Impartial_Observer

21 minutes ago, DanteEstonia said:

 

Maybe if we had Medicare for All, we could have avoided this "mental health crisis". 

 Sure, Obamacare fixed everything. 

Our experience thus far has been favorable. I would not be opposed to some sort of first half trigger. 

Statistically, I know I know, folks who have a license to carry a hand gun commit crimes at a rate lower than law enforcement. But every “solution” to gun violence will only affect the people who commit the least amount of crime. 
 

Just out of curiosity have any of you ever tried to get psychological help for someone? If you have you know. 

3 hours ago, Muda69 said:

Not so fast:  https://myips.org/athletics/elementary-school-sports/

I stand corrected. I’d really be curious of participation numbers. 

An IPS school has a 10U Softball team???? I’m calling bullshit. 

2 hours ago, swordfish said:

A wedge issue in an election year......Let's just keep highlighting it......Kinda like "Replacement Theory" being something new that radical white nationalists  dreamed up recently......(NYT - 10/29/2018) not last week, and from a liberal nonetheless.

https://www.unz.com/isteve/nyt-we-can-replace-them/

We Can Replace Them
In Georgia, a chance to rebuke white nationalism.

By Michelle Goldberg, Opinion Columnist, Oct. 29, 2018

… Right now America is tearing itself apart as an embittered white conservative minority clings to power, terrified at being swamped by a new multiracial polyglot majority. The divide feels especially stark in Georgia, where the midterm election is a battle between Trumpist reaction and the multicultural America whose emergence the right is trying, at all costs, to forestall. …

Kemp is the candidate of aggrieved whiteness.

How dare whites feel aggrieved about being replaced? Those bastards, letting themselves get resentful over us replacing them. They deserve what they have coming. We’re not replacing whites because we love power, we are replacing whites because they are hateful. We know they are hateful because of how much they make us hate-filled toward them. If they didn’t flat-out deserve to be hated, we wouldn’t hate them so much. Our boots stamping on their inhuman faces forever is for their own good.

 

 

On 5/16/2022 at 10:24 AM, swordfish said:

So I have heard on every news cast since Saturday there was a disgusting shooting in Buffalo over the weekend where a lot of innocent people were gunned down by a racist lunatic who (IMHO) deserves nothing less than the death penalty and whatever worse punishment we can heap on him he deserves it.  

Did anyone hear about the mass shooting in Southern California?  Or about the 33 people shot in Chicago (5 fatally)?  Or New York City?

https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-shooting-weekend-violence-crime-police/11855997/

 

Buffalo fits the correct narrative. 

With all the ins, outs, and what have yous. Tough to keep straight in old Duder’s head. 
My interpretation is that there has never been a specific law providing for legal abortion. RvW prescribed a right to privacy between you and your doctor. 

If all that is true, what’s wrong with asking congress to pass a law and get the president to sign it. Or better yet, just allow the states to regulate it?

I have an opinion, don’t care to debate it, don’t care to justify it, in general don’t even really care to discuss it. This is just another socially divisive issue and the R’s are too stupid to stay out of the fray. Murdock would have been the Senator from Indiana if he could just keep his mouth shut about abortion, and he couldn’t do it. 

I have paid pretty much zero attention to this leak, which was clearly politically motivated. Can we all just take a deep breath and wait to see what the court actually rules before we burn it down?

25 minutes ago, foxbat said:

This isn't even hitting at the trickle-down effect of youth sports.  Most weekly games for travel and most rec are down to a single ump and even tournament play is starting to see single umps in the field for pool play and even some of the early morning games on bracket play.

 It sure what the answer is. The group that handles BA/SB officials at Grand Park are throwing money at them to get them to come. My SB partner has been going up there and doing BA 20 bucks for a hotel room by yourself, they’re offering free equipment and uniforms to new umps. He gets an extra money in their first game of the day. So this weekend his first game of the day he got $125.
 

All this is well and good, but all they’re doing is robbing umpires from other organizations. 
 

My last tournament I had four diamonds going. We were suppose to have a 3-man rotation on every diamond. Due to sickness, not showing up, sending a guy home, by Sunday I was down to two 5-man rotations, with an Ironman on one diamond the last three games. So parents when the tournament director is dealing with stuff like this like every day anymore, he’s probably not going to care that little Suzi got rung up on a pitch that was “foot” off the plate. Tell little Suzy to get the bat off her shoulder, his strike  zone has been all over the place all day!

I would venture to guess most of those Baseball games were frosh/C games. 

On 4/21/2022 at 1:46 PM, Irishman said:

Madison is looking to fill the position of Defensive Coordinator as well as an offensive and defensive position coach. All applicants welcome, but would prefer some experience for the Coordinator position. There are several teaching positions available throughout the school district as well as new ones be posted in the very near future. Link to open teaching positions is available below. Please contact Coach LeRoy Wilson, lwilson@madison.k12.in.us, if interested.  https://skyward.madison.k12.in.us/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsSky/rappljoblst484.w

Madison has a new turf field, brand new addition includes a state of the art weight room. I was down there for a softball game earlier in the season, Coach Wilson showed me around the new weight facility, impressive. 

On 5/14/2022 at 3:59 PM, DanteEstonia said:

And, I don't drive a 20+ year old Dodge pickup. 

Dude you got a problem, I made an off the cuff remark. 

Your geography teacher failed you. 

On 5/11/2022 at 11:49 PM, DanteEstonia said:

 

My domicile isn't near a public street. 

Is your apartment complex a gated community?

I was quick to bitch about the current state of affairs, I thought I might share a little glimpse of the reason you do it. 
 

Last night I had the pleasure to work a game where the HC was a kid I’ve had a relationship since she was about 8. I coached her in HS, saw her play a lot of games in college, as she was in the same conference as my daughter. She’s currently serving as interim HC as the HC has had some health issues. She is expected to be named HC. One of the highlights of my career was being able to shake her hand at the plate meeting and refer to her as coach. 
 

I think the best way for me to sum up the current state of affairs is, sports to me has always been about relationships. The main problem as I see it is the toxicity involved doesn’t foster the creation of relationships. Coaches, officials, and parents need to figure out, everyone is here for the same reason, and ultimately it will be the kids who suffer if we continue down this path. 
 

3 hours ago, Bash Riprock said:

Thanks Bob...great explanation.  Could you get comfortable expanding the use of sideline warning in youth football to a  coach for to help prevent parents, family and other fans from "getting out of hand" as a method to help him own accountability to deal with the issue?  As you know, there is sometimes little space between and official and Mommy/Daddy just off the sidelines constantly yelling.  Thoughts??

I no longer work youth football where parents are allowed near the field. Basically only leagues played on HS fields with the parents in the stand. 

19 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

Maybe this?:

 

"Meaning he had the ball in this throwing hand when engaged with the rubber to present the ball to the batter and runner."

 

I notice your reference says “him” and not to get into the pronoun thing, I assume this is from a men’s book. I don’t know if any youth fastpitch around, but I do know USA (formerly ASA) has different rules for men’s and women. For instance crow hopping is legal in the mens game and. It allowed in womens. This could also be in reference to Slow pitch. 

13 minutes ago, oldtimeqb said:

Is there a "sideline warning" type infraction that can be called in baseball/softball?  If I'm not mistaken football can go sideline warning - 15 yard unsportsmanlike - 15 + ejection.  

Of course the warning is only as good as the mindset of the coach.  I would take it as a sign to calm down.  Sounds like this coach might have taken it as a personal challenge, unfortunately. 

Im not a big ultimatum guy, they never end well, and I assure you if I’m given an ultimatum I’m going to do the thing you told me not to do. That being said, I have adopted several techniques:

Coach do you care to repeat that?

Youve made your point it’s time to move on

Coach you need to go coach your team. 
 

In 40 years, the handful of coaches who excused themselves had it coming. I’ve always taken pride in the fact that things seldom degenerated to where we had an ejection. 
 

The other thing is having been a HC and an official, I totally get both sides.

2 minutes ago, Bobref said:

I have to ask, what on earth is “presenting the ball?”

I asked the same thing, and I think that’s what set him off. He went so far as to tell me it was a POE this year. I have heard the term over the years, mostly from old timers, I think it used to have something to do with slow-pitch  near as I can tell. 
This guy has a rep, I’ve had him before, he likes to ask a leading question and then he can argue, regardless of how you answer. He came up to me after the bottom of the first and asked “what are your thoughts on presenting the ball” to which I replied I have no thoughts, because I don’t have any idea what that means. And we were off….

20 hours ago, Bobref said:

One of the drivers behind the officiating shortage is the unreasonable behavior of fans toward sports officials. Many of those “fans” are actually parents or other relatives of players. If they act that way, in public, toward officials, I can only imagine how they act toward coaches when Little Johnny is riding the pines, or Little Suzy is batting 8th instead of cleanup. I’m sure @Impartial_Observercan share on that subject, as can many others.

Coaching at the HS level is a HUGE commitment. Not just for the coach but for his family as well. I loved coaching, I loved practices, being around kids, teaching, watching them develop, watching them become successful you adults. What I miss most are the relationships with the kids, I think being around kids keeps you young. I miss the alone time with just the coaching staff, after a game or practice, game planning, practice planning, sharing fellowship, etc.

You just reach a point where it’s like why am I doing this? The last year I coached we started the season on a hot streak, we were like 10-0 and ranked like 8th in the state. I had to meet with a parent who’s kid had started and played in every game, because the parent was unhappy about where the kid was playing. Long story short, I’m missing my own kid’s pretty successful college career to coach, and the resounding question in my mind is why am I dealing with this crap? I made up my mind during another such parent meeting and turned my resignation that night. 
 

I have had multiple chances to coach since, and as much as I would love do it, particularly with some of the people who’ve asked, I know what comes with it, and just decline. 
 

Coaching is the toughest job you’ll ever love. Unrealistic expectations, why isn’t my kid playing, why is my kid playing OF instead of IF, the social media posts (though I never had much issues with that) the massive amount of time away from family and friends, it just stacks up and people get tired of it. It is concerning to me, we are losing good young coaches across the board in all sports. 
 

A little caveat, last Thursday I had the plate for a big conference game that had championship implications. It was the best game I’ve seen all season, pitchers duel, 0-0 thru 7 innings. I personally had a great game, yes as an official you know when you walk off the field. In short it was FUN, which ultimately is why I’m there. However, thanks to one of the coaches, who starts bitching about “presenting the ball” in the bottom of the first inning, which is not a term that has been in the rule book in the 20 or so years I’ve been involved. And since he can’t get any satisfaction out of me on his made up term, it sets the tone for the whole night and by the third inning, we’ve degenerated to arguing balls and strikes. He just sucked all the fun out of it for everyone. The opposing catcher even asked at one point, what is that guys problem? I’m not going to lie, and I have shared with some AD’s I don’t know what my future in officiating is at this point. I haven’t even made up my mind whether I’m doing Football this fall or not yet, but I can assure you this, dealing with assholes is making the decision for me. FYI, I had to stop the game in the bottom of the 8th with the visitors up 1-0 because of rain. I won’t get a chance to see how it turns out. 

22 hours ago, Frozen Tundra said:

Justun Sharp was supposed to be that guy but that didn’t pan out for good reason. Nevertheless, it’s a tough job because it requires a lot of work. The program has to be built from the ground up. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of folks out there willing to put the time and effort in to build a program at Jennings County. Hopefully it changes. It’s my adopted home, the former home of my parents, and the lifelong home of my extended family as well as my wife’s family. They deserve to finally have a winning football team after all these years of suffering.

You hit the nail on the head, everybody’s all in until it gets to actually doing the work. 

4 hours ago, Frozen Tundra said:

My understanding is that he doesn’t have any interest. 

Completely understandable, see my comments earlier in the thread. 

14 minutes ago, Frozen Tundra said:

It’s true. It was confirmed to me yesterday. People here are irate because he put them in a bad situation.

So what do you do? Open it back up? Assuming other applicants have scattered in the wind. Starting to get a little late in the game. 

On 2/11/2022 at 10:03 PM, Frozen Tundra said:

Big plot twist as Nic Vasilchek has gone the route of Brett Favre with his decision-making and decided he will coach Jennings County after all. Hopefully he sticks with it this time.

Any truth to the rumors Nic Vasilchek has backed out again?

23 hours ago, foxbat said:

Sometimes my oldest son tests whether my own are a priority for me.  Something about 16 year old boys that makes you think tigers eating their young might be on to something.

I often opined during my child rearing years, now having children of my own makes me understand why some species eat their young.