Tommi Nupponen and Ossi Muurainen say

By far the most experienced pair of judges in the Superpesis Tommi Nupponen–Ossi Muurainen has condemned the games for four decades.,

The career in the men’s main series began in 1999. Mentioning four decades puts a smile on the duo’s mouthpiece, as both are only a little over 40 years old, exactly 44.

– It hasn’t come to be thought about, but it is. You can then draw your own conclusions from the four decades, Nupponen laughs.

Muurainen has 547 matches with most matches. Between the men, there is still a passing judge who ended his career in 2015 Matti Lähteenmäki 507 games.

The men’s merit list is also handsome, as in addition to the final games and the East-West, the referee Nupponen has been chosen as the best referee in the country three times and the referee Judge Muurainen twice. Muurainen also has two Golden Whistles as a sign of players choosing the best striped shirt of the year.

Away from home

The people of Jyväskylä have condemned a couple of men’s main series since 2000.

– We started our career as a judge in the early 1990s. After that, we gradually progressed up through the men’s first nest and the women’s main series to the men’s main series, where we judged the first season mostly separately and then together, Muurainen says.

Over the years, nearly 300,000 judges have accumulated mileage on the duo’s car meter.

When asked what drives Muupainen, Nupponen and Telia’s production manager, who works as Matkahuolto’s transport manager, to drive around Finland to keep baseball teams in check, Muurainen gives an exhaustive answer.

– Tommi gets away from home for such a good reason.

After getting serious about the laughter brought by his pair of judges, Nupponen opens the reasons in more depth.

– We have both been involved in team games before the refereeing career. This is a natural continuation of this life, as we are our own team with the assistant judges with whom we experience things.

Squeaking

When thinking about the development of baseball during his refereeing period, Nupponen highlights the acceleration and tactics of the game.

– Both have increased really wildly. Teams today think of everything largely in advance, and most of what they do is carefully considered, unlike in previous years.

Technology has also become part of the work of judges.

– Today, after the game, we can go through the situations and events in peace through the recordings. At the same time, the preparation for games has changed, as we analyze what players do in the same way.

The behavior of the players on the field is a topic of constant talk for the nest. Nupponen describes most of them expressing their feelings and views within appropriate limits.

– It is also a kind of skill, some of the players know how to play the game. Over the years, of course, there have been some who can’t get over the situation during the final game.

– Without mentioning the names, some situations have plagued some for years to come, which I think shows their appreciation for the judges. In other words, they have little appreciation in Finnish, even if both the referees and the players make right and wrong decisions.

Muurainen says he encounters all sorts of commentary in the home nest, most of which is good conversation. He also gives an example of when he knows he was certainly right in his judgment.

– When a team shouts the wrong part, the plate is wrong, someone is out of position and someone is still low, I know I’m right, whether I judge the feed right or wrong.

He also admits that the judiciary has sometimes intensified judgments.

– The referee has his own area, and no one else has anything to do with it. If you sometimes bump, it’s not the judge’s fault, Muurainen sculpts.

Ball in the head

When asked about painful coincidences on the field, Muurainen’s hand rises as a sign of a hit. He got his ball on the forehead in Pattijoki.

– It was a bronze match between Pattijoki and Hyvinkää. For some reason, Lukkari didn’t catch the ball, after which it banged right in the forehead.

– After the hit, the cap flew off the head and cold was needed. The situation was also frightening, as it was severe. However, it was lucky that the ball did not come into the eye, for example. I was also able to continue the game at the time.

Closure close

The duo has been in the middle of several special events during their careers. In Sotkamo, for example, the game had to be interrupted when the flagpole of the field was cut during a storm.

Kitee, on the other hand, made history in 2016 when the match had to be suspended after a super turn due to darkness and rain.

– This is the only match in the current game system that has ended 1-1. According to the rules, a rematch will not be played if the match is suspended after the super turn, Nupponen says.

Ten years ago, there was also an episode that drove Nupponen and Muurainen to consider continuing their careers. At that time, Sotkamo and Vimpeli were playing in Sotkamo, and the number of pieces was unclear.

– There were four fires in the game, because the scribes were not aware of the situation during the three fires. The game continued after that for a moment, after which I interrupted it and the situation was taken back, meaning nothing could happen.

However, the incident took the storm behind the scenes. The ant is still in trouble.

– The Baseball Federation became an order to shelv us, even though the situation had finally gone right, ie our own interpretations were made there. The then chief judge finally said we weren’t shelved. Still, we ran out of games.

The end of the games made the duo seriously think about the decision of their refereeing career.

– The idea of ​​quitting was very strong in both, because we felt we had experienced quite an injustice. At worst, it seemed that the decision was made by a person whose plot did not even belong to the whole thing. That is, the decision was not made by the Chief Judge.

– The decision on the continuation was made only in the late autumn, which means that the matter had to be considered for several months, Muurainen says.

“Monkey”

The jury has also experienced an accident on the road.

There was a bad impression when they left Nurmo, Seinäjoki, on their way back. At that time, a tractor went in front, pulling a combine with a cart behind it. Nupponen, who came from behind, turned to overtake the car.

– At the same time the tractor started to turn left without flashing, ie we were driving straight on. Fortunately, I managed to turn the car into a ditch while braking. The situation was miraculously resolved with car damage and damage to the traffic sign.

At the same time, Nupponen agreed with the tractor driver, and the matter seemed to be fine. At the same time, the assistant judge described the damaged flashing of the trailer. The description rose to a great value the following week.

– The host called, refusing to pay anything. The reason he said was that I had been drunk like a monkey. I replied to him that this was certainly not the case, I had left the baseball field a little earlier in the presence of witnesses.

– I also said that you would be irresponsible if you had allowed me to continue driving. After the call, I decided to report the crime immediately, and the host received a verdict for endangering traffic safety.

Manners

Finally, turn your gaze to the future of the judiciary. Above all, Muurainen hopes for a matter-of-fact use towards young people.

– Parents should take responsibility for young judges and think about how to behave. There could be someone named in the games, for example, who intervenes in bad behavior. Such would send a clear message about what cannot be done.

Nupponen also hopes that the most successful couples in the Superpesis will whistle the most.

– Seats should not be allocated on the basis of any quota or equity. More attention should be paid to how things work: if well, more games will be given and vice versa.

– Similarly, if, for example, a couple succeeds in the women’s Superpesis and the men’s number one nest, they will also be given responsibility in the men’s Superpesis. This creates more developing competition.