Anything I could have done

[buddywilshire]

BU, Juvee 1 game which I guess makes them going into 8th grade. Two pretty good teams. Well the home team just didn't have it. It was 10 nothing by the top of third. So top of the third the VT gets two or three more. 0 outs, R3 and R1. F1 throws home, R1 takes off for second, and F2 just let him take the base. HC says "YOU JUST LET HIM HAVE F:censored:ING SECOND!" The catcher didn't say a thing, just kind of looked at him. The VT knocks in two or three more then somehow the HT gets an out. As the catcher walks off he says something to the coach, I found out later that the coach was his dad and that he told his dad "I don't want to catch anymore." The kid sits down. The HC comes out in front of the dugout and just starts screaming "GET OFF THE BENCH! TAKE YOUR STUFF AND LEAVE!" Then he says the classic "CAROL(his wife) COME GET YOUR SON!" before he could finish Carol yelled "NOPE", it was pretty funny. So after about thirty more seconds of the coach yelling he physically picks his son up and sits him next to his Carol. Then in the next inning because they were losing so bad he asked "Who wants to play catcher?" Loud enough for his son to hear him. There SS, who is a good player but never has played catcher before, gets behind the plate. The VT, for someone unkown reason, tries to steal a base and the kid running slips and the SS turned catcher throws a ball that bounces and rolls to second but still got the kid at the second and the HC, again loud enough for his son to hear yells "OH WE MAY HAVE JUST FOUND OUR NEW CATCHER!" What a jerk.

Could I have have handled this any other way? I felt bad just letting the kid get yelled at but I didn't know what to do. Any ideas?

[Stan W.]

you cant legislate against jerkiness...............but I would have dumped him for the F-word.....in a heartbeat......

[buddywilshire]

you cant legislate against jerkiness...............but I would have dumped him for the F-word.....in a heartbeat......

Good point. I just hate to do this. Hindsight is 20/20, but you are right. If I cut that off at the pass we have no issue.

[rulebook]

Agree. EJ the HC for obscene language. Carol would probably thank you.

Do you think the visiting team was still stealing with a 13 run lead in response to the HC's antics or are they just classless as well?

[tommy]

we cant tell a coach how to comunicate with his team however if you have a coach using foul language on the field you dump them asap.

[buddywilshire]

Agree. EJ the HC for obscene language. Carol would probably thank you.

Do you think the visiting team was still stealing with a 13 run lead in response to the HC's antics or are they just classless as well?

Honestly? I think it is two parted. 1. I have had the VT but never the HT supposdly the HC is a real piece of work. He is a board member at the league and I kind of got the feeling taht he thinks he is above it all. I guess his yelling at his son is not a new thing from what I got from it. So, yes partly to stick it to the HC. 2. I think that the coach for the VT is not very bright. I have had him a few games and some of the questions he asked make me scratch my head. He just isn't a bright baseball team. And his team is pretty good so that shocks me to. I think he isn't baseball smart enough to know he shouldn't be running there.

[Stan W.]

Good point. I just hate to do this. Hindsight is 20/20, but you are right. If I cut that off at the pass we have no issue.

what is it that you hate to do?.......eject?.....or eject for obscene language?.........remember this, when you let them off the hook for ejectable offenses, they feel they have the right to do it again..

Dont be hesitant to eject a coach for obvious worthy offenses...........getting the pass on the F bomb allowed him to continue on his jerky boy tirade...........an ejection might not make him see the error of his ways, but would let him know he was not making the rules that night....

Another thing to consider is that by giving this jerk a pass, you have passed on this guy and his behavior to the next umpire........

[mstaylor]

+1 The F bomb was the only thing you could have gotten him on and that was a no brainer. The F bomb is automatic, directed at you makes it all the easier. All the other stuff is the mark of a jerk but nothing you can bang him on.

You have only made it tougher on later crews.

[buddywilshire]

what is it that you hate to do?.......eject?.....or eject for obscene language?.........remember this, when you let them off the hook for ejectable offenses, they feel they have the right to do it again..

Dont be hesitant to eject a coach for obvious worthy offenses...........getting the pass on the F bomb allowed him to continue on his jerky boy tirade...........an ejection might not make him see the error of his ways, but would let him know he was not making the rules that night....

Another thing to consider is that by giving this jerk a pass, you have passed on this guy and his behavior to the next umpire........

I hate to eject for something not directed at me. I mean he was yelling at his catcher, wouldn't it have looked odd if I just stepped in and said you are gone? Plus the PU who was a foot away didn't do anything so I guess I let him off the hook too. You are right. I will look at that next time.

[Stan W.]

I hate to eject for something not directed at me. I mean he was yelling at his catcher, wouldn't it have looked odd if I just stepped in and said you are gone? Plus the PU who was a foot away didn't do anything so I guess I let him off the hook too. You are right. I will look at that next time.

no, it would not have looked odd at all........All the youth associations that I know of have an obscenity rule...........and most certainly NFHS does....

If we were talking college or semipro, you certainly have more leeway, but not at any youth level I am familiar with.....

[mstaylor]

Sorry, I was distracted when I was answering, I was thinking it was directed at you not his player. However, in youth sports when a coach uses language like that loud enough for all to hear no matter who it directed at is an automatic felony. I am not sure which is worse, swearing at a kid or at the official in front of the kid.

[buddywilshire]

Sorry, I was distracted when I was answering, I was thinking it was directed at you not his player. However, in youth sports when a coach uses language like that loud enough for all to hear no matter who it directed at is an automatic felony. I am not sure which is worse, swearing at a kid or at the official in front of the kid.

You are right. I let him get out of control. Well maybe I didn't let him, but I surely didn't stop it.

[yawetag]

If I cut that off at the pass we have no issue.

For some reason, I think you would have still had an issue if you dumped him. However, that doesn't stop you from dumping.

[buddywilshire]

For some reason, I think you would have still had an issue if you dumped him. However, that doesn't stop you from dumping.

good point

[noumpere]

Could I have have handled this any other way? I felt bad just letting the kid get yelled at but I didn't know what to do. Any ideas?

In many leagues (but I obvously don't know specifically about this one), the umpire can wirte a report, even if something didn't rise to the level of an ejection. (or it did rise to such a level, but the umpire didn't realize it until later, etc.)

[buddywilshire]

In many leagues (but I obvously don't know specifically about this one), the umpire can wirte a report, even if something didn't rise to the level of an ejection. (or it did rise to such a level, but the umpire didn't realize it until later, etc.)

The guy I was umping with was also a board member. He said the coach does that alot. But yes I agree in most leagues taht would be nice to have.

What if he didn't drop the f bomb, is there anything I could have done if everything else happened besides the F Bomb?

[dumbdumb]

In a good league with a strong leader with a backbone, all coaches have a very serous meeting about deportment before the season to let all coaches know that this type of conduct will not be accepted by coaches towards umpires or players or fans, whether it is their son or not and will result in suspension and possible termination as a coach. He will tell the umpires exactly how to handle coaches conducting themselves this way towards both players, fans, and to you personally as an umpire . This does not mean there are any leagues like this anymore. This type of cheap shots at his son are the exact types of cheap shots they use towards umpires and expect to get away with it under the guise of "I wasn't talking to you". They know all the ways to try and weasel out of something and try and make you look bad, or like you are the aggressor. Make sure when they try this crap on you, to immediately warn for these cheap shots and then immediately eject if they go further. There is no reason to be cheap shotted all day and be a punching bag for this type of coach. These types know exactly what they are doing and trying to embarrass you and then run and hide and call your superior when you eject them. You will find out just how much backing you are going to get from your assignor, or whoever runs the show in these situations, and that could help determine if you really want to keep umpiring for this group or go to another group or get out of umpiring altogether, if this is what you have to put up with in your area. If you have to listen to and be ragged on, belittled, brow beat, take pot shots, smart aleck comments, put downs, be a wallflower or door mat, to this crap in your area or not work at all, you have my deepest sympathies. If this is the way it is in any other areas for those on this board, my sympathies go out to you also for having to listen to this crap and work in this type of environment to get games or move up or have to decide to not work at all.

The above is not to say a coach should be banished forever, if every once in a "great great" while, he disagrees and comes out and screams for all to hear "That's terrible, throws his hat on the ground", gets ejected by the umpire and "immediately" without trying to get his "money's worth" leaves the playing site without another word and does not whine to your superiors and takes his medicine and tomorrow is another day. This coach is one who does not badger, cheap shot and rag on you during the game and mainly tells his players to quit whining about the umps if they ever try to. This coach does not linger and try to find you after the game or any of that crap. He may have just been trying to fire up his team or he may really think you missed one and decides it is worth getting ejected for. Then, whatever the penalty is for this milder type of ejection, he will take his medicine and move on and not bother the umps for another great great while. These are the ones you can deal with. Good luck.

[mstaylor]

Unfortunately without the F bomb he didn't do anything you can touch. I had a buddy toss a coach some years back for yelling to son that the pitcher that just hit him had to come up again. The tossing umpire was also the UIC and recommended a two game suspension. The BOD disagreed but the coach took two games on his own once he realized how stupid what he said was.

[Don]

Good point. I just hate to do this.

Why NOT? He gave a GOOD REASON and you did not use it. Next time dump his sorry butt.