Discrimination? 2 umps for girls, 3 for boys

[mrscoach18]

Just got home from Memphis and wanted to start this thread to get some opinions. During the Regions and Secitional, we had 3 umps on the field. We get to State and only have 2. Attended 3 boys games, and suprise suprise!!, they have 3 umps. What is up? Are the girls not deserving of three umps? I guess TSSAA can't afford three for the girls...

[roundman]

It doesn't sound fair, especially after previously going with three.

 

the size of the entire playing field for baseball certainly calls for three.

 

for softball, i could see two being feasable, but then why not in region and sectional if so.

[MaryvilleRebels]

Well it won't really matter either way, having three umps just makes one move less. Also the field for boys baseball is a considerable amount larger than the girls. Now if you want to look at discrimination you'd probably have to take away the entire idea of softball. Considering baseball was first and they basically took the idea of baseball and made things "easier for girls!" They discriminated by making the ball bigger, the field shorter, the bats longer, the mound closer, the bases closer, and they added shorts so the girls would have a reason not to slide. So basically if you want to rant about discrimination you'd have to hit the source, the beginning of softball, and once you hit that you'd probably have to keep going. So basically what I'm trying to say is...don't worry about it, its not hurting anything and not everyone can be pleased. Also there is that little money factor in this situation. At state the girls play somewhere around 20 games (thats an estimate, I don't want to look it up) and each umpire is paid somewhere around 75 dollars, multiple that by 3 and then by 20. 4, 500 dollars for a weeks worth of games, with only 2 umpires you only spend 3,000, though still a lofty number, it seems pretty economical to save the 1,500 dollars, who knows that money could go into making the sport better for everyone, improving the field, there is no telling what could be done with the 1,500 that was saved!

[TankTalk]

Who had to pay for the umps during the regionals and sectionals? Who had to pay for the umps during the Fling?

 

I'm not a smart man but venturing a guess, I would say that is where your answer lies.

[FPFanatic]

Maryvillerebel,

The reasons you say that girls are discriminated against

are the very same reasons that fastpitch is a better and

more skillful, thus more difficult, game than baseball.

The larger ball has more movement, thus harder to hit.

Pitching distance is shorter, thus harder to hit.

Basepaths are shorter, thus harder to throw out runners.

Rules on stealing or leaving early are different, thus

the need for 3 umpires.

[PureFP]

I am a fastpitch umpire. I can state from experience that baseball absolutely requires a minimum of 3 umpires, whereas softball absolutely requires a minimum of 2. Field size, lead-offs, and balks are the difference.

 

That being said, I can't imagine why you wouldn't want 4 on the field for both baseball and softball in this crucial match-up. Several local district championships had 4, and rightfully so. I am sure it is all about the money, and the fact that TSSAA does a poor job of on-going training and certification. (Of course, ASA and NSA also does a poor job of on-going trainng.)

 

They probably didn't have enough quality umpires to cover all 4 divisions and coordinate getting them all to Memphis all at the same time. Most umpires below the age of 60 have full-time jobs. That is why I haven't pursued TSSAA certification, because of games during the week. I also know that the baseball state tournament is spread out across much more time than softball.

[PLateauMan]

FEAR NOT FANS OF THREE UMPIRES! Three umps will appear after the first two rounds.

 

PLateauman GO JETS!

[23sMom]

should have stayed in Chattanooga...they could afford 3 umps....dont tell me that Memphis is broke....

[mrscoach18]

FEAR NOT FANS OF THREE UMPIRES! Three umps will appear after the first two rounds.

 

Will baseball have 4 in the final rounds? If not, why does softball start with 2 and end with 3?

[PLateauMan]

THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE MODE OPERIDI AT THE STATE

[ERA]

Wouldn' you umps feel better with three in important games as these?

[MaryvilleRebels]

Fanatic....you listed that the difference in softball makes it harder. I know that softball isn't an easy sport, but I disagree with you! Now it is a known and proven fact that girls aren't (usually) as athletic as boys. There are exceptions, but if you look at the records in track for the 100, 400, high jump, long jump, you'll see that all of these the boys have a leg up. What I am saying is that a boy can get down the baseline on a field faster than a girl (in most cases, there are some girls that can fly). Sure the ball is bigger and might have more movement, but its still bigger therefore easir to see and hit. The mound is shorter because they can't generate a good amount of speed from a further distance. Now once again if you look at the track records in shot and disc, the boys have stronger arms. Now I am not saying any of this to put girls down, but a lot of it is true. Now I personally umpire girls softball (ages 9-12) and a lot of them wouldn't be able to hit the ball if it were smaller. Now the girls aren't throwing fast, as a matter of fact I don't even need equiptment to umpire behind the plate, and even with the slow pitching and the bigger ball they still have trouble making contact. Not to mention that hardly any of them can catch consistently. There are maybe 1-2 on each team that can catch the ball almost everytime, but not a whole entire team. Now you said that everything in softball is shorter, therefore making it harder...well what about the fence? Its shorter and the girls still don't hit a ton of homeruns. At Maryville Little League people are confidents and brave enough to park their cars behind the girls softball field because they've never really seen one hit it that far, even senior leaguers. However; our minor league and little league fields are the same size as the softball field and the boys (ages 9-12) hit more homeruns than the girls. My point on that, and this entire post, is not that the boys are better than the girl, but that your remarks were totally off! Sure everything is shorter, but the girls are also less athletic (though still athletic), the ball is bigger, but the girls also tend to have worse mechanics (especially at a younger age, and my last point, on the field size was to prove that everything being smaller is not a disadvantage! Now honestly, I don't care either way if the field has 2 or 3 umpires, but I wouldn't call it discrimination, maybe its a little unfair, but if boys only had two and girls had 3 then noone would complain. The way I see it is...don't worry about it, its not degrading to women to only play with 2 umpires, and unless there is a call that changed a game and the 2 umpires blow the call then maybe I can see grounds for complaint. So my point...let it go!