Postgame Warning

[grayhawk]

Was working a frosh/soph game earlier this week and the following happened:

Bottom of the 7th. Visitors are winning 2-1. 2 outs. R2. 0-2 count on the batter. F1, who has had good pitching mechanics all game, blows through his stop. "That's a balk! Time! You, third base."

VC isn't happy. "You can't call that marginal balk at such a crucial point in the game!" I tell him that he didn't stop and that is the call. He let's it go. Next pitch, batter hits a grounder to third. F5 backhands hit, drops it and is late on the throw to first. R3 scores to tie the game. Home team then goes on to win it 3-2 in the 8th.

As I am walking off, VC starts yelling at me. "You can't call that balk at that point in the game!" I tell him that I will talk to him, but I will not listen to him yell at me. He then yells "You ruined this game for my kids! You need to learn the game of baseball" With my hand up, I say "I still have authority on this field and you can and will be ejected if you continue." He says "thank you" and walks away.

As I am changing in the parking lot, he comes out to talk to me and is much calmer now. He tries to state his case that maybe you call that balk in higher levels, but not in freshman ball. Says I don't know what that might have done to his pitcher. I tell him that it was a clear balk and I would be cheating the other team by ignoring it. Also, I didn't balk the runner in and they had 2 outs and 0-2 and didn't get the out. I also told him that hopefully his pitcher learns from the experience and can stay with his mechanics in crucial situations from now on.

I spoke with my crew chief after the game and he agreed with calling the balk, and with not ejecting immediately. Our association likes to know that a warning has been given before ejection except in cases where immediate ejection is obviously warranted.

[T-Rav]

Good job at handling him. But I would be skeptical of having a coach come to my car after the game to discuss it, I have witnessed intoxicated fans and irate coaches go after umpires, even though he was calm with some people they just flip.

[grayhawk]

Good job at handling him. But I would be skeptical of having a coach come to my car after the game to discuss it, I have witnessed intoxicated fans and irate coaches go after umpires, even though he was calm with some people just flip.

I certainly didn't ask him to come see me. He came out and the only thing I could have done was ask him to walk away, but since he was calm, I didn't do that. I think he began by saying, "I just wanted you to understand my perspective on the call" or something similar. I did note it in my postgame report in Arbiter. If he has a habit of approaching umpires in parking lots, I wanted it documented.

[cyclonehokiece]

I would pass it up the chain (at least to the assignor so he can talk to the AD) because you should not be approached after the game. Since he didn't do anything flagrant, a full blown incident report is probably not necessary, but a reminder from his AD probably is. If anything, at least your assignor is aware and can maybe warn the next crew that he has come to the cars in the past.

On edit: Glad to see you have done this already grayhawk.

[grayhawk]

I would pass it up the chain (at least to the assignor so he can talk to the AD) because you should not be approached after the game. Since he didn't do anything flagrant, a full blown incident report is probably not necessary, but a reminder from his AD probably is. If anything, at least your assignor is aware and can maybe warn the next crew that he has come to the cars in the past.

On edit: Glad to see you have done this already grayhawk.

Thanks. Just to add - I copy/pasted my report in Arbiter and emailed it to the Instructional Chairman (he's the one we are to contact immediately after a game where there is an ejection) and my crew chief.

[semper_fi_72]

Sounds like you handled it well.

My only question is what good does a post game warning do?

Is there a way for the next crew to know?

Even if so, it is another day, another game and you can't carry it over to the next game.

[grayhawk]

Sounds like you handled it well.

My only question is what good does a post game warning do?

Is there a way for the next crew to know?

Even if so, it is another day, another game and you can't carry it over to the next game.

It was just a way to let him know that he reached the end of his rope and I was not going to let him berate me as I left the field. If he had continued, this post would have been in the Ejections forum. I think I could have dumped him for getting personal, but since the association likes us to warn first (except when an immediate ejection is obviously warranted), that is what I did. He took the warning seriously, because he clammed up right away. When he did so, I left the field and didn't look back.

[SanDiegoSteve]

"Coach, would that have been a balk in the 1st inning?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then why wouldn't it be a balk in the 7th inning?"

Coach was not being logical in his initial argument that you can't call that balk at a "crucial" part of the game. On the contrary, that's the exact time to call it. And the pitcher not coming to a stop from the Set Position with runners on base is not in any stretch of the word "marginal." Not stopping, as you pointed out, puts the runners in an unfair disadvantage, which is purpose for the rule. Great job on calling the tough balk.

[mstaylor]

Tell him, "Coach, we always call elephant balk in freshman ball and that's an elephant! More technical balks we try to give you a heads up about."

[grayhawk]

Interesting follow-up. I spoke with D62Blue from this board today (we are in the same association) and he knows a guy that ejected this same coach a couple of weeks ago. No wonder he shut his piehole when I warned him!

D62Blue had the dish for this guy recently as well and he said the chirping started on the first pitch. Some folks are just wound too tight.

[carolinablue]

I don't understand some people. Given the shear amount of marginal calls in one baseball game and the way they harp on every call, they have to be some miserable SOB's during the course of a season. :shakehead:

[kylejt]

I wonder how that coach would take it, if after a game you came up to him and asked him why he sent a player home to get thrown out by 10 feet? Or why he left his starter in too long? Or why he gave the steal sign, when chasing seven runs?

Just once I'd like to ask a manager about his judgement calls during the game.

[James Walker]

^^^^^ +1