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Challenge: The "A" Game vs. the "Recreational" Game
As appeared in the June 2003 edition of Between The Lines.
Challenge: The "A" Game vs. the "Recreational" Game
| by Stephen Corwin, Level V, Ontario |
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Getting up for the big game takes effort and mental preparation. It is something that umpires seem to want, and need to do. We all have our own little ways of getting ready. Some tend to take time to think about what could and will happen. Some take a little nap, (sorry Max). Some exercise and stretch to get ready. Some take a little walk. Some make sure their uniform looks good, the shoes are polished and all equipment needed is on hand. Now that we are all ready to go, we have a pre-game with our partner, or in a single umpire system, we go over it in our mind. We check bats; we have a good plate conference. Everything goes according to plan. The game starts and the first play is a bang, bang play at 1st base. Being the excellent umpire that we all are, we hustle out the left side of the plate and get into a position to make the out or safe call at 1st base. We then hustle back to the plate for the next batter. We are in the ZONE. The next thing we know the game is over and the players are saying "great game blue," "good hustle blue." We go home with that totally satisfied feeling that we did the best job for the game, the players and ourselves.
Getting up for the recreational game takes a lot of effort and mental preparation as well. Do we all take the time and effort? Do we think about what we will do if this or that happens? Do we exercise and stretch before the game? Do we make sure the uniform looks good? Do we take the extra time to make sure the shoes are polished? Do we enter the diamond with the same bounce? Do we check the bats? Do we have a good plate conference? Do we look at this game in the same way that we look at the "A" game? Can we say that all of these things get done before the game starts? Can we say that on that first play we hustled out the left side of the plate and got down to 1st base to make that out or safe call?
The recreational game and players deserve the same attitude and hustle that the "A" game and players get from you. Remember that to these recreational players, this could be the biggest game of their lives. Do we, as umpires, decide that these players deserve a little less than what we would give the top calibre players and teams? Can we all say at the end of the game that we have that satisfied feeling that we did the best job for the game, the players and ourselves? Do the players thank us and comment on our great hustle?
In the perfect world, this would all happen. But we don't live in a perfect world. The challenge that we as officials face is; how we give the same effort to the "Rec." game that we give to the "A" game. I think that we have to go out of our way and make the extra effort to do all the things that come naturally with the "A" game.
The "Rec." players may someday become the "A" players. Will they still look at you as an "A" umpire, if they remember you as that sloppy and lazy official who did their game one or two years ago?
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