notice is no so much that the ASA guys sucked, but that the USSSA guys are very very good. Now, I have only played once this year..but when I walk on the field and see Danny Balkun and his partner...right there you had two guys who had control, obviously knowledgeable, hustled, worked well together and you noticed that they were also softball fans...that is , they werent hoping for the games to end early, get their money and get in their car and go home. And Balkun can hit better than 90% of the players in the league...esp Considine. Is that because USSSA is better organzied, better trained..I dont know. I think it starts with who they have attracted to sign up to be USSSA umps....good hardworking guys make good hardworking umps. Lets give credit to whoever runs USSSA.....
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| Jeffc_28
June 6, 2008
8:15:44 PM
Entry #: 2782167
| But we can all agree that the USSSA softballs are a joke.
I mean lb4lb has 3 hrs in 7 at bats!
Seriously though the balls are rocks and they stay rocks all day, when it comes down to it the usssa bats are not the reason for all the extra power so far this year.
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| EW33
June 7, 2008
3:56:45 AM
Entry #: 2782427
| I agree with lb4lb but Ryman you may be misinformed about my age or think that being 30 means that I have just started playing softball. I have been playing since i was 18 and ASA every sunday morning because west warwick was ASA as well as coventry. I also played in almost all the state tournaments for ASA D and E classes for the last 10 years. I have seen plenty of ASA ball and never liked the umpires, but the shit we seen the last 5 years in west warwick and coventry was horrible.
I can go over story after story. I hit a homerun out of the lower field (old babe ruth field, below amby smith) and there is a big old hill there. THe ball lands halfway up the hill in the weeds and is clearly fair because if it was foul it would be in the heavy trees that are just after the foul pole. The umpire calls it foul and the other team proceeds to tell the blind prick that it was fair also and he says no it wasnt it was foul.
I got doubled off against Mertog's team last year. I don't think anything else needs to be said to anyone that knows me. I was safe by a full step and the only good part of the play was that Mark found the need to yell to me "you were out by two steps". Probably the only reason i didnt yell more than what i did at the ump.
I watched Rob Raymond get away with 20 foot pitches for years because he mowed the head of the umpires associations lawn.
I saw an umpire call me out at first then tell me between innings (after i yelled at him for about 15 minutes) that "You were safe" and "Wow you can really move for a big guy. I won't make that mistake next time you're on the basepaths."
I have seen more bad calls and even worse explanations for those bad calls than I care to mention. I was just trying to make a point Ryman. So blow it out your hind hole!
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| lb4lb
June 7, 2008
9:32:08 AM
Entry #: 2782501
| EW for Mayor! You are one articulate MFer. One of these days you are going to crack a post thats the equivalent of a 400 foot homerun. " Four score a seven years ago our forefathers played softball under the blue skies and on the green grass of what is now known as Spinard Mermorial Park.."...." Ask not what Coventry can do for you, ask what you can do for Coventry.." .." The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself. And dropping pitches on the outside corner to Pete I"...Keep 'em coming.
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| RyMan
June 7, 2008
11:19:20 AM
Entry #: 2782576
| Ernie, whatever I said was meant as no disrespect to you nor was it meant to bring your softball experience into question. I've been playing softball for 10 years this month (nowhere near at the level you have as my numbers dictate). It was just with our league's obvious disdane for ASA umpires coupled with that recent experience of mine, I wanted to see if anyone had any funny stories of encounters with umpires. The only reasons I said what I said in response to your post was because I didn't want what you said to discourage anyone from posting, and the part about guys that have play for a long time was merely to take a jab at lb4lb. If there was any disrespect taken from what I said to you it was not my intention.
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| Uncle Mertog
June 7, 2008
3:29:18 PM
Entry #: 2782713
| Ryman don't backpeddle to the "Portugese Manowar" known as Big Ern, slap him upside the head and tell him: "Spider get me another beer you prick"
The hit in question that Big Ern is refering to was at the Nike site and we were playing the Jrs/VFW/Everyone Else team this fall. Ernie hit one of his Powder Puff Girl dribblers to short and he was doubled up. Now Ernie screams "What the Fuck are you kidding me, I haven't been doubled up in ten fucking years". So I looked at him and said: "You were out by two steps" at which point Ernie's eyes roll back in his head and his head nearly spun completely around.
He wipes the drool off his mouth and glares at me and yells: "Fuck you Mert you fucking Punk" then five minutes later he comes over and says you made me laugh my ass off.
Same game...first pitch of the game, Rob Raymond on the mound and the pitch was one of his 20' arc specials. I tell my batter "Illegal"...the ASA prick nearly loses his fucking mind and yells to me.."I'm not listening to you all day, one more word out of your mouth and you're done."
Later the ASA prick says to me: "I know the arc is a little high but when I played I used to love to hit high arc pitches. My response was I love to use an Ultra II but it's illegal, the rule is there for a reason.
This is the twisted fucking logic that goes through the purile brain of an ASA prick.
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| EW33
June 7, 2008
8:38:10 PM
Entry #: 2782839
| I was just joking as well ryman but screw u if it bugged ya ... see the difference. Piss me off and tell me to fuck off. I like it. It's the kinda thing along with shots to the head that starts off as foreplay in my house.
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| Uncle Mertog
June 7, 2008
9:26:41 PM
Entry #: 2782873
| A smack to the head is a nice warm up in foreplay I find, then the wife gets really, really mad and jerks you off so hard like she is trying to pull a better looking guy out of me.
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| CA
June 9, 2008
10:15:15 PM
Entry #: 2785653
| Mertog your a wise, wise, wise man
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