Some don't know when to shut it

[Mr Umpire]

Had a long Saturday. 3 games behind the plate. 11/12 year olds.

In park teams playing a DH but 1 was playing another team immediately following while the other was coming back in the 3rd game to play another team.

1st game, some complaining about balls and strikes from HT coaches but nothing major. About the 4th inning, check swing with partner in A. I didn't think the batter went and asked my partner after being asked. He agreed. Coach comes out and I knew what he wanted but it is rec ball with inexperienced coaches. So, I let him come out and see what he wanted to say. He started off with "I can understand not seeing the inside/outside corner, but he swung across the plate." At that moment, I said "No, he didn't. And, I asked my partner who said it." He wanted to continue but I cut him off and said "That's enough." As I turned away, he clapped his hands (which could be viewed as just trying to encourage his team) and said something which I didn't hear so I let it go. Didn't want to look like the aggressor by coming back with a "What did you say".

I did not know they were playing in the 3rd game. We were already behind on time so I figured to stay back there and just get the games over instead of wasting 30 more minutes of switching out.

3rd game comes up and I knew from the beginning it wasn't going to be good when he tells the other out of park team "The umpires hate him." I left it alone b/c the other coach didn't know what he was talking about since he wasn't at the first game. My partner told him before that he would have tossed him if my partner was behind the plate for the clap part. My partner was very young and only his 2nd year.

Everything is going good until the TOP of the 5th inning.

R2, 0 outs. Pitch goes toward LH batter's feet on the heel side of the foot. Big F2 shifts over while the batter is attempting to jump out of the way of the pitch with a cloud of dust. I didn't see the ball hit the batter's foot but the pitch went to the backstop slowly. Instead of stopping the play, I waited to see what the runner did. After play stopped, coach was questioning it so I went to my partner. He told me he was pretty sure it hit him. I thought it did as well and the batter even pointed it to his coach as I was walking by so I figured it probably did. So, I sent him to 1B and left R2 at 2B. No brainer I figured.

Well, the HT coach didn't. His coaches were telling him it hit the bat and I guess he didn't pay attention very well. He comes out to question it and why I couldn't tell when I am right on TOP of the play. I told him the catcher and batter were between me and the pitch. Then, he says something about why I couldn't see it hit the bat. I told him "It wasn't anywhere near the bat. I was positive of that."

He starts to walk away and says "Need to get your head in the game." That was it. I was lenient afterwards b/c I didn't get a league official to escort him to the parking lot. I let him watch the last inning and a half from the bleachers as long as I didn't hear him. And, I didn't.

All he had to do was walk back without that last parting shot. I will have to get a shorter leash to stop it the first time even though I didn't hear him clearly during the first game.

An aside note, I had a much better plate game than the other day. There were a few pitches I missed but they were caused by the catcher, mainly blocking me out b/c he was so big. Other than that, only 1 team of coaches didn't agree with several pitches which weren't close. So, I would say a much better plate day.

[spiritump]

when you asked your partner if it hit him--why did he wait for you to ask, as the base umpire if you are sure the ball hit the batter you have to come up strong and call time--if he was not 100% sure it hit the batter say nothing--the way to handle this is to tell the coach "why ask my partner if he has the ball hitting the batter he would of come up strong and called it" by going to your partner you are opening it up to questions .

[Mr Umpire]

when you asked your partner if it hit him--why did he wait for you to ask, as the base umpire if you are sure the ball hit the batter you have to come up strong and call time--if he was not 100% sure it hit the batter say nothing--the way to handle this is to tell the coach "why ask my partner if he has the ball hitting the batter he would of come up strong and called it" by going to your partner you are opening it up to questions .

As BU, I would NEVER make that call without consulting my partner in a situation where it is not 100% clear to everyone in the park that it hit the batter. PU may have it as not hitting the batter and may have seen it differently. As I said, the entire 1B dugout said it hit the bat. So, obviously, it wasn't obvious that it hit the batter b/c I knew it didn't hit the bat.

How many times have you heard a dugout claim the ball hit the bat when it actually hit the glove? Since it wasn't obvious and the PU may not have it hitting the batter since it was near the ground and could have easily just skipped off the ground wierd, I think my partner did correctly not call it and kill a potential play if in fact we did deem it not to hit the batter.

Easier to return runners and turn a live ball into a dead ball than to turn a dead ball into a live ball and wonder where the runners should have been. Obviously, we wouldn't do the second part and have to eat a mistake.

I will add though. Most partners, I look at them and usually they will nod to let me know if it hit the batter or not. This was a new young umpire so he didn't even move. Though, he told me he thought it hit the batter as well.