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3 batters in, 2 gone!


LittleBlue
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So this happened a few weeks ago and it really caught me off guard because as far as I knew this game was going to be a quick, in and out, "get'er done" kind of game. Oh man, was I wrong.

9u baseball with both teams having more 8 year old than 9 year olds. We have the plate meeting, nothing out of the ordinary. Both coaches seem nice and say that this isn't really a competitive league, as much as it is a developmental league.

Home team takes the field and F1 has trouble hitting the catchers glove, let along getting near the strike zone even for 9 year olds. Oh well. First batter walks on 6 pitches. Coach starts with the "where's that" and "come on blue." I ignore.

Next batter strikes out swinging. Coach still can't believe the first batter walked. He's grumbling about it as the third batter take ball one. "Are you kidding me? Where the f**k was that one? You're horrible!" I ejected he head coach. He doesn't even come out, rather he throws his score book on the ground and walks off.

The batter works it to a 3-2 count. Ball 4 is at his eyes. Assistant coach (now acting head coach) says to his 3rd coach "this is getting ridiculous *yelling to me* your a joke, you're giving them the game, you want it to be all about you, do your job or leave." I informed him that it was actually him who could leave.

The only remaining coach was an older man who was used to only keeping score. He came out after the inning was over and apologized for his other coaches (he was actually a genuinely nice guy). He did his best managing everything and his team ended up winning 8-4. As far as he said, it was their first win of the year.

Question: should I have said something when they started chirping during the first batter to prevent it from spiraling? Also, should you be more quick to address gripes and chirps early rather than later when no one has said anything all game?

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9u and he's 'f-bombing' the umpires, it's insanity. 

It doesn't sound like there was time for much chirping before the ejectable offense, but if there were, I practice nipping it as soon as it's loud enough for me to hear clearly. I call time, walk to a distance that keeps me from having to yell, and say calmly, "I'm done hearing about balls and strikes today, and I don't plan to have this conversation again." 

If the rule set prescribes a specific warning, i.e.. NCAA, I give it, and then get back to business. 

You could have warned the coach during the first at bat, but it doesn't sound like this guy was a quick study any way, it's not on you, he ejected himself. 

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12 hours ago, LittleBlue said:

So this happened a few weeks ago and it really caught me off guard because as far as I knew this game was going to be a quick, in and out, "get'er done" kind of game. Oh man, was I wrong.

9u baseball with both teams having more 8 year old than 9 year olds. We have the plate meeting, nothing out of the ordinary. Both coaches seem nice and say that this isn't really a competitive league, as much as it is a developmental league.

Home team takes the field and F1 has trouble hitting the catchers glove, let along getting near the strike zone even for 9 year olds. Oh well. First batter walks on 6 pitches. Coach starts with the "where's that" and "come on blue." I ignore.

Next batter strikes out swinging. Coach still can't believe the first batter walked. He's grumbling about it as the third batter take ball one. "Are you kidding me? Where the f**k was that one? You're horrible!" I ejected he head coach. He doesn't even come out, rather he throws his score book on the ground and walks off.

The batter works it to a 3-2 count. Ball 4 is at his eyes. Assistant coach (now acting head coach) says to his 3rd coach "this is getting ridiculous *yelling to me* your a joke, you're giving them the game, you want it to be all about you, do your job or leave." I informed him that it was actually him who could leave.

The only remaining coach was an older man who was used to only keeping score. He came out after the inning was over and apologized for his other coaches (he was actually a genuinely nice guy). He did his best managing everything and his team ended up winning 8-4. As far as he said, it was their first win of the year.

Question: should I have said something when they started chirping during the first batter to prevent it from spiraling? Also, should you be more quick to address gripes and chirps early rather than later when no one has said anything all game?

Ignore.  Acknowledge.  Warn.  Eject.     These two thugs don't belong coaching little children.   F bombs?  I hope you informed the league officials about it.   Sometimes there are coaches and /or players who say or do things that demand that you skip a step or two on the way to the Eject button. 

Like the man said, "Sports doesn't build character, it reveals it."    And these two tools revealed that they should not be allowed to be anywhere near a sports field with children.

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Game got better when they left, right?

Geez.  Yeah, while kstrunk has it right, I wouldn't have thought to do it either.  Probably would have given them a staredown, which they probably would have ignored.  They blew right to the eject step, which you correctly executed.

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Any story here that starts with "9U baseball..." is going to be a doozy! It's not the players, of course! It's the coaches! *

But your story @LittleBlue takes the cake. F-bombs in a 9U game!? Say what?!

You did fine. You ignored the first chirp. Then, bang, they moved right to the need for ejection without giving you any change for the other steps in the process. Crazy coaches.

___________

* I did a 9U tournament a few weeks back (I know, I know). I had 6 games (I know, I know). Each team had at least 2 games in the day. At some point in the middle of the day when the defensive manager and his catcher are meeting with the pitcher on the mound, I'm left at the plate with a batter. The batter turns to me, and with a big smile says, "I need a nap!" That's my best story from the day, and possibly the best line I've ever heard in a baseball game! I laughed out loud! Later that day I told this story to one of the coaches. His response, "I need a nap too." Some of the coaches are ok.

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Our local league would suspend both coaches for the remainder of the year and the one throwing the F bomb would never get to coach in the league again. I'm sure there would be a hearing purely to go through the motions of it and to entertain the Board. Other parents would be asked to step up, and the Board Members would, in some way, assume control of the team.

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So the thing with this field is that the dugout is right on top of home plate so even when I ejected the coaches they were no more than 5-10 feet from me, standing in their dugout. 


This was a mistake. Ejected coaches go to the parking lot or further, they do not stay in the dugout - ever (I think Fed says something different here because of teams taking busses). You hold the game while they leave then continue when they are out of sight.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

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2 hours ago, Tksjewelry said:

 


This was a mistake. Ejected coaches go to the parking lot or further, they do not stay in the dugout - ever (I think Fed says something different here because of teams taking busses). You hold the game while they leave then continue when they are out of sight.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
 

 

FED lets players remain in the dugout, but coaches gotta go. 

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18 minutes ago, Stk004 said:

FED lets players remain in the dugout, but coaches gotta go. 

Which is a little tricky when HS teams show up with one adult coach, and turn out to be mouthy.  On more than one occasion, I have approached a coach and explained that he's sorely mistaken if he thinks I won't follow the rulebook restrict and/or eject simply because he's the only adult present.  In most cases, that means a forfeit.

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Not balls and strikes but had a pick off at 2nd in the top of the 1st inning. Called the runner safe, under the tag. Defensive manager "come on blue, you cannot over officiate the game!"... whatever the heck that means. Guess I should call a player out just cause it was close?

 

Coach, that's enough, you are done arguing judgement calls blah, blah, blah.

His reply? But the game just started!

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On 6/26/2017 at 3:31 PM, Mudisfun said:

Not balls and strikes but had a pick off at 2nd in the top of the 1st inning. Called the runner safe, under the tag. Defensive manager "come on blue, you cannot over officiate the game!"... whatever the heck that means. Guess I should call a player out just cause it was close?

 

Coach, that's enough, you are done arguing judgement calls blah, blah, blah.

His reply? But the game just started!

Yes, apparently if the ball beats the runner your work is done.

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15 hours ago, beerguy55 said:

Yes, apparently if the ball beats the runner your work is done.

This is the culture that so many umpires continue to perpetuate, call the game according to the expectations of coaches and spectators rather than according to rules and reality. The only way to change it is for the guys who do it right to teach and train, but even then it'll be difficult, because those guys are out numbered by alot. 

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3 hours ago, kstrunk said:

This is the culture that so many umpires continue to perpetuate, call the game according to the expectations of coaches and spectators rather than according to rules and reality. The only way to change it is for the guys who do it right to teach and train, but even then it'll be difficult, because those guys are out numbered by alot. 

Sorry kstrunk, but every time I see alot I think of....

Image result for alot

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On 6/24/2017 at 10:31 PM, LittleBlue said:

So the thing with this field is that the dugout is right on top of home plate so even when I ejected the coaches they were no more than 5-10 feet from me, standing in their dugout. 

I don't care what level I'm working... If I run a coach, he's gone from the confines of the field.To me, an acceptable distance is the bus. For tournament ball, the parking lot will do. Either way, an ejected coach is not going to be anywhere near the field. That defeats the purpose of ejecting when you have to.

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1 hour ago, jonathantullos said:

I don't care what level I'm working... If I run a coach, he's gone from the confines of the field.To me, an acceptable distance is the bus. For tournament ball, the parking lot will do. Either way, an ejected coach is not going to be anywhere near the field. That defeats the purpose of ejecting when you have to.

The field was located in the back of a church and it was really tight. He could have been in the parking lot too and would have been maybe 15 feet from the field. Down the first base line was mostly trees and not much space in foul territory or dead ball area. Down thto third base line was the parking lot right on top of the field. Just a really bad set up if you ask me. Can't really say I ever want to work there again.

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On 7/4/2017 at 8:54 AM, jonathantullos said:

I don't care what level I'm working... If I run a coach, he's gone from the confines of the field.To me, an acceptable distance is the bus. For tournament ball, the parking lot will do. Either way, an ejected coach is not going to be anywhere near the field. That defeats the purpose of ejecting when you have to.

Furthermore, don't start the game until he is gone.  I just stand on the foul line and watch him until he leaves.  If I need to say anything, I just say, in a calm manner, "you got to go."

http://m.mlb.com/video/v6458903/atlfla-cox-is-ejected-for-arguing-with-the-umpire

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Doesn't LL say for coaches/managers must "leave the game site". That would, i "assume" (probably incorrectly-where is Rich Ives -master  of all LL) that means all the property the LL at the site owns. So, no going to another LL field even if it is 200 yards away and is part of the total property/site, no going to the car in the parking lot if it is part of the property, owned by the LL entity. Off the site, means off the site (property). Now, if the LL property backs up to a resident's property and the resident let's the coach/manager come over onto their property, he may resume unsportsmanlike conduct from that new property/site. However, there would be nothing improper about including that situation in the report (you got to write it up anyway) and let the Board deal with it, even if there is nothing they can do within the rules since he is now off the site.

And if I am on the Board, and there better be a representative there somewhere, then I will escort and hold up the game till the violator leaves the site. We can discuss at the board meeting how cooperative the violating coach/manager was with POE (pace of ejection) issues in considering additional punishment.

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