TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.   Basics of Needham Umpiring
2.   Umpire Training and Registration
3.   Umpire Payments
4.   Umpire Scheduling/Team Leaders
5.   Rain-outs, Make-up Games, and Weather Conditions
6.   Needham Little League Thunder/Lightning Policy
7.   Pre-Game Matters
8.   Calling The Game
9.   Needham Little League Zero Tolerance Policy
10. Additional Resources

BASICS OF NEEDHAM UMPIRING

Introduction

Needham Little League uses umpires for it’s Double A, Triple A, and Majors Divisions in the spring season as well as for the Summer League travel teams. Any person who resides or works in Needham and who is age 13 or over can be an umpire for Needham Little League. Umpires who are age 13-14 are typically assigned to Double A games; umpires who are age 15-16 are typically assigned to Triple A games; umpires who are 17 and older are typically assigned to Majors games. The system is flexible, however, so there are opportunities for younger umpires to work games at higher levels depending upon experience, ability, and the needs of the League. The spring season will begin during the last week in April and will run, with playoffs, through mid-June. Games are played on weeknights and weekends. Each game will be staffed by two umpires – one behind home plate and one in the field. All equipment – chest protectors, shin guards, face masks, clickers, and brushes – is provided by the League. Each umpire will be provided with a green handbook containing the Little League rules.

If you need further information, please contact the Needham Little League Director of Umpires:

Michael Pelgro

(781) 444-1802 (home)

(617) 797-1037 (cell)

(617) 832-1181 (work)

mpelgro@foleyhoag.com

Please note that the Babe Ruth Prep, Babe Ruth, Senior, and 16-18 Divisions also use umpires for their games. The Directors of those Divisions are responsible for the umpires and you should contact those Directors if you have questions concerning umpires for those games.

Umpire Training and Registration

Needham Little League will be offering free umpire training clinics beginning in late March or early April. These clinics will be taught by a certified adult umpire and will feature lectures, question and answer sessions, and handouts. There will be four clinics on a weeknight (usually a Tuesday) from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Lecture Hall at the Pollard Middle School or another suitable public location. Beginning in late February, there will be advertisements in the Needham Times as well as announcements in the Needham High School and Pollard Middle School bulletins providing the dates, times, and location.
All umpires are required to attend these sessions. The fourth session will include a review of topics covered in the previous three sessions and a written test. All umpires with two years or less experience are required to take and pass this test.

There will be opportunities for new umpires to register with the League at the training sessions. In addition, new umpires may register with the League by sending an email to the Director of Umpires containing the following information: name; age; address; parents’ names; home telephone number; cell phone number; email address; prior experience as an umpire (number of years; what levels).

Umpires who worked games during the 2009 spring season need not register again but may be contacted by the Director to update their information.

Umpire Payments

All umpires will be paid by the League per game as follows:

Double A – home plate ($20); bases ($15).

Triple A – home plate ($25); bases ($20).

Majors – home plate ($30); bases ($25).

The Team Leaders will be paid an additional weekly stipend for their work in scheduling umpires and ensuring that each game is covered by two umpires.

In order to get paid, each umpire must send an email to the Director confirming that he worked his assigned game and providing the following information: name; date and time of game; level (AA, AAA, or Majors); field; home plate or bases. It is important that an umpire provide this information as soon as possible after a game or he might not get paid. Checks will be mailed to the umpires’ home addresses approximately every two weeks during the season.
 

There are nine (9) baseball fields that will be used for games at the Double A, Triple A, and Majors levels. There will be a Team Leader assigned to cover each field. It will be the Team Leader’s responsibility to schedule two umpires (plate and bases) for every game at that field. The Team Leaders will have all of the contact information for all of the umpires.

Games will be played every night during the week as well as during the day on Saturdays and Sundays starting on or about Sunday, April 25 (Opening Day). The Team Leader will call or email an umpire, who needs to have his schedule available and to be sure that he will be available for the 2+ hours that the game will take (counting travel time) and that he does not have some other conflict (like playing baseball or another sport, family commitments, travel plans, etc.). The umpire needs to be sure that he will not be missing any homework or other necessary school work (book reports, projects, etc.). School work takes priority over umpiring!!

Umpires should be proactive about getting games and should not wait for their phone to ring. Umpires are free to call or email the Team Leaders and provide them with their availability for the next couple of weeks. Umpires who believe that they are not getting enough games to work can email the Director of Umpires.

Once an umpire agrees to take a game, he must follow through on the commitment. This is very important – if an umpire agrees to a game, he must do it. It is not fair to the Team Leader, the umpiring partner for that game, and the coaches and players for an umpire not to show up. If something unexpected comes up, or the umpire forgot about a prior commitment, and cannot make the game, the umpire must call (no emails) the Director of Umpires and the appropriate Team Leader as soon as possible. There are many umpires listed in the database who are looking to work games. The Director or Team Leader will get somebody else to cover the game but the umpire must make the phone call to notify the Director and Team Leader that he will be unavailable.

DO NOT LEAVE A GAME UNCOVERED.

 

Rain-outs, Make-up Games, and Weather Conditions

During the week, the Needham Park and Recreation Department makes decisions, usually at about 2:30 -- 3:00 p.m., about which fields are closed and cannot be used due to rain or other weather conditions.

There is a link to the Park and Rec’s Field Status page in the upper right corner of the Needham Little League’s website – www.needhambaseball.com.

Also, an umpire can call the Field Status hotline (after 3:00 p.m.) – (781) 444-7212 – to determine whether a particular field has been closed.

If Park and Rec has closed the field, then there is no game and an umpire should not go to the field.

If Park and Rec has not closed the field, then an umpire should go to the field unless he gets a telephone call from the Team Leader or Director of Umpires telling him that the game has been postponed. Umpires must use their common sense – if it is pouring rain but the field has not been officially closed, the umpire should check with the Team Leader or Director of Umpires before going to the field.

The above only works during the week. Park and Rec does not make field status decisions on weekends. If it is pouring rain on the weekend, the umpire should check with the Team Leader or Director before going to the field. If it is drizzling or raining only slightly, the umpire should go to the field.

If it starts raining as or after the umpire arrives at the field, he should discuss the situation with both managers and should use common sense. If the rain results in unsafe playing conditions, the umpire should call the game. It will be rescheduled. The umpires will be paid for that game. The umpire is not committed to working the make-up game. The Team Leader will be responsible for obtaining two new umpires for the make-up game once the date and time are known.

The same applies if it starts raining during the game. The umpire should assess the situation, talk to both managers, and use common sense. If the rain persists and playing conditions become unsafe, then the umpire should call the game. It may be resumed on a different date (depending on the inning). The umpires will be paid for that game.

If it starts getting dark during the game, the umpire should assess the situation, talk to both managers, and use his common sense. The game should be suspended if it is too dark for the game to be played safely.

In connection with weeknight games, no inning is to start after 8:00 p.m.

If the game is on the weekend, and another game is scheduled to follow, then the game cannot last more than 2 ½ hours. Do not start an inning if it will push the game beyond 2 ½ hours if there is another game scheduled to follow the game being played.

If a game is postponed or stopped due to weather, the League Directors will schedule a make-up game. This schedule will be posted on the website and will be available to the Team Leaders and the Director of Umpires. Umpires should check the website and call the Team Leaders. The Team Leaders will be calling umpires to cover the make-up games that have been scheduled for their fields. The umpires for the make-up games need not be the same umpires who were scheduled for the original games.

Needham Little League Thunder/Lightning Policy

If an umpire sees LIGHTNING or hears THUNDER immediately before or during a game, the umpires shall immediately suspend the game for thirty (30) minutes. If a manager or coach sees LIGHTNING or hears THUNDER immediately before or during a game, and an umpire did not, the managers of both teams must confer with each other and with the umpires to discuss the matter. If there is agreement that LIGHTNING was seen or THUNDER was heard, then the umpires shall immediately suspend the game for thirty (30) minutes. If there is disagreement between the managers as to what was seen or heard, then the umpires will make the final decision, in their sole discretion, whether to suspend the game.

In the event that the game is suspended, both teams and the umpires will proceed to a safe structure or location for thirty (30) minutes. A safe structure or location includes any building normally occupied or frequently used by people (i.e., a building with plumbing and/or electrical wiring) OR any vehicle with a hard metal roof (not a convertible). A safe structure or location does NOT include: small covered shelters, such as the dugouts at Mills Field, the Carleton Pavilion at DeFazio Park, or covered overhangs at schools; any area connected to, or near, light poles, towers, and fences; or any location that makes the person the highest point in the area.

It is the responsibility of the managers and the coaches to ensure that all players on their team, and the umpires, are provided shelter in a vehicle with a hard metal roof if no other safe structure or location is available. In the event that there are thunderstorm watches or warnings in the weather forecast before the game, then it is the responsibility of the managers and the coaches to ensure that a sufficient number of parent vehicles remain at the game to provide adequate shelter for all players and the umpires.

If an umpire sees LIGHTNING or hears THUNDER during the thirty (30)-minute waiting period, OR if the umpire determines that rain has made the playing field unsafe, then the umpires shall call the game. If a manager or coach sees LIGHTNING or hears THUNDER during the thirty (30)-minute waiting period, and an umpire did not, the managers of both teams must confer with each other and with the umpires to discuss the matter. If there is agreement that LIGHTNING was seen or THUNDER was heard, then the umpires shall call the game. If there is disagreement between the managers as to what was seen or heard, then the umpires will make the final decision, in their sole discretion, whether to call the game.

After 30 minutes, if no THUNDER and LIGHTNING is seen or heard and the field, in the sole discretion of the umpire, is playable, the game will resume from the point it was suspended.

In the event that a game is called before it has become a regulation game -- 4 innings for a Little League game -- the game will be completed at a later date from the point at which it was called.

Umpires should arrive at the field at least 15 minutes before the start of the game. At the beginning of the season, the weeknight games start at 5:30 p.m. During the season, the start time is changed to 6:00 p.m. Umpires must make sure they know when their game is starting.

The umpire equipment will be in a white mesh bag inside the green equipment bin at the field. The managers for the teams will have the combinations to the locks and will open the bins. Each white bag will contain: two shin guards; one chest protector; one mask; at least two clickers; and one brush.

Umpires must make sure that all of the equipment is there. Contact the Director of Umpires as soon as possible if any umpire equipment is missing from the green bin or if there are problems with the equipment.

Umpires should wear blue or navy-colored clothes (t-shirt, sweatshirt, windbreaker, etc.), should wear long pants, and should wear the shin guards over the pants. Plate umpires must wear a cup.

Umpires should make sure that the bases are on the field and that they are the correct distance from home plate and each other (60 feet).

Umpires should introduce themselves to both managers and should get three (3) game balls from the home team. The home team should be sitting on the first base side.

Umpires should make sure that both teams have had a chance to practice on the infield.

Umpires should talk to both managers at home plate about any ground rules or issues with that field as well as any other rules or issues. Umpires must know what is out of play on that field.

The umpires are in charge of the game. They are the boss.

Be decisive. Use a consistent technique. Always hustle to be in position.

Always try to make the right call. Know the rules. Carry your green rule book with you to the games. Do not be afraid to consult it occasionally but don’t overdo it.

Umpires should call or email the Director of Umpires if they need a green rule book.

If an umpire needs to confer with his partner about a call or a rule, he should do so away from the players and the coaches. Do not let them eavesdrop on private conversations about calls. When umpires do consult with each other, they should make sure that they both decide: (1) what call is going to make; (2) which umpire is going to make the call; and (3) the reason why that umpire is making the call (sometimes an umpire who is closer to the play did not see something that his partner saw).

These games are serious business for the players (and the coaches) – treat them seriously and with respect. Do not joke around on the field. Do not take unnecessary calls on your cell phone.

Be firm but courteous. Address managers and coaches as “Coach Smith” or just “Coach” if you don’t know his last name.

Show courage. Use your best judgment. Don’t be afraid to make the call.

Don’t be afraid to call a third strike.

Use common sense.

Ignore complaints and move the game along.

Do not let a manager or a coach intimidate you into not making a call or into changing your call.

 

Needham Little League Zero Tolerance Policy

Needham Little League has adopted a zero-tolerance policy in connection with managers or coaches discussing calls or rules interpretations with umpires. There is to be no arguing or conferring with an umpire on any ruling by an umpire, even for an interpretation of a rule.

If something like this happens during or after a game, the umpires should call or email the Director of Umpires as soon as possible. The umpires will be supported but the Director needs to know what happened and why and needs the umpires’ side of the story as soon as possible. The umpires do not need to report everything to the Director – only when the umpire believes that a manager or coach went over the line.

Umpires should use their common sense. Managers or coaches are not arguing with the umpire if they are talking to each other, or their players, on the bench even if the umpire can hear them. Umpires should try to have a thick skin and ignore minor complaints. Taking a little baloney is part of the game. Umpires should not get drawn into a discussion or argument with a manager or coach. Also, remember there are times when the managers or coaches will need to speak to the umpire; this usually involves playing conditions (rain, lightning, darkness), how much longer the game will go on, clarification as to what call was made, how many balls and strikes there are on a batter, etc.

The bottom line is that if a manager or coach argues a particular call during a game, or instructs an umpire how to interpret a rule before or during a game, or makes derogatory comments about the umpires in such a manner that the umpires can hear the comments, the umpires should contact the Director of Umpires as soon as possible after the game.
 

Additional Resources

National Little League website – www.littleleague.org

          Click on Umpires at the top of the page for practical pointers about the rules and calling games.

Baseball Umpires website – www.baseballumpires.com

          Has online edition of the rules and practical materials on how to interpret the rules and call games.

John Skilton’s website – www.baseball-links.com

          Everything you ever wanted to know about baseball and more. Go down the menu and click on Rules/Umpiring for links to various sites devoted to umpires and baseball rules.

Umpire/Rules website – www.eteamz.com/baseball/rules/obr

          Information and practical pointers on the rules and calling games.
 

Contact Director of Umpires with questions

Mike Pelgro    mpelgro@foleyhoag.com