FALL 2011 The Baseball Ontario Umpire s Committee would like to take this opportunity to announce recent changes to our Committee membership. Rob Stevenson has decided to resign from the committee, and we would like to start by thanking him for all his hard work and contributions over the past several years. With 3 fast growing boys, the time commitment required for family, school, and sports is ever increasing, he looks forward to spending some time as a coach, fan, and of course chauffer. We wish him the best of luck moving forward and we know he will continue to contribute t o umpire development in both our Province and Country for many more years to come. With that opening, the Baseball Ontario Umpire s Committee would like to welcome its newest member, Miqdad Jaffer. Miqdad is excited to join the committee and looks forward to continuing to contribute to the program in his new role. Miqdad has been umpiring for over 14 years and is currently a level 5C umpire within the Baseball Canada National program. He is also a Senior Course Conductor and has previously supervised at the Ontario Cup. His career has recently taken him to Ottawa, Ontario, where he now calls home. Inside this issue: Umpires Committee Update 1 Umpire In Focus: Miqdad Jaffer 2011 Level 4 Clinic 2 2011 National Bantam Blue Trivia Questions 3 2011 National Midget Blue Trivia Answers 4 2011 National Junior 2011 National Senior 2011 Canada Cup 6 Blue Notes 7 Congratulations Miqdad, we look forward to working with you. 1 3 4 5 5 Name: Miqdad Jaffer Hometown: Brampton, Ontario Local Association: Ottawa Current Level: 5C Years Umpiring: 14 Course Conductor: Senior Hobbies/Interests: Golf, Snowboarding, Baseball and Traveling Employment: Product Manager for NorthStar Utilities Solutions Umpiring Highlights / Achievements: Appointment to the Baseball Ontario Umpire s Committee, 3 National most recently the Senior Championship in Miramichi, NB and opportunity to instruct at the 2010 Ontario Cup Umpiring Goals: To continue to develop as an umpire and work towards an international assignment one day, in addition to this I would like to be able to give back in a developmental role where I can.
By Matthew Tyler In May 2011, Baseball Ontario held their annual Baseball Canada Umpire s clinic in Cambridge for all the Level 4 and Level 5 umpires in our province. With some outside the box thinking, Baseball Ontario once again got everyone s attention with a few new ideas. The entire weekend was a good time, but for me, the parts that stood out were our guest speaker, an interesting role playing exercise, and the Amazing Race. It turned into a very informative and fun weekend. Our Guest speaker, John Waite, talked about how to prepare for the big game, using self hypnosis, knowing that no matter how big the game is, it s still the same game, and you ve done this countless times before. He also spoke about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, and how this will help keep you focused instead of getting nervous during those big games or tough situations. He had many good points that really stuck in my head; the most relevant to being an umpire I feel was when you walk onto the field, everyone believes that you know what you are doing - don't be the only one who doesn't. The Saturday afternoon session was an Amazing Race. It included many parts of the reality TV show with detours and road blocks, and was also a review of several topics from last year s clinic, including nutrition and yoga; as well, it included a concentration exercise, an umpire exam, and many umpire drills. It required all umpires to run around a school completing tasks as a team. One team in particular employed some questionable strategies but even with the associated penalty, they still came out as the champions. I think this is the part of the clinic we will all remember the most from this year. The 2011 clinic will be remembered as the Amazing Race year. Of the 6 sessions we did during the clinic, my favourite was the game management session, probably because I was mostly a spectator as a few of my fellow umpires got into what was called The Arena. Page 2 There, they were then put on the spot with a baseball play. Following the umpires reactions to the play they were met by a coach who was not very subtle about arguing that the umpires were wrong about something, even if they were correct. Sitting back and watching other umpires try to clean up their possible mistakes, and sometimes digging a bigger hole for themselves, we ended up learning different ways to de-escalate an out of control situation. As the entire group had many laughs to share with each other, and many stories to follow. The biggest question amongst each group was, How did the groups which we didn t see do? And, How far was the coach willing to go to get his way? No matter the answers to those questions it was a great session; I left this session with many memories of the group laughing as a whole, and waiting for the coach to go just a little further. I am sure not everyone has the same opinion as I do of our weekend, but I feel all things considered, the clinic was great time. We had a lot of fun; we had some interesting classroom sessions in which I would imagine everyone would admit to learning something. For some it may have been a rule, for others, a new way of looking at the game, but it s always nice to see the faces of your friends that you only see a maybe once a year. We had another good weekend in Cambridge with friends from all over the province and I am already looking forward to next year s clinic! Do you have a story idea or picture for? Email us at bluesignals@baseballontario.com
Page 3 By: Trevor Grieve The Bantam Championship started off with a great night on the town for all the participants and umpires at the Toronto Blue Jays game. After that, with the weather co-operating, the next four days went off without a hitch. The host committee did a wonderful job representing both Baseball Ontario as well as the City of Vaughan itself. couldn t have asked for anything more from the guys! On a personal note, I d like to thank Jamie for all his hard work as a fellow supervisor, who knew how long the days were really going to be! Thanks again to all the umpires for making our job that much easier. This year s umpires were: Mitchell Broser Wayne Chindemi Alen Mijic Dean Oberle Adam Poirier Craig Powers This year s Bantam Boys National Championship was held August 25 th through August 28 th, 2011 in Vaughan, Ontario. Ontario was well represented at this year s Championship with six umpires and two umpire Supervisors. The umpires themselves, all representing Ontario at their first national assignment did a terrific job! As well, both Ontario supervisors also had the opportunity to supervise at their first national championship. Level 1: True or False? Bases Loaded, 2 out. The batter hits a sharp groundball which ricochets off the side of the pitching mound and strikes the foot of the base umpire. The groundball is still fielded by the 2 nd baseman who throws to 1 st in time to retire the batter-runner to end the inning. The play stands. From an umpiring perspective, all the umpires worked hard, had a great attitude on and off the field, and made a great impression on their fellow umpires. From a supervisor s perspective, Jamie and I This year s supervisors were: Trevor Grieve Jamie Killingsworth Level 2: True or False? R1, none out. The batter hits a high fly ball to left center. R1 is holding close to first base for a possible tag-up as the outfielder is going back on the ball. The batter-runner passes R1 but immediately realizes his mistake and goes back toward 1 st base and passes R1 again on his way back. The outfielder could not make a play on the ball and it drops to the ground with R1 and the batter advancing to 3 rd and 2 nd respectively. The umpire call the batter-runner out for passing as soon as he passed R1. Level 3: True or False? The batter hits a home run over the fence. As the batter-runner rounds 3rd base, his coach informs him that he failed to touch 2nd base. The batter-runner retouches 3rd, returns to touch 2nd and then proceeds back to touch 3rd and then touches home. Once the ball is put back in to play, the pitcher steps off and throws to 2nd to appeal. The umpire rules the batter-runner safe as he properly returned to touch second base.
Page 4 By: Adam De Caire Being selected to represent your province as an umpire at a Baseball Canada Championship is significant milestone in an amateur umpire s career, and is also quite an honour. In 2011 Baseball Ontario had the opportunity to send two umpires, Justin Snively and Adam De Caire, to the Baseball Canada Midget National in Regina, Saskatchewan. Whether you were a player, coach, parent or umpire, from the time you arrived in Regina you were given the red carpet treatment from a wonderful host committee and it s team of volunteers. From shuttle service to the park and quality facilities, to great meals and even live entertainment at the opening banquet, every detail was just right. Adam and Justin were fortunate to join a very strong group of fellow umpires from across the country, led by Supervisor of Umpires Trevor Drury of Saskatchewan. Splitting games between Optimist Park and Currie Field, two beautiful facilities in the Heart of Regina, there were good crowds on hand to route on their teams as the action began. Between them, Adam and Justin had all the action they could ask for: from nail biters to offensive battles; lights out pitching to towering home runs; obstruction, interference, intensity, ejections, double plays...and then came day two. Along with the action on the field, the umpires also had a great time together off the field, at one point teaching Supervisor Drury to be careful how often you describe how you take your coffee. On the final day, both Ontario umpires were honoured to receive key assignments, with Justin Snively assigned to work the Gold Medal Game on the plate, and Adam De Caire assigned to work the Semi-Final Game on the plate. And once the baseball was done, volunteer Larry Schrader gave a number of umpires a tour around the city which included the Saskatchewan Legislature, the RCMP Depot, and First Nations University of Canada. Congratulations to all involved for a successful tournament! Level 1: Answer: FALSE 5.09(f), 6.08(d), 7.04(b) Explanation: The ball would be dead as soon as it strikes the umpire in this case, since it has not been deflected and has not passed an infielder. The umpire would call Time and award the batter-runner 1 st base, and all runners forced to advance would do so. Level 2: Answer: TRUE 7.08(h) Explanation: The batter-runner would be called out at the moment he / she passes a preceding runner who is not out. It does not make a difference that the batter-runner immediately corrected his / her mistake in this case. This is not an appeal play. Level 3: Answer: FALSE - 7.10(b) Approved Ruling (2) Explanation: With the ball dead, once a runner misses a base and proceeds to touch the next base, the runner can no longer legally return to touch the missed base. In this case, the pitcher properly appealed 2 nd base once the ball was put back in play and as such the batter-runner would be declared out. Had the batter-runner returned to touch 2 nd base prior to touching 3 rd base, it would have been legal.
Page 5 By: Justin Van Horn The 2011 Baseball Canada Junior were hosted by Windsor, ON from August 18-21. Ontario was represented on the Blue Crew with 4 members: Rob Companion, Guario Laverty, Jimmy McMillan, and Justin Van Horn, as well as two supervisors: Ray Merkley and Peter Skrypka. As crew chiefs, Companion and McMillan were terrific leaders and role models to By: Miqdad Jaffer I have umpired for 14 years, yet when I received a call asking me to participate in this year's Senior National Championship in Miramichi, NB, I felt like it was the first game all over again. That I would be among umpires that have umpired longer than I have been alive and who have had more national and international experience than I have had umpiring my whole career made me feel like a rookie again. The joy in the experience is not just in the baseball we participate in, but in the friendships and opportunities to improve that present themselves. As we arrived, the committee treated us to a boat cruise along the beautiful Miramichi their crew. Laverty and Van Horn were also integral members of their respective crews. All four Ontario umpires earned very prominent final assignments by exhibiting superb skill on the field, as well as professionalism off the field. river and we all got to know one another just before dinner. I think that's when it sunk in - this is going to be a fun week! That evening we would receive our crew assignments to determine who the other two umpires would be that we would be spending most of the week with. Every umpire wants to do well and ultimately get the chance to be the plate umpire on the gold medal game, but having a goal that only 1 in 12 can achieve could lead to disappointment for 11 umpires, so it's important to see the bigger picture - the experience itself. The rest of the week was spent umpiring and being debriefed by supervisors that were there to improve the level of each umpire such that they left better than they started. It was a constructive experience that both humbles and influences the desire to improve. In between games, we explored the city or grabbed a bite to eat with whoever was free. It's off-field where I Merkley and Skrypka were excellent in their supervisory roles, providing meaningful feedback that was both challenging and encouraging. On a personal note, it is always an honour and a privilege to represent Baseball Ontario at a Canadian Championship. I value each experience as an opportunity to grow and progress as an umpire. If you are presented with the chance to attend a Canadian Championship, officiate like you ve been taught by Baseball Ontario. Get to know your newfound blue friends. And finally, don t forget to look around once in awhile, and enjoy yourself. You ve earned that right! really got to know the umpires I was working with. Some of the best baseball stories I've ever heard were shared - like how a Cuban shortstop obstructs a runner and how any English he once knew disappears when he is caught or how police escorts ensure a crew's safety after a dicey ejection and ensuing riot. Then, barring a hurricane that attempted to push the tournament an extra day, the last day of the tournament is spent watching the games. My crew and I were privileged enough to participate in the gold medal game and I got to see and work with the other umpires that came with me from Ontario - Lisa Turbitt and Dave Lavorato as the plate umpires in both medal games (Gold and Bronze respectively). As a final tradition, we all signed baseballs for each other so that we could remember who the group was for that year. It's a surreal experience that ends before it gets started. I only hope to be able to do it again one day.
Page 6 By: Keith McConkey The Baseball Canada Cup is showcase event where each province selects their best seventeen year olds to draw the eye of scouts and college coaches alike. As I was fortunate enough to represent our province there, I wanted to share my experience with everyone else. Day 1: My trip started at 7:45am when I got on the road from Niagara to Pearson Airport for my 11:15am flight. (Normally an hour and ten minute drive) It was raining and for those who know Toronto when it rains, you can imagine what my drive was like. I finally got to the airport at 10:15am. Many thanks to the young lady with Air Canada that helped me jump the line and make my flight. When I landed in Moncton, I was greeted by another national level umpire who took me, John Thompson Jr. and one of our supervisors to the hotel. I must give some props to the organizing committee as they had us staying at a really nice hotel right in the middle of downtown, which certainly made it easy to find places to socialize. That evening, we all went to the opening ceremony dinner and then met back at the hotel to go through our standard meetings where we met our crewmates and got our schedules for day 1. Day 2: The first day of the tournament, I worked with Pierre Bedard from MB and Philippe Lamoureux from QC. It was a smooth day with us seeing two Pool B games. For the feature game that night, it began raining and didn t stop until midnight. The game was suspended to be made up later. It had been raining in Moncton for most of the summer; so needless to say, the fields needed a ton of work. The city really pulled together and kept us playing for the remainder of the tournament. Day 3: Today I was teamed up with Jon Oko (Alberta) and Brent Chadwick (Saskatchewan). I worked my first plate job of the tournament with BC beating Ontario. We then went over to the second field where Ontario beat Alberta handily. The second field was in rough shape but we were still able to get all of our games in on it. Because of the rain on Day 1, there was a game that started at 12:20am and didn t finish until around 2:30 in the morning. Poor guys. Day 4: Today saw me up bright and early to work first base in the suspended feature game between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. I was working with Jon Oko again but this time Troy Carmont (BC) rounded out the crew. It was early but we were also done early. In the afternoon, I worked my second plate job of the tournament between Nova Scotia and PEI. Thanks to some subpar catching from PEI, I got hit in the leg, the cup and the shoulder; bringing home a sweet souvenir on the inside of my leg. Day 5: Saturday saw me only having to work 1 game between PEI and New Brunswick. I was scheduled to work with Jon Oko (again) and Patrick Allard (QC) but Oko hurt his back and Brent Chadwick stepped up and worked 1 st base with us. Our game today brought fireworks. Who knew that the battle for 8 th place would be so intense? Patrick ejected the NB manager for arguing balls and strikes early on in the game. I called three balks, all for different things. I got the NB pitcher early for not stepping to first on a pickoff, the PEI pitcher in the middle of the game for starting and stopping and then again the PEI pitcher for no stop in the top of the 7 th inning with runners on 1 st and third in a tied game. You can imagine what came next. While I was explaining it to the manager, Patrick ejected one of their coaches for trying to leave the dugout to argue with me too. Thanks Pat! Later that night, we met to get our final day assignments. Unfortunately Jon Oko couldn t work on the last day as the plan was for him to work the plate in the Gold Medal game. Great job Jon, it was well deserved. Final Day: So, apparently my balk call proved to impact more than just PEI. This put Saskatchewan into the playoffs instead of Nova Scotia. (sorry) Saskatchewan ended up beating Quebec on day 5 and moved to the semi-finals today against BC. My first game of the day was NB vs. NS for bragging rights. NS won finishing in 7 th. Now it was back to the hotel to rest as I was scheduled to work the plate in the Gold game. Saskatchewan beat BC and Ontario beat Manitoba to advance to the final. I showed up to the yard about 1:15 minutes before the gold game to work with Philippe Lamoureux at 1 st, Pierre Bedard at 2 nd and John Thompson Jr. at 3 rd (congratulations guys). Today brought two of the best games of the tournament. BC won the bronze and Ontario beat Saskatchewan in the bottom of the 7 th inning. Both games were under 1:40 which allowed us to get to our end of tournament dinner with lots of time. Overall, a great tournament with a strong crew of umpires and an even better group of guys. I d like to send out a big thanks to our supervisors (Corrie Davis, Derrick Dubell, David Cass and our very own Chris Wilhelm) for their long hours spent in preparation and out at the fields every day. Thanks also to the organizing committee and Mike Doucette for having all the details in place and putting on a great tournament. Good luck in your bid to get it back next year.
Blue Notes Page 7 In this edition of Blue Notes we re going to take a look at Appeal Plays and the interpretations associated with them. Several sections of the Official Rules of Baseball talk about appeals and hopefully this edition will help clarify some of those sections. Batting Out of Order 6.07(b) When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, and the defensive team appeals to the umpire before the first pitch to the next batter of either team, or before any play or attempted play Any Batting Out of Order appeal under rule 6.07 when an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, must be made before the next pitch to a batter of either team, or a play or attempted play. This section of appeals has no requirement for the appeal to be made before the defensive team leaves the field. Live Ball 7.10 Any runner shall be called out, on appeal, when (a) After a fly ball is caught, he fails to retouch his original base before he or his original base is tagged; (b) With the ball in play, while advancing or returning to a base, he fails to touch each base in order before he, or a missed base, is tagged. (c) He overruns or overslides first base and fails to return to the base immediately, and he or the base is tagged; (d) He fails to touch home base and makes no attempt to return to that base, and home base is tagged. Any appeal under this rule must be made before the next pitch, or any play or attempted play. If the violation occurs during a play which ends a half-inning, the appeal must be made before the defensive team leaves the field. For the purposes of an appeal, the defensive team includes the pitcher and the infielders crossing the foul lines, leaving fair territory heading towards their dugout. If the ball is thrown out of play while making an appeal, or a pitcher balks while making an appeal, such acts shall be considered a play for the purpose of making an appeal and no further appeals will be allowed. A batter-runner who overruns first base and simply turns towards inward in returning to1st base has NOT made an attempt to head towards 2 nd simply because he turned in that direction. The umpire must deem the batter-runner made an attempt; that is up to the umpire and could include simply pushing off and taking one step. There is no specific requirement as to what constitutes an attempt. If a runner fails to touch home base, the runner is deemed to no longer be making an attempt to return to touch home base when he or she leaves the dirt circle area surrounding home plate. The catcher would not be required to chase after the runner. www.baseballontario.com