Would you toss him?

[Zippy]

So, tonight was one of those nights. 10U double header, I had the plate the first game. Didn't really have any issues with fans and coaches, but I felt that my zone was terrible. On one occasion, I rang a kid up (34, visiting team) on a ball that was maybe just a bit high, so he proceeds to go to the dugout and ball his eyes out. Whatever. Play goes on, and the game finishes with the home team winning by one.

Second game I'm the BU. 34 from the VT is up, and his team has a big lead. A pitch floats in high and inside, and as he tries to move out of the way, the pitch hits him on the knob of the bat. Tough luck foul ball. He proceeds to start balling (and I mean BALLING) his eyes out saying that it hit him square in the hand. Head coach (whom I later learned was his dad) come out and says that it had to have hit him in the hand because he is crying and he's a tough kid because "he wrestles pigs" . We both say that it hit the knob, but he continues to argue that it didn't (everybody in the park heard it hit the knob). I calmly say that it could still hurt after it hits the knob, and that its a foul ball, and head back out to A.

After the fact, my partner told me that the coach was saying how he would "send the hospital bill" for the broken hand and ask if it hit the knob then.

So the at bat continues, cry baby strikes out, and proceeds to SLAM his bat down. Partner comes out with a stern "Thats enough", to which the kid replies "IT HIT ME" with his face full of tears and hands out. The coaches that aren't coach dad (who were decent the whole time) come out and apologize and say that they will take care of it. Kid was crying loudly in the dugout for 10 minutes, then proceeded to come back out to play first base without favoring his "broken hand". The first base coach told me that the Head coach is really protective of his kid, and that they didn't condone his behavior towards my partner.

So here are my questions. Would you toss the kid after the bat slam and scream? At what point would you warn and toss the coach? And what can I do from the field during all of this, in addition to potentially playing rodeo clown?

[mtnump]

That's a tough age group, but no matter the age, when equipment gets tossed I usually toss the player. They have to learn what is and isn't acceptable behavior on the diamond and slamming a bat after a strike out and saying anything to the PU is bye-bye time.

As for being BU while this is happening, not much to do except watch PU handle and then help herd the coach away after he gets tossed defending his cry baby kid. Yeah, rodeo clown fits the bill!

[mstaylor]

I'm thinking the coach goes on the hospital bill crack. Kid may or may not get gone, HTBT. If he doesn't go then he gets a very stern talking to.

[yawetag]

So here are my questions. Would you toss the kid after the bat slam and scream? At what point would you warn and toss the coach? And what can I do from the field during all of this, in addition to potentially playing rodeo clown?

I wouldn't toss on the slam, most likely; I would have done the same as the PU did. However, the comment would have gotten him to the ER quicker, as his dad would have probably been right behind him.