This is this first time since I've owned Ump-Attire.com (3 years) that I left for a week of Spring Break right smack in the middle of the heavy part of our busy season. I was very hesitant to do that but I had the opportunity to go to 3 spring training games and spend some time with one of the MLB umpires in the Fort Myers, Florida area. Plus, I knew things were in good hands here.
So you're at a spring training game? What do you watch? The star players to see if they're on their game yet? The prospects? Women in the stands who are dressed for the beach? Of course not. You go to watch the umpires. If you're an umpire and you're reading this, you know what I'm talking about.
Ok, here are some random and some meaningless observations.
- The umpire crews working the games were not the umpire crews put together for the regular season. They were all MLB umpires, except for maybe one MiLB umpire I couldn't figure out who he was, just not from the same crew. I would have expected they would have wanted to work together in training just as the players worked together but my suscipion is that this had more to do with where umpires live more than anything else.
- I was happy to see Tim Tschida umpiring the Twins-Cardinals game on 4/5. Tim is a really super nice guy who I was able to spend some time talking to at the UMPS CARE GOLF CLASSIC.
But I actually thought Tim missed a call a first base calling a Twins runner safe where it appeared the throw was in time. Of course, his vantage point was MUCH better than mine as he was standing right there, and I was 20 rows up behind home plate. I'd place my bet on the crew chief with 22 years of experience, 2 All-Star games and 2 World Series any day. But I joked with my wife that Tim is actually from Minnesota, and I was wondering if anyone else at the game might know that and accuse Tim of home cooking. - In all the games, the umpires in the field switched after every few innings with each calling a few at 1st and a few elsewhere. I have never seen this before.
- One MLB umpire had had a death in the family and was not able to umpire 2 of the 3 games I attended. He was not replaced for either day he was to umpire. Using a fill-in is normally the case on the MLB level, but at spring training they simply worked a 3-man system instead (at least in these games).
- In the Red Sox-Rays game on 4/6, there were quite a few hard line drives. I couldn't help but notice the 1st and 3rd base coaches with their helmets, but the MLB umpire working between the pitcher's mound and 2nd base in a 3-man system (at a shorter distance than the base coaches) was unprotected. I couldn't help but think how smart it would be for an umpire on the bases to wear some type of head protection. I've alluded to this in a blog post before (at bottom).
Why would that be so bad? Umpires are not normally the athletes that players are, so they honestly can't get out of the way as quickly of one of these line shots nor do they have a glove to defend themselves. I do know some umpires wear a cup on the bases. So there is logic that some umpires feel there is a risk they'll get hit in a significant area. Why not the concern for the head? Shouldn't it a significant area require just as much protection?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. - Brian O' Nora umpired every game I attended. Brian was the subject of 2 blog posts from last year. On the day Brian called behind the plate, he was not wearing his signature black-and-tan mask (tan padding at top / black at bottom) that I light-heartedly made fun. He has also not moved to a bucket style helmet after being hit by a broken bat last year.
- Most of the umpires on the bases wore umpire shirts without pockets. I was happy to see that as I've been discussing the possibility of providing this option in the near future.
Twins - Lee County Stadium
Red Sox - City of Palms Park
1 comments:
I'm defintely one of those umpires that wears a cup on the field when I do high school games. I've had one close call on a line drive at my body, but I've yet to be hit there. Like any other seemingly unnecessary change, I'm not sure the field helmets are that big of a deal. It seems like we as umpires have enough time to make evasive maneuvers. The pitchers are even closer than we are, should they wear a helmet too?
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