Youth baseball parents put on notice

Amen to most of the comments on here -- especially the ones about the tight strike zone. FileNotFound's strike zone is a must for ages 12 and younger.

And as a parent, I've been to youth sports in every season (football, basketball, swimming, baseball/softball) and it seems that, by far, baseball and softball umps take more grief from parents than any other officials -- yes, including basketball.

I think it must be the heat and humidity.

 

I guess my situation was a you had to be there thing. I wasn't even addressing the umpire. He accosted me. I wasn't questioning a call. I was coaching. The umpire then came to me and said I was wrong (when clearly I wasn't). I agree with not arguing judgment calls. I call enough games to understand that aspect is "seen" differently when you care who wins and loses.

When I'm calling youth games, we discuss which book (FED or OBR), which league (DYB, USSSA, etc.) and then the local park rules. I don't expect umps to get the local ruls right as they're usually stupid. But I do expect the basics right.

 

You wonder where all this would be if a college education was a guarantee to everyone who academically qualified to go.

 

No I don't wonder that. I wonder what kind of medication would cause you to hacullinate a connection between what this thread is about and the point you just tried to make.

 

Uh, dumbass. the battle and backbiting and exploitation involved in trying to pay for college through athletic development?

Page 1. There is a page 1.

 

It's not about the college education. That's just the convenient excuse to make it seems OK.

Sort of like that creepy show where parents bet against their kids.

 

Bullshit. Go to any 6-8 year-old game and you'll see that. I once overheard two moms saying something about a college scout who has already talked to them about Junior....just the spirit of the conversation that followed struck me as how delusional this once fun game at a fun level has become.

 

That's not about the education itself. It's just a bigger form of the trophy saying how awesome your kid is.

 

No, but a lot of parents approach athletics as being critical to paying for their kid's education.

Really funny conversation I had with a woman who has made for herself quite the part-time income from taking over a headache of park management in the summer from the city I live in. She then reserves the fields for "events" which has typically turned into select tournaments and various "World Tournament" qualifiers and such. She said to me, "You know, if these parents would count up the amount of money they spend to take part on these traveling teams and had put that in a savings account, they'd have their scholarship. But they don't, and I go to the bank every week with a check."

 

That sounds like a nice hypothetical conversation that never happened but involved enough anecdotes you've heard about on the Internet that it has a whiff of credibility.

And there really isn't a whole lot of thought about the college scholarship while parents are abusing the umpires. Trust me. I suppose there is in the higher levels of travel/select -- among the majors teams -- and especially as the kids get older. But for the most part the parents behave this way because they simply cannot control their emotions when it comes to their kids.

 

You're a smart ass. Give me your contact and I'll have the woman personally call you to tell you how much of a smart ass you are. People bitch about how much she charges to get into the damn taxpayer facility and she wouldn't have been in that position had the city not been more than willing to get out of the business. She simply feeds off the addiction.

 

Scotland.