The Book 2007 Ragin' Cajun Baseball

[Cajun Express]

Yesterday was horrible!!! A strike would be thrown and then the next pitch would be in the exact location of the last pitch but it is a ball. HORRIBLE!!! But I have seen worse lol

Cannot agree more, the guys in blue are awful, but it is what it is.

[BirdofParadise]

Cannot agree more, the guys in blue are awful, but it is what it is.

Everything is relative.

If you watched the guy at McNeese Wednesday night, you'd be thankful for what you saw this weekend.

[Clutch0364]

Everything is relative.

If you watched the guy at McNeese Wednesday night, you'd be thankful for what you saw this weekend.

BOP did you think the right call was made I believe on Hicks? He stole 2nd and was safe but then they said he came off the bag. I seen him get the bag and I turned to tell a friend something and missed what happened after.

[CajunProud]

Everything is relative.

If you watched the guy at McNeese Wednesday night, you'd be thankful for what you saw this weekend.

I agree.

I didn't get to hear the post game interview with Coach. Did he comment at all on Solich. It looke to me as if he was throwing very well. I just hate to see a kids position in the rotation determined by a very poor officiating crew.

[cjr3888]

The FAU player blocked the base with his foot. When he moved his foot, Hicks went to put his foot on the base and the FAU player tagged him out.

[jay bee]

... the umpire behind the plate was absolutely one of the worst ball/strike umpires I have seen...

That guy was calling first on Saturday afternoon. He didn't make very good calls there, either. Check out the discussion here.

[CajunRebel]

I hate to jump on the umpires, especially after a sweep of FAU, but.........
I usually expect to see a couple of games every year where the umpiring is poor, but this season has been very disturbing to say the least. I was at the game yesterday, and the umpire behind the plate was absolutely one of the worst ball/strike umpires I have seen. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason behind what was a strike and what was a ball. It was almost as though he had a pre-conceived idea of where the pitch should be, and if the pitcher didn't hit the exact spot, it was a ball.

I know we have struggled to find a consistent Sunday starter, but I thought Solich threw very well yesterday. He had good velocity and good movement on his pitches. Unfortunately for him, he got stuck with that monkey for an umpire.

My point is (I guess) is that I have seen many other games this year at the Tigue and have heard several on the radio, where there has been very poor umpiring. I know the umps don't get paid much and they do it because they love the game, but come on, they need to do a better job.

It always amazes me when I hear people sitting at least 50 feet away from home plate and at an angle complain that the professional standing three feet away from the plate is making all the wrong calls. I'm not saying that bad calls don't get made but the only way you could conceivably pass judgment on an ump for his calls at the plate is by standing right there behind him.

[Southpaw03]

Cannot agree more, the guys in blue are awful, but it is what it is.

I have noticed that in my experiences over the last decade of coaching, watching, administrating baseball, the state of officiating as a whole has deteriorated drastically. Gone are the majority of umpires that officiated for love of the game and took pride in the knowledge that is required to do the job. This is true at all levels of amateur baseball and the lower levels of professional ball.

There are still exceptions out there, but unfortunately their numbers are in the minority. It is a thankless job, but the pay is getting better every year. I've always believed that in order to officiate the game, you should be required to have played the game at least above the youth league level. There is no substitute for the insight that a player has on the field. The good umps know what it takes to make the diving play and the throw to first from the knees only to have an umpire call a runner safe because the ball got there at the exact moment the runner did. A players umpire will "Ring Him Up!"

Most coaches and players will respect that effort and very few will argue as long as it is called both ways. A good umpire with go virtually unnoticed during the course of the game. When is the last time that happened?

[rhineaux]

It always amazes me when I hear people sitting at least 50 feet away from home plate and at an angle complain that the professional standing three feet away from the plate is making all the wrong calls. I'm not saying that bad calls don't get made but the only way you could conceivably pass judgment on an ump for his calls at the plate is by standing right there behind him.

I sit right behind the plate. The guy on Saturday blew.

[CrazyCajun]

It always amazes me when I hear people sitting at least 50 feet away from home plate and at an angle complain that the professional standing three feet away from the plate is making all the wrong calls. I'm not saying that bad calls don't get made but the only way you could conceivably pass judgment on an ump for his calls at the plate is by standing right there behind him.

i dont have as much of a problem with an ump who makes bad calls or who has a small strike zone as i do wih an inconsistent ump. These guys would call a pitch a strike then 2 or 3 pitches later call it a ball. If an ump isnt giving a pitcher a certain pitch then don't give it to him at all, how can a pitcher work a batter when he throws the same pitches but one is a strike and the other is a ball. At the same time how can hitters take pitches that they question if the ump is goijng to get it right, in turn you have batters going after pitches they would not normally chase. Yesterday the ump had a called strike on xavier that was below his knees, do you know how low that is to be below X's knees. Now the umps inability to call strikes ultimately help us at the end of the game but good ar bad they were just inconsistent all weekend.

[CajunProud]

It always amazes me when I hear people sitting at least 50 feet away from home plate and at an angle complain that the professional standing three feet away from the plate is making all the wrong calls. I'm not saying that bad calls don't get made but the only way you could conceivably pass judgment on an ump for his calls at the plate is by standing right there behind him.

I can "conceivably" pass judgment becuase, 1. it is my opinion, 2. i am a season ticket holder and a fan, 3. i played the game and was a college athlete.

Look, I qualified my statements by saying that "I know the umps don't get paid much and they do it because they love the game,..."

Go back and read the post.

Bottom line is that the umps this weekend simply sucked.

[Zeebart21]

I can "conceivably" pass judgment becuase, 1. it is my opinion, 2. i am a season ticket holder and a fan, 3. i played the game and was a college athlete.

Look, I qualified my statements by saying that "I know the umps don't get paid much and they do it because they love the game,..."

Go back and read the post.

Bottom line is that the umps this weekend simply sucked.

It was the view of the radio announcers as well. Professionals that they are, they avoided words like "suck.ed". I for one, appreciate that cause I never use profanity.




Z.