Canadian Team

[Thunderheads]

Yesterday morning we were doing a tournament game that included a team from Windsor, Ontario. We had had the team the day before and they got skunked (mercy in 5), but yesterday they were playing better.

The odd thing was, my partner was confronted by the Riverside coach because he was claiming that a pitcher HAD TO DISENGAGE backwards in order to make a move to first???

He was also barking about the fact that the pitcher (14u by the way) did a spin move to 2nd base via turning towards first. No hesitation, straight to second, but he spun to his let (RHP). Obviously he's never seen that before. I thought he was going to get ran, but my partner kept him in the game due to the tournament, etc, etc.

Strange situation...

[MPLSMatt]

The odd thing was, my partner was confronted by the Riverside coach because he was claiming that a pitcher HAD TO DISENGAGE backwards in order to make a move to first???

I've heard this many times but usually not at this high of level. Not sure where it comes from. But based on Ump 24, Renegadewolfe etcs Canada stories, you should just count yourself lucky you didn't end up with a rack full of bats on the field and parents who wanted to fight you in ther parking lot.

[Guest]

The odd thing was, my partner was confronted by the Riverside coach because he was claiming that a pitcher HAD TO DISENGAGE backwards in order to make a move to first???

I've heard this many times but usually not at this high of level. Not sure where it comes from. But based on Ump 24, Renegadewolfe etcs Canada stories, you should just count yourself lucky you didn't end up with a rack full of bats on the field and parents who wanted to fight you in ther parking lot.

1) I've never (knock on wood) had, or heard of anyone having, a Wally Backman-type incident in terms of bats, balls, etc littering the field. Our issues are coaches and players not realizing what they can and can't say / some umpires being far too lax when it comes to dumping people, then when they are run by someone who knows their stuff they think they didn't do anything wrong, so they throw a temper tantrum that (depending on where it occurs) may or may not be dealt with appropriately by the discipline committee.

Example: Saturday night, called R1 out for interference at 2B on the front end of a double play for sliding (not lying here) 15 feet away from 2B. As I'm explaining the call to his coach, the kid runs by and goes "you're awful." Done. The player then proceeds to throw a temper tantrum in the dugout because he "didn't say anything." And then won't go into the clubhouse, thinking he can stand next to the bench for the rest of the game.

Ex 2: Few weeks ago, F4 yells at me "that one's on you blue, that's two you've missed." (This is after his LF dropped a can of corn fly ball, allowing a run to score, which, if caught, gets them out of the inning). F4 is dumped but complains to his bench that he "just got thrown out for nothing". Manager comes out and says the player was wrong about me being wrong, but I ejected him over nothing and I have rabbit ears and crosses the line in defense of his player so he joins him.

Moral of the story: lots of ejections yes, but not a war zone as you seem to think.

2) I've never had a parent try to fight me in the parking lot

3) 14U is not "high level" baseball in Canada. The umpires they deal with during the season may very think these were balks, or may be inexperienced enough that they can be talked into believing they are balks.

4) Considering I live in Windsor 8 months of the year when at school, you may well have had a fight if you had called the Riverside team Windsor, lol - people from Riverside do not like being considered part of Windsor (this point is a joke).

[MPLSMatt]

UMP24 - I meant this as a joke and didn't mean any offense. I appologize if it was not taken that way.

[umpcoachfather]

Did he take his signs from the rubber?

[Jocko]

Who cares, ey? Hehehe