Blue Signals Keeping Baseball Ontario s Umpires Connected

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1 It s hard to believe the 2011 SuperClinics have come and gone; it seems like just yesterday that the planning process was just getting started. The Baseball Ontario Umpiring Committee would first of all like to thank all of you, the Level 3 umpires, for making this year s clinics the success that they were. Secondly, we would like to thank all of those who contributed, from the office, to the organizing committee, to the course conductors who contributed to creating the material, and finally to those who instructed. Without one of those integral pieces of the puzzle, the end result wouldn t have been the same. This year we had over 600 umpires attend a SuperClinic, up from So far the feedback from individual umpires attending the clinics, sending an to the office, or those completing the online survey, has been overwhelmingly positive. As with any large scale event, we understand there were hiccups along the way, and we thank you all for your support and patience in those circumstances. As a reminder, if you haven t already completed the online survey, please do so, it can be found online at The feedback we received in 2008 was a key component of the success we had in The online survey is your opportunity to let us know what you enjoyed, what you think we can improve upon, and what was successful; all of which we can work with moving forward to The toughest part of organizing the SuperClinics is choosing what material to cover each year. The material we taught in 2008 was built upon in 2011, along with introducing and teaching new rules material. We introduced the stations session and continued upon some of our key successes in 2008 using video in each of the classroom sessions. In 2014, we will once again build upon the last two SuperClinics in completing our 9 year plan! We hope all of you enjoyed your SuperClinic experience and hope that you have had a successful beginning to your Inside this issue: SUMMER SuperClinics 1 A Look at the Life of a Professional Umpire 2 Umpire In Focus: Lisa Turbitt 3 Blue Trivia 3 Umpire In Focus: Rob Martel Ontario Cup: Umpire Development 4 Umpire In Focus: Jean Lazure 5 KidSport Program 5 Blue Trivia Answers 5 Blue Notes: 2011 Rule Changes: Rookie Ball SuperClinic Pictures umpiring campaign! Here s looking forward to 2014.

2 Page 2 In the last edition of Blue Signals, we looked at how a young aspiring umpire becomes a professional umpire. Of all the umpires who attend one of the professional umpiring schools, few are lucky enough to continue on through the process and eventually get offered a job working in the Minor Leagues. Sitting in front of the television watching the Major League umpires do what they do best, isn t quite as easy as it looks. What people can t appreciate is the years of hard work, dedication, and sacrifices made by umpires, both Minor League and Major League during their journey through professional baseball. One of the most often asked question to anybody who s umpired in professional baseball is What s it like being a professional umpire? The journey through professional baseball begins with Rookie leagues or Rookie Advanced leagues. Rookie ball runs out of Florida and Arizona, and unlike all the other leagues, umpires travel from a central location to a spring training facility on a daily basis for their games. All games are mid day and if you re in Florida, the humidity can be overwhelming, not to say Arizona isn t hot enough. Rookie Advanced is the beginning of travel leagues, and depending on the number of contracts, some umpires are lucky enough to begin at that level. All the leagues from Rookie Advanced through to AA leagues are travel leagues, with all travel being done by vehicles, it isn t until an umpire reaches AAA that flying becomes an option. League policies and schedules determine when crews travel with most of the travel being done through the day. Some leagues are so large that umpires will have to travel up to hours to get to their next city and quite possibly have to work that evening. Stays in a city vary, but the higher up an umpire goes, the longer they generally stay in a city as the teams get further apart geographically. Hotels vary from city to city but it s safe to say that generally the higher the level, the bigger the city, the better the hotel; there are exceptions! Umpires share a room in Rookie Advanced and Short Season A leagues and eventually get their own room in Long Season A ball. Every umpire has their own routines, but most of the umpires these days understand the importance of keeping in good shape and generally work out daily. Local teams usually have something set up with local gyms to help the umpires out. Eating healthy is one of the biggest challenges. Umpires are provided one meal a day at the ball park by the home club, which can range from leftover hotdogs to full on catered meals, other meals in the day usually involve being cheap and quick in the lower levels; one word, buffet! One of the hardest parts in the schedule is there are very few days off. Some umpires will go up to three weeks before a day off which makes coordinating family visits difficult, especially in smaller cities without major airports. There is an all star break in the season which usually provides a well deserved four day break, unless selected to umpire the game. Although a season goes from the beginning of April until mid to late September with playoffs, that doesn t include Spring Training, Fall and Winter Developmental Leagues, and for some, teaching at an umpire school. Needless to say, for some, the season can be up to ten months long which can takes its toll! Just remember next time you re watching a game on tv, be it Minor League or Major League, it s not just safes and outs or balls and strikes, it s long car rides through the night, restless sleeps in hotels, and one too many ballpark hotdogs.

3 Page 3 Umpiring Goals: To continue to give back at the grass roots level provincially and in my community. Continue working with the Baseball Ontario Umpire s Committee to support growth in umpires in Ontario. Name: Lisa Turbitt Hometown: Burlington Local Association: BOMBA Current Level: 5 Years Umpiring: 30 Course Conductor: Master Course Conductor Hobbies/Interests: Playing softball, coaching, travelling, computers School/Employment: Teacher Librarian Umpiring Highlights/Achievements: 2 Women s World Cups (Edmonton, Taipei), 11 National Championships SR Men in 2010 Do you have a story idea or picture for Blue Signals? us at bluesignals@baseballontario.com! 1. In Niagara, a Midget player has been called up to pitch for the Niagara Junior team in a regular season game. The Midget player is still limited to a maximum of 100 pitches, but can finish his/her current batter if the maximum is reached during an at bat. True or False? 2. R1, 1 out. The batter hits a ball into the gap and heads for second, there is a close play and the batter runner is called safe. R1 rounds third as the play is happening at second heads for home. The second baseman throws the ball home but the throw rebounds off the catcher's glove ends up in the dugout. The runner from 1 st scores and the batter runner is awarded 3 rd base. True or False? 3. Bases Loaded, 2 out. The batter hits a sharp one hopper directly at the first baseman. The ball ricochets off the heel of the first baseman s glove and gets stuck inside his shirt. The first baseman runs to the bag and while standing on the bag reaches in to his shirt and pulls out the ball securing it in his hand for the umpire to see before the batter runner touches first base. The batterrunner is out and the inning is over, no runs score. True or False? Umpiring Goals: To continually improve and enter into the National Umpires Program. Name: Rob Martel Hometown: Mount Albert Local Association: Newmarket Current Level: 3 Years Umpiring: 6 Hobbies/Interests: Baseball, basketball School/Employment: York Regional Police Umpiring Highlights/Achievements: OUA All Star Show Case

4 Page 4 The Ontario Cup is the tryout camp for the best baseball players in the province. It is from this camp that Ontario s Youth Team is chosen to compete in the Canada Cup National Championship. Over 200 players invaded Vaughan Mills Sportsplex May 27th 29th in order to chase their dream of representing their province for 2011 on a national stage. From these 200 plus athletes only 40 will make the short list tryouts. There is a lot at stake for Ontario s top youth prospects as well for Ontario s top umpires. Mirroring that of the youth athletes, a collection of the province s best umpires showed up to better their game and take a stab at breaking into the National Level 4/5 Umpiring Program. This, just as for the youth athletes, carries a prestigious honour; being able to represent Ontario as an official at a National Championship tournament. Over the weekend the umpires were testing their game to see how they measured up. Mother Nature seemed to have its own plans for the weekend that put a damper on the baseball, washing out the entire day on Friday. This however did not mean the umpires had the day off. They spent the afternoon in the classroom, polishing up on the skills they would need for Saturday s games. At the end of the hard day of work they were off to see the Jays play the White Sox. All 13 umpires and 5 instructors headed down the 401 to Yorkdale Mall in Toronto to catch the TTC to the Rogers Centre. This was a great time for all involved to really get to know one another and experience the game from a different perspective. It is still not clear who was the centre of the attention, the Jays or the umpires, but the Jays came away victorious 4 2. Back to action on Saturday morning the crews were out there working in the 3 umpire system. The team in blue put forth a high level of officiating worthy of the caliber of play. Each crew had a minimum of 6 games with each umpire receiving their Provincial Evaluation required for entering the National Program on both the plate and bases. After each game the umpires sat down with Supervisors for a full debriefing on their crew and individual performance. These debriefings are the most important part of the learning for the weekend. Each umpire that attended raised their game to new levels and the feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive. Ontario Cup umpire Rob Martel commented on his weekend stating, With the great advice and knowledge that was passed down, my ultimate goal of leaving the weekend as a better umpire was achieved. Since the Ontario Cup s inception in 2006, that has seemed to be the response. Many current Level 4 umpires have used the Ontario Cup as a pathway for success in the National Program. If you are interested in applying for the Ontario Cup 2012 make sure to follow baseballontario.com/umpires during the lead up to 2012 baseball season! The Ontario Cup is a great place to work on your game and better your level of officiating Cup Umpires Darryl Beckett Derek Bowyer Andrew Brown Jean Lazure James Liles Chris Marco Robert Martel Gerald Nolan Chris Savaglio Todd Sloka Chris Thomas Timothy Toong Ryan Trepanier 2011 Cup Instructors Lisa Turbitt Jim Cressman Rob Companion Stephen Gomes Chris Norton Adam De Caire

5 Page 5 Name: Jean Lazure Hometown: Gatineau, QC Current Level: 3 Years Umpiring: 6 Hobbies/Interests: Who has time for hobbies/interests when you re umpiring all the time? School/Employment: : Political science/law school grad. Lawyer, have had my own practice for 13 years now. Umpiring Highlights/Achievements: reaching level III status in both Quebec and Ontario as of this year. Umpiring Goals: reaching level IV some day (the hunt is as much fun as the kill!), and being entrusted with a leadership role in an umpiring organization. As announced in early spring, Baseball Canada s Umpire Committee partnered with KidSport Canada on a unique fundraising initiative that started May. in The Baseball Canada Umpires Committee is asking each umpire to donate one game fee to KidSport, an organization that removes financial barriers that prevent kids from playing organized sport. In addition, local associations and umpire groups are using local tournaments as fundraising events for this fantastic program. The KidSport organization can provide volunteer assistance for any group looking to run a fundraising event for this cause. For more information on how you can contribute, please visit our website at and click on the KidSport link on the home page. 1. Answer: TRUE Baseball Ontario Content Midget, Junior, Senior Rules Explanation: A pitcher being called up to a higher level must still adhere to the pitching rules of the level which he normally plays at. In this case the 100 pitch count still applies, at which time the pitcher may finish pitching to the batter or until the inning is complete, whichever occurs first. 2. Answer: FALSE 7.05(g) Explanation: In this case the award would be two bases from the time of the throw. When the fielder at second throws home, the batter runner had already been ruled safe and therefore legally occupied 2 nd base at the time of the throw. The batter runner would also be awarded home. 3. Answer: FALSE Baseball Canada Interpretation 5.09(g), 7.05(f), 7.05(g), 7.05(h), 7.05(i) Explanation: If a batted or thrown ball inadvertently goes inside a player or coach s uniform, the umpire shall call ``Time.`` The umpire will place all runners, including the batter runner, in such a manner that in the umpire`s judgment, will nullify the action of the ball going out of play. In no circumstance may any outs be recorded on such a play. In this case all runners including the batterrunner would be awarded one base.

6 Blue Notes Page 6 As with every year, Baseball Ontario evaluates the rules we use to officiate games and occasionally changes are made for the betterment of the game. For this year there have been 4 changes to the rules, specifically in the Rookie Ball division. There are 3 updates and 1 addition. Changed under Q2.3(c) The Official Playing Rules of Rookie Ball, the pitcher can now be within 4 feet of the white line instead of being on it. The pitcher can move in front of the line once the ball is released, but not through the circle. An additional change and clarification under the same rule, Q2.3 (c), now states that that neither the pitcher nor any other player can break the line of the 8 foot diameter circle whether that is by stepping on or in the circle when attempting to field a ball. The penalty remains the same. New under Q2.3 (t), an inning now ends with 3 outs or 7 runs; whichever comes first, removed is the maximum of 10 batters per inning. Finally, an addition as Q2.3 (x), once Time has been called the ball must be returned to the Offensive Coach within the pitching circle. The umpire will put the ball back in Play at which time the defensive pitcher can request the ball for the purposes of making an appeal. If requested, the Offensive Pitching Coach must give the ball to the Defensive Pitcher. Quick Reference For those that want a quick reference to the rule changes, in your Baseball Ontario Rule book review the following rules for changes: Q2.3 (c) Q2.3 (t) Q2.3 (x)

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