Day 5: End of the Pool

Day 5: Plate and 1^st Base

Today was the last day of pool play.  What a great day for baseball in Irvine.  The weather was perfect with a warm sun and a chilly sea breeze.  The games were quick but not at the same time.  I couldn’t believe the clock when we walked off because the first game seemed so much longer.  Let me get into the games.

First game: Idaho vs. Hawaii, Plate

Hawaii is a very solid team.  When they played against the host team, the manager said that they lost the game during warm ups.  Not only are they the most disciplined team out here both offensively and defensively, they are one of the best teams out here based off of sportsmanship and attitude.  They played Idaho today, a team I have talked about before.  As part of my pre-game, I started off that I have really appreciated both teams and their attitudes, both being some of the best out here.  Of course, I have done 2 plates for Hawaii and 2 plates for Idaho so I have seen both of them.

The game was out of hand in the first inning.  Hawaii scored 8 in the first.  Idaho didn’t have a runner through 3 innings.  It was 13-0 after 3 and a half (Hawaii is the visiting team.)  In  the bottom of the 4^th, the first batter got on and then the catcher, Brady got a hit.  They ended up scoring 4 in the 4^th.  Great heart.  Hawaii ended up scoring more and the final score ended up being 22-4 but Brady Batemon went 2 for 3.  I told him if Hawaii ends up winning the World Series, he can say he went 2 for 3 against the best team in the world.  Of course, Hawaii has to win Regionals first and then get past everyone else to get there so we’ll see.  The game ended up going 5 innings mercy in 2:15 minutes but it sure seemed like a 3 hour game. 

Things worked on:  I spent more time down before standing up after calling a ball, working on my timing.  My strike zone is good from everything I see.  My timing has been my downfall and I think I made major steps today.  What I need to work on more is working from point-of-plate and moving from where the ball comes from.  I was grossly out of position on one call at the plate today.  I got it right but it could have been an easier sell if I was in the right position. 

Second game:  Host team, Northwood LL, District 55 vs. Oregon, first base.

Mike (Northwood manager) and Phil (Oregon manager) were two of the most personable managers out here for this tournament.  The game was well played but ended up being lopsided. Northwood won 7-0 but Oregon had a great attitude today.  I had a good time on first base though.

Things worked on:  I spent more time waiting to call out and safe calls at first, double-checking the catch to verify it isn’t off in right field.  I did take major steps on that today.  I also spent more time going through situations in my head as to where I would move if the ball is hit here, here or there.

I received my evaluation today and I got very good marks.  I received 2 2’s (1’s are best, 5’s are worst, nobody really gets ones or fives) – one in something I forgot and the other in attitude.  They said I was I took constructive criticism well.  Best part is that I did well enough to qualify for a World Series tournament when I apply for it.  They told us all today that usually you can say there are the top 2 or 3 umpires, the middle ground, and then the bottom 2 or 3 umpires.  With our crew, the difference between us was minimal (although in my opinion Cliff is the gold standard).  I could really tell though that we have a great crew and it has truly been a pleasure to be part of this inaugural crew.

Tonight, Dave, his wife and his grandson took me out to dinner to a place called Gulliver’s.  Talk about absolutely amazing food.  Holy cow!  It must have been because that was some of the best prime rib I have ever tasted.  I went to umpire school with Dave and his grandson David and I have really liked working with him. I have been taking him back and forth from the hotel each day so it was his way of saying thank you.  It was more than I ever expected.  Thank you Dave for dinner.  I am still in awe of the meal.

So tomorrow, I am at 1^st base for the Hawaii/Northern California game.  The game is at 10:00 am.  The 1:00 game is Southern California and Arizona and I will be behind the gate in umpire evaluations.  I have been joking about announcing but I’d really like to – I’ll have to bribe Danny to let me do it some.

Tomorrow and Friday.  That’s it.  I think I blinked too many times.