Rat coaches

[Umpire in Chief]

I have a certain team in the AAU 13 national championships. in the first day of pool play. The pitcher for this team was wearing a navy blue jersy and has his white t-shirt sleeves hanging outabout an inch. After the first inning I go to his coach and tell him in a friendly conversational way, 'I want to let you know that your pitcher cannot have his white sleaves hanging out the way they are. I'm not asking you to do anything right now, but if the other team asks me about it I will have to enforce the rule.'

The coach happily replies, 'Okay thanks for letting me know, I'll make sure he knows and we'll take care of it if it becomes an issue.'

Fair enough, nobody complained and everything was fine.

Well I talked to another umpire who had this team in tournament play. As the the kid is taking his warm up pitches before the bottom of the first the opposing coach comes out to say the pitcher cannot pitch with the white sleves hanging out. The coach who was fine with me telling him this just a few days before starts acting crazy and sells my friend he had never heard of such a thing. The coach wants to have the kid roll up his sleeves. The umpire told him no he has to remove the shirt because the force of throwing will bring the sleeve back down.

The coach puts on a small show and then goes with the pitcher to the dugout to remove the t-shirt. He takes his sweet time but comes back out and the bottom of the first begins.

A few innings later they bring in a relief pitcher. Guess what, he has white sleeves hanging out too. Amazingly the only two players my friend saw from that team with their t-shirts hanging out are the pitchers. The coach huffs and puffs but asks if he can complete his warm up pitches before taking him to remove his shirt. The umpire tells him thats fine.

Once again the coach is taking his dear sweet time. It actually starts to become too long and the umpire warns that if he isn't out quickly he would start awarding balls. The coach throws a hissy and gets the kid out immediately. Then the coach asks if he can have more warm ups. The umpire tells him no and he huffs and puffs again.

Typical example of a Rat coach trying to get away with things.

[Kyle_Stevens]

AAU National Championship team? Yup, I am sure he/they know the rule. This may be a rule the coach deems to a rule that is a non-issue. Does it really distract the opposing team? Probably not. But I have found this is the age that either side will try to gain the upper hand any way they can. Make big issues out of small ones.

This also may be a situation that could have been stopped a while ago by enforcing it with previous umpires. I am guilty of letting things like this go and it may have caused problems for my brethren down the road.

I like the way you handled it with your situation by recognizing that it could potentially be a problem, by doing what you did he is less likely to throw a fit. What room does he have to wiggle?

[Majordave]

anytime I get assigned to or take a 13's game there is a problem. Most of them cannot throw that well across the big diamond. Running to first takes a sundial to time. Catchers cannot catch or block any pitches. Coaches are usually the pitcher's or shortstop's dad and he knows "everything" (I used to be a ....... when I played professionally/D-1, blah, blah, blah.....).

Am I making myself clear? I do not like to do any ball under 14's and that takes some effort. I am not a snob and I regularly work mostly older players but I will work the younger games I just don't enjoy them as much and I have a very short leash for the coaching shenanigans that they try to pull.

Of course, all of these kids are going to make the majors according to their mommies and daddies that's why they pay the coaches $1500 and up per summer to train them and babysit them.

Sorry, you struck a nerve. Been there, done that. Of my 2 dozen or so ejections, I think about 15 of them are of 13 and 14 yo team's coaches.

My two cents. Your mileage may vary.

[Umpire in Chief]

I would tend to agree with Dave that there a greater amount of ejections at 13-14 y/o players levels. The coaches and parents take these games way too seriously, they know virtually nothing other than all the myths they've learned over the years and the players are so hormonially unbalanced they make very bad decisions, be it showing the umpire up, throwing their helmet, making a bad play. Then you have the parents which often escalate the situations. Rather than telling Johnny, Pick up your helmet and stop being an A$$ before you get whipped." The parents tell him, "Oh that umpire is really screwing you, it's not your fault."

I'm not that old (34) and I still find my self sounding like an old guy, "If I'd pulled that type of crap on the field, what the umpire or caoch said or did wouldn't matter, it be my dad I'd be worried about."

[Bigdog]

Hey all,

I tell my kids that it is OK to have the fear of God in them, BUT until they get to him, THEY ARE MINE!!

Bigdog:cool:

[WillyWacker18]

Real quick way to solve problems. "YOUR DONE"

[PeteBooth]

I have a certain team in the AAU 13 national championships. in the first day of pool play. The pitcher for this team was wearing a navy blue jersy and has his white t-shirt sleeves hanging outabout an inch.

I have no problem with this. We are talking about an inch. IMO, leave it alone

I had a similiar incident where F1's white tee shirt was only hanging out about an inch or so - IMO nothing distractive to the batter.

The coach of the "other' team starts to complain to me and I said in a nice way

"Skip I guess your clean-up hitter can't play today because his uniform is not "in line" with that of his teammates"

The manager said "ok blue I see your point" and no problems the rest of the way.

It's one thing if the white or grey tee shirt is long sleeve and a very sunny day. it's quite another if the white shirt is only hanging an inch or so

Your OP should be Rat vs. Rat not rat vs. Umpire because that is what we have here. Do not be Over officious. IMO, this OP is like a player missing the base by an inch. In other words he touched the base. You do not go looking for inches.

Pete Booth

[PeteBooth]

anytime I get assigned to or take a 13's game there is a problem. Most of them cannot throw that well across the big diamond. Running to first takes a sundial to time. Catchers cannot catch or block any pitches. Coaches are usually the pitcher's or shortstop's dad and he knows "everything" (I used to be a ....... when I played professionally/D-1, blah, blah, blah.....).

Am I making myself clear? I do not like to do any ball under 14's and that takes some effort. I am not a snob and I regularly work mostly older players but I will work the younger games I just don't enjoy them as much and I have a very short leash for the coaching shenanigans that they try to pull.

Of course, all of these kids are going to make the majors according to their mommies and daddies that's why they pay the coaches $1500 and up per summer to train them and babysit them.

Sorry, you struck a nerve. Been there, done that. Of my 2 dozen or so ejections, I think about 15 of them are of 13 and 14 yo team's coaches.

My two cents. Your mileage may vary.

Dave I agree but IMO here is the most important part of the OP

his white t-shirt sleeves hanging out about an inch.

I realize the 13/14 old division and coaches can be a "bear" but IMO no need to "get off on the wrong foot" with a white tee shirt hanging out about

an inch or so. It will not effect the game. As you said your lucky if these kids can throw strikes so I doubt very much that this white tee shirt is distracting to the batter.

If the "other' coach complains I am pretty certain all of his players are NOT in uniform with that of his teammates and we can difuse the situation.

Most of the times in these 13/14 yr. old divisions it's the Rat vs. Rat more than anything. Each coach is looking for a way to disturb the other team instead of concentrating on coaching their team and actually teaching the kids how to play the game - what a concept.

In Summary for the most part you are "dead-on" in your analysis however, I would take it a step further and group what you said in one category - Stay away from "kiddy ball" which IMO would include the rug-rats up to the 13/14's depending upon what area you live in because some 13/14 yr. old divisions are quite good.

Pete Booth