Umpire Diary

I had two games to work last night and they both involved players I like to draw on my docket. You'd think, therefore, that it would have been a lot of fun and provide some tales for the blog.

You'd think, but not so much. Mostly because my little black hole episode referenced the other day is still hanging around. I'd managed to gain some altitude the day before, but apparently not a lot, because I got tired and dropped down a bit and was basically powering through last night. Which is a shame, because it was the first time I got to work a game with The Leftovers this year and I didn't make the most of it. Still, things went OK. I might not have been "all there," but it's still nice to see Neal and Cerissa and the gang.

Both games were blowouts, with the team playing a doubleheader scoring 38 runs in each while holding the opponents to the teens. Some of the players on the winning side were present on the night I got "policed" by the league, so there were questions, good-natured ribbings, further discussion of that incident; that likely didn't help my demeanor, but I still appreciated it. The players deserve to have an idea of what kind of business they're supporting, and I don't want to be opaque or, on the flip side, unreasonably critical or leave such impressions. Still, I prefer to just ignore that fiasco at this point.

One bit of administrative nuisance that came up was about our league's lineup rules, which require a minimum gender ratio be followed (no more than two men for each woman or non-binary player in the lineup or on the field). One group was lobbying for an exception to the rule and even though I like these people, and even though I have been known to, under extenuating circumstances, allow for a deviation from the edict, on principle I support the rule and want to enforce it. Doing so didn't win me any new friends, but in this area I don't mind being a hardass so long as the rest of the field staff are consistent with it. We're a coed league, we're not a men's league, and making allowances for teams that show up with a too-skewed ratio of men to women or vice-versa (though that's yet to happen) is counter-productive. When I was a team captain in this league I had to deal with it and deprive myself and one or more of my teammates from at-bats because one or more of the ladies didn't show up. It's annoying, but the rule exists for a reason and I agree with it.

The issue that gives me even a little pause is that apparently some of the other umps choose not to enforce the rule and therein lies potential chaos. There have been piddly rules I've chosen not to enforce now and then, just to avoid arguments on things that I consider inconsequential (generally these have been rules about a specific pitching distance or concerning the pitching rubber, the enforcement of which once resulted in an epic meltdown of a player who turned out to be on the autism spectrum, or the scope of the batters' box, which on dirt fields especially can be tricky due to lack of field maintenance) but every time such things come up I make it clear—the rulebook says this, but I'm choosing not to enforce it today because of X. Others will likely choose to enforce it, I may choose to under other circumstances next time, so never assume this to be standard. But if others are just ignoring things like the ratio rule (which maybe they believe to be inconsequential, though I'd disagree) and giving teams the impression that they have at least a 50/50 shot at ignoring it on a given day, then the teams may plan for it or at least not prepare for working within their limits. I just ask for consistency—keep the rule or change it, but don't leave players wondering what it'll be every time out.

I'm not recalling in great detail how well I handled that problem last night—the black hole made me a bit foggy and I remain so today—but it was enforced and there wasn't a lot of pushback, so it must have been OK.

I've got a couple more games on Sunday afternoon and then two more Monday night. Hopefully I'll be more clearheaded and in a higher orbit by then.