Vol33

Like ksgovols I too wore every hat on a baseball field and played D1 ball. All any coach should expect from an umpire is rule knowledge and reasonable effort, i.e. getting in the right position for the call. When coaches fail to see this there will always be problems, a missed call is more acceptable than no effort to make the right call. Most players exhibiting this effort find their way to the bench in a hurry. Good umpires could care less who wins. Unfortunately not all umpires are good umpires nor are all coaches good coaches. Good umps reinforce what good coaches teach and are an intergral part of early stage development. Bad umps destroy what good coaches are trying to instill. Each should have a mutual respect based on their parts for making the game the greatest. In my county the school custodian can be the head coach as long as he/she is a school employee. As long a we fall under TSSAA jurisdiction we will continue to get lip service. Don't mean to sound like a detractor but I've seen too much. It can be fixed and hat's off to the great coaches and umps who truly make a difference.

Go back and read Alcoa vs. Stone Memorial 3/20/2013. Stone up by four runs, Alcoa has bases loaded with one out. Pop fly to shortstop dropped, runner from third scores. That much is correct. Runner on second stays but runner from first goes to second, batter is on first. Runner at second takes off for third and is tagged out. Should have been the end of the inning as both teams exit the field and Alcoa sends out its defense. Home plate ump or ump wanna be says he called infield fly, no one heard this call. It is the correct call though so batter or runner at first is out two. This is where it gets tricky though, with two runners standing on second the lead runner tries to make third and is thrown out. Out three right? Somehow, with two runners occupying second base the home plate ump declares he had called time out, while ball is live. He then proceeds, after questioning by Stone Coach, to put the runner back at second base and runner from second back to first. Alcoa then scores on a hit. Strike zone became nonexistent for four Stone pitchers yet the Alcoa blocked pitches for strikes. Perhaps the poorest officiated game I have ever seen. Alcoa fans were apologetic it was so bad. They had the tenth and eleventh man that day. It happens.

Both teams should step it up. If there are to be competitive sports there has to be a desire to win and not just settle for whatever. Many life lessons can be learned through sports which carry on in school and all through your life. It's easy to quit and lay down but it takes a little intestinal fortitude to overcome obstacles and win. Here's hoping these two fight it out for the District and leave highly favored Cookeville on the outside looking in this time.

Wingman, buc1973, newguy, MLREB, are you quadruplets? Your post profiles are all the same.

With the present administration, who were willing to settle for last or next to last place three years in a row, fighting for second place seems a lofty goal. Last years talent pool at Stone could have won the District had they had any mentoring. Nothing in Cumberland County High School baseball will change until parents get tired of just settling. Somehow a fire has to be lit under the BOE and High School Principals that as far as baseball the system has failed miserably. I do hope a little more forethought is put into hiring the next coach for the sake of the young men involved. They deserve much better than has thus far been afforded them. I also think Coaches, at least head Coaches need to be certified teachers. It's not that way in Cumberland County, you work in the school system you can Head Coach. There's just something wrong with that picture.

Sorry again Diamond Dad, perhaps you should get familiar with Elite Baseball Camps and SEC level coaching. Sticking the ball as you put it is ok for little league but the higher you go umpires consider it a catcher trying to show up an umpire. It is discouraged. Catchers are taught to recieve pitches. If an umpire is calling a game equally, say it skipped, then it has to skip both ways. From the point in the game the call was blown the home plate ump made the Stone pitchrs throw through a donut. You say you weren't there and have no vested interest so how could you dare call a group of first hand witnesses liars? It's not indisputable that catchers have to stick pitches unless you are stricly referring to little league which seems more you level of comprehension based on your posts. I don't mean to seem disrespectful but you really don't have a dog in this fight.

I could care less who you are. Come to Crossville any time you want and look me up, I'm not hard to find. You have chosen to defend an indefensible idiot call, which you say in no way affected the outcome of this game. Explain why the fans apologized at how the strike zone disappeared for Stone pitchers and your guys could skip them in for strikes. Your own coach already had his team in the field, he knew, but how could he say no to such a wonderful gift? I'm not knocking your coach, he seems like a good man and the team seems well coached. It is just incredibly hard to stomach a vindictive ump. Just calling a spade a spade.

Sorry DiamondDad, if an ump is calling balls and strikes based on the position of the mitt he's an idiot. The strike zone, that implied rectangle from a batter's chest to his knees in relation to the plate is where the pitch is to be called. A guy who stands deep in the box may have a breaking ball hit the dirt but cross the plate in the zone. Looking at the mitt rewrites the strike zone just as the ump rewrote calling time out with two runners on second base. Own that. Stone has lost many games this year and how many whining posts have been on this site. To my knowledge zip. If an ump is in position to see the zone that's all he's supposed to need to see to call balls and strikes. He was observant enough to know who sat where and who said what, rabbit ears, perhaps he should have observed the game a little more. Real college umps and major league umps detest a catcher holding a pitch, trying to show up the ump. Please just explain why your fans were apologizing to the Stone fans for this obvious butchering.

These accused loser fans have been very complimentary of umping crews all season. In your case though they were overly compelled to puke. Enough said, you are not worth any further replies.

Hey Blue, the Stone Ambassador you refer to was a catcher for the University of Tennessee. I was within ear shot of this man all game and his only utterance was when you blew the infield fly situation. Firstly, having officiated for many years umpire crews usually have a signal to each other when an infield fly possibility exists. As umpire in chief, you the home plate ump, are to audibly declare infield fly, batter is out, runners advance at your own risk. Next time use your big boy voice and don't passively whisper like a little girl. The runner scored from third was correct, however, please offer your explanation for saying you had called time out with two runners occupying second base. BS on all of your whines as well. You choose to quote rules at your convenience but your knowledge seems quite limited as well. If you are the great college ump you declare why not position your field ump correctly. Shortstop side with runner on first base, really? If you were a real ball and strike man the mitt is the least of consequences in calling the zone. Get it, the zone. The balls relationship to the plate and the batter determines the zone. The mitt is merely for catching the ball. Save all your condescending remarks for the next team your butcher. You were an embarrassment to the game and to others who wear blue. Umpires are paid to know and enforce the rules of the game without bias. In your case, your embarrasment led to Stone pitchers throwing through a donut while Alcoa got two hula hoops. Their fans aplolgized for your ineptitude. By the way it was really classy of you to run your mouth to the Stone assistanct coach after the game. How's that for a news flash? Lastly, if you were such a great college ump did you get busted back to the minors? The real whiner is you and your classless attitude. Read it might be on film, I sure hope so. Sorry I have to steal your quote," Your whining is comical and your knowledge of what goes on in a game and on the field is brief at best."