Little Help with 1st dump

[firemanump]

I have been doing HS games for a few years now. I have a friend that runs the local rec. dept. He asked if I could do some games for him. So, I did once our season was over. Here was the situation.

This was a 9/10 year old game. There was a runner on third. Batter fouls a slow roller down the line. Kid gets his lead on crack of the bat in foul territory. Runner who is in foul territory grabs the ball and throws back to pitcher. Opposing coach immediately starts to yell he is out! I said he was in foul territory and go back to playing. Coach is still grumbling. After a few pitches I call time and ease over to the duggout where I explain the rule. Play resumes. The inning ends. In the middle of the inning I go and stand on third base line as coach comes out to go coach first. He says you know he was straddling the line. I said coach I was behind the plate and the kid was clearly in foul territory. This is over, go to 1st base. He says you are just too damn stubborn to listen. I said that is fine you can go to the parking lot. Boom and he was gone. On his way out he made a few little comments that I ignored. I hated to toss him but I saw that was the only way for it to end. Was I wrong? Should I have waited or got him earlier?

[Jocko]

I probably wouldn't have given him the heave-ho. More likely I would have responded with, "only when I'm right." Or something along those lines. That being said, you told him to knock it off. He didn't. Adios, Amigo. He was testing you to see how far he could push. Now he knows. Justified EJ as far as I'm concerned, and I don't have a quick hook.

[SoCal Lurker]

I have been doing HS games for a few years now. I have a friend that runs the local rec. dept. He asked if I could do some games for him. So, I did once our season was over. Here was the situation.

This was a 9/10 year old game. There was a runner on third. Batter fouls a slow roller down the line. Kid gets his lead on crack of the bat in foul territory. Runner who is in foul territory grabs the ball and throws back to pitcher. Opposing coach immediately starts to yell he is out! I said he was in foul territory and go back to playing. Coach is still grumbling. After a few pitches I call time and ease over to the duggout where I explain the rule. Play resumes. The inning ends. In the middle of the inning I go and stand on third base line as coach comes out to go coach first. He says you know he was straddling the line. I said coach I was behind the plate and the kid was clearly in foul territory. This is over, go to 1st base. He says you are just too damn stubborn to listen. I said that is fine you can go to the parking lot. Boom and he was gone. On his way out he made a few little comments that I ignored. I hated to toss him but I saw that was the only way for it to end. Was I wrong? Should I have waited or got him earlier?

I could be jumping to conclusions, but sounds like a league where umps let coaches yammer on and on and the coach thinks what he's doing is OK. (IMHO opinion, this is an issue in many kids sports: younger ages often get inexperienced officials who aren't comfortagle shutting down the BS; coaches "trained" by that skill set are bewildered when a more experienced official won't permit it.) For my two cents (as a non-ump), you handled it completely reasonably -- you gave him slack and tried to show him the boundaries, and he just wasn't listening.

[dumbdumb]

Time out. This is a HTBT. I do not have enough information here. Is the runner allowed to grab a ball that has a possibility of going fair? I know fielders are not allowed to bend over and blow on the ball to make it go foul if the ball is anywhere near the line and could go fair. Once again, can the offensive runner reach down to grab a ball that could possibly go fair ("slow roller down the line" in OP) ??? Need some help here.

[boyinr]

Time out. This is a HTBT. I do not have enough information here. Is the runner allowed to grab a ball that has a possibility of going fair? I know fielders are not allowed to bend over and blow on the ball to make it go foul if the ball is anywhere near the line and could go fair. Once again, can the offensive runner reach down to grab a ball that could possibly go fair ("slow roller down the line" in OP) ??? Need some help here.

Agreed. If it had a chance to be a fair ball it is interference and the R3 is out. If it was foul with no chance of becoming fair it could be "don't do that again" warning.

[scrounge]

the second he made it personal with "you're too damn stubborn", he bought himself the EJ

[firemanump]

The ball was at least 4 feet into foul territory. The ball stopped rolling just as the runner picked it. There was absolutely no chance it could have went fair.

[mjr_2013]

in 9/10YO game, a "your too damn stubborn" comment is an automatic.

[mstaylor]

I don't see it as a bad toss, he wasn't going to get it and he would have just kept sniping. You explained the ruling so he is as guilty of being too damn stubborn to listen too.

[umpcoachfather]

Clear example (I am inferrring) of what happens when seasoned, HS level umpires do LL, in place of unseasoned umpires who allow daddy ball coaches to run at the mouth.

[zm1283]

The title of this thread had me worried for a minute.

[umpcoachfather]

me too as I was goin to recommend stool softener, but then I read the post.

[Welpe]

in 9/10YO game, a "your too damn stubborn" comment is an automatic.

Agreed. Personal? Good night, Gracie.