Announcements
Player/Umpire Etiquette
An umpires job is to control all aspects of the game while being the judge of all things in a baseball game. All ball/strike, fair/foul and out/safe calls are calls of judgement and may not be contested or argued by any player. If a player questions any of these calls, the umpire only needs to say (in effect), "That's how I judged it" and has the final say. At this moment, there is nothing left to talk about and the player and umpire should both move on to continuing the game.
I've asked the umpires to "turn their back" once an explanation for a call is made. This is to be a strong message to the player that the discussion about the call/play is OVER. This is part of controlling the game and moving it forward and is not an attempt to "show up" or ignore a player. After the umpire turns his back, and if the player then persists in any communication about the call, the umpire has the right to eject the player from the game and the park.
That said, if any player has ANY issue or complaints about any umpire in our league, the proper action is to notify myself and Carl, preferably in writing (email is prefered). If complaints are persistent and consistent, action will be taken.
Personal comments - For over 100 years, playing the game and the judgement of play by the umpires have been done by humans. Humans err. This means players make mistakes in the game and so do umpires. And I will support the human error aspect of the umpires in our game. If umpires are consistently making major mistakes then these will be addressed in due time. However, if the umpire is calling low strikes, or outside strikes - and he's consistent about them - then I suggest you start protecting that part of the strike zone, because for that game it's a bigger strike zone. Same thing goes with pitchers (like myself) who get frustrated at a tea-cup size strike zone. I suggest teammates discuss how an umpire is calling pitches to help each other in knowing the strike zone for that game. So long as the umpire is consistent throughout the game, complaints won't really hold much value here. (Though I will be looking for the umpire to improve over time). The point here is, every umpire may have a slightly different strike zone and it is and always has been part of the game. It's also part of the challenge as a batter.
Steve Murfin, a stocky loud umpire with a thick black mustache from the Ponce de Leon Baseball league in Maryland had a very low and outside strike zone. Every time I played a game with him behind the plate, I protected a HUGE strikezone - and took advantage of it when I pitched! I think I have more strike-outs as a pitcher AND A BATTER with him behind the plate. Today, Steve is a dear friend - I've attended MLB games, played a few rounds of golf and attended a few charity events with him - and I still don't prefer him to call pitches. But what I like most about him is that he's an outstanding person of integrity and character. I miss him greatly.
So, I suggest that when you step up to bat and get on base this weekend - shake the umps' hands and give them a smile and a thanks! Take some time to get to know them. And don't forget that this league is a "for fun" league - so find ways to enjoy it more, like really getting to know one another.
Thanks for your understanding.
Jack
jack@gapbaseball.com
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2009 Spring Home Run Derby:
This season's Home Run Derby had to be dealt with the elements! It was quite a feat fighting off the heat and humidity, much less trying to pound as many balls over the fence. Nick Poor, Carl Putnam, Jason Queen, Luke Roberts, and Jeff Bigham all advanced to the final round. Congratulations to Luke Roberts for being our Runner Up and to Jeff Bigham for being our 2009 Spring Home Run Derby Winner!
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Luke Roberts - Home Run Derby Runner Up! |
Jeff Bigham - Home Run Derby Winner |
2009 Spring Championship Game:
Congratulations go out to the Orphan's, let by Dan Lynam, for winning the 2009 Spring Championship Game which took place this season on Furman University's Latham Field. It was an honor and a privilege to play on a top university's field. We had an announcer, Carl and his kids kept score on the scoreboard, and Carl's son Brandon played various intro music on the field's PA system as each batter stepped up to bat. We all had a great time and we hope we can do it again in the near future. Thanks for participating!
Championship Game Teams: Orphans (in blue) and the Superbas (in red).
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March 1st, 2009 - Gene Fehler's novel Beanball wins a prestigous award! Each year the Society of School Librarians International (SSLI) announces annual book awards in several categories, one Best Book and nine Honor Books. In the "Grades 7-12 Novels" category SSLI just named Gene's novel Beanball the 2008 Best Book. I'm sure Gene's especially gratified when he saw that some of the Honor Books that Beanball beat out were written by world-famous authors, including Avi and Madeleine L'Engle. If you haven't read Beanball, you can get it at your local Barnes and Noble, Borders or online at Amazon.com. We're proud of you Gene!
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2008 Fall Championship Game - November 16th, 2008
Our fourth season concluded with a grand championship game - probably one fo the best games of the season. With both teams keeping the score close throughout the game, Superbas finished on top with Larry Gabe hitting a single to bring in the winning run! It was just fantastic. Everyone who saw the game enjoyed watching from the edge of their seats! Congratulations to the Superbas for winning the 2008 Fall Championship Game!
Here's a picture of both teams after the game; Superbas (Manager: Tim Fehler) in Blue and the Highlanders (Manager: Carl Putnam) in Red. Apologies for the poor picture quality - camcorders aren't made for still pictures...
2008 Fall Home Run Derby
Prior to the Championship Game we had our fourth Home Run Derby. This season we held it at Simpsonville's City Park on the lower field! That's right it's the field for coach pitch and T-Ball where the fence is only 210 feet all around! And yet, very few could hit more than five home runs! Our Home Run Derby Winner is Jason Q. with Nick P as our Runner-Up. Congrats to both players - well done!
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Home Run Derby Winner - Jason Queen |
Home Run Derby Runner-Up - Nick Poor |
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Registration for the Fall 2009 season is open!
The Registration fee is $110 for a minimum of 8 games (8th game is the first play-off game).
If you have any questions about the league, please send an email to info@gapbaseball.com.