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An umpiring first for Chef

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Chef, Jul 6, 2009.

  1. Chef

    Chef Active Member

    So, I had the plate in a 3-state 18 year old baseball championship game yesterday.

    I had heard rave reviews about this kid from Colorado who was pitching; Anywhere from an 8th to 11th round draft pick, and has an arm that just doesn't slow down.

    The first two pitches this kid threw were probably strikes. I don't know for sure, because I COULDN'T FUCKING SEE THEM.

    I told that to the catcher the next inning, and he just starts rolling. He says that's not the first time this year that has happened.

    I've umpired kids who throw high 80's; From a college coach who was there yesterday, he tells me after the game the kid hit 93.

    Oh.....and he throws a complete game 1-hitter.
     
  2. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    And then Chef cut off the kid's toes, believing he'll improve his mechanics without those pesky bastards. The end.
     
  3. Small Town Guy

    Small Town Guy Well-Known Member

    Didn't Ron Luciano (RIP) tell a story like that about the first time he umped a Nolan Ryan game? I think his line was that it sounded like a strike, because he didn't see it.
     
  4. spnited

    spnited Active Member

    So Chef admits he's guessing at calls because he can't see 'em. Great.
     
  5. Chef

    Chef Active Member

    Bravo.
     
  6. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    The Aristocrats!
     
  7. ServeItUp

    ServeItUp Active Member

    "That sounded low." That's a Luciano-ism.
     
  8. expendable

    expendable Well-Known Member

    He calls 'em as he sees 'em. On the others, he just guesses.
     
  9. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member

    A friend had to toss a kid for releasing his bat on his swing.
    Parents were very upset, he said.
    Not as upset as other parents would have been if your dumbass kicked brained another kid with a flying bat.
     
  10. Chef

    Chef Active Member

    Never saw the ball, but took an educated guess on the two pitches based upon where the catchers mitt was.......one was low, one could have been high.
     
  11. forever_town

    forever_town Well-Known Member

    I joked about pitches being so fast I couldn't see them, but I've never had that actually happen so far.

    Granted, the levels I'm doing generally aren't conducive to blurs, but there've been some kids who threw hard for their level. One kid threw hard enough that when the catcher couldn't catch his fastball and it hit me in my chest protector, I thought to myself, 'wow. That ... hurt!'"

    Saw a kid pitch the bottom of the first in a 9- and 10-year-old game this year. His team hung a 13-spot in the top of the first because the home team's pitcher had no clue where the ball was going. This kid for the visiting team threw real hard AND was throwing strikes that would have been strikes if I used a rulebook strike zone. Actually caught me off guard after one half-inning of a kid soft tossing nowhere near a rulebook strike zone to see the other kid throwing strikes at that speed.
     
  12. zeke12

    zeke12 Guest

    My local park has a little cranny between the grandstand and the dugout where I got to take my coverage shots of the pitcher. You can really get a feel for what the kid has using the long lens from there.

    Kid who came to town a couple weeks ago was drafted late full ride college. He's coming straight over the top and he's throwing nothing but heat the first two innings.

    Now, local ace is a big strong kid who throws hard. I'd guess mid-to-high 80s, though I've never seen a gun on him.

    Kid from out of town was WAYYY faster. I literally couldn't track his pitches. Thought it might be the lens. Stood back and just tried to watch the ball all the way into the mitt.

    Nothing. I could follow it about halfway home, and then it started moving and I lost it, every time. Coach told me they've had him 92-94 on the gun.

    Can't imagine trying to hit that shit.
     
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