He Said What?

[Jeapugrad]

I was working the bases of the opening game for a Memorial Day Tourney in 2010. It was a humid Thursday evening, 12U level. The first batter gets on base. Walk, hit, I don't remember how. After a couple pickoff attempts, R1 breaks for second. The catcher throws to 2nd base, shortstop receives ball, put glove on base and R1 slides into the tag. Routine call, not bang bang, and I give a simple out call. R1 jumps up to argue, takes his helmet off and bounces it in the ground and sticks his finger to my chest and says "You can just suck my d----!" The bouncing of the helmet alone warranted an ejection. I exaggerated my ejection mechanic and forcefully ejected the player The head coach sprints out of the dugout, who by the way was the player's father, and when he gets to me says "Blue, Blue, Blue, there's nothing that twelve year old said to warrant an ejection like you're throwing Earl Weaver out of a ball game." I replied "oh yeah, you want to know what that twelve year old said?" He shook his head in the affirmative and I repeated what he said. The coach looks at me and says "I've told him to stop telling umpires to do that." I was more stunned that the player had told another umpire the same thing. Around the third inning, the Tournament Director waved me over to the fence between innings. He asked me what happened and I told him. He said the player was going to be suspended for the entire tournament. He walked over to the Head Coach to let him know of the suspension and the Head Coached stormed out of the dugout and got in my face. He was on fire. I bounced him too and the TD came on the field, forced the team to forefeit the game, and removed them from the Tournament with refund. It's a sad day when parents can't hold themselves accountable for their kids actions and their own actions.

[Jocko]

:wave: Adios Amigos!

[Richvee]

Yikes!    . Good story. Welcome to the site! 

[Jeapugrad]

Thanks.

[cyclonehokiece]

The only thing I hope changes in that story is that the tournament director should inform the coach of his decision himself.  He made you take crap for his decision.  Would this situation probably have ended differently if the TD did it himself?  From the sounds of it, probably not, but still, I don't want to be the one informing the team of the ruling.

[Jeapugrad]

The TD did inform him of his decision which lead to him charging me on the field.

[mstaylor]

The only thing I see wrong is the TD gave them a refund. Bounce them and keep their money, let the parents hold the coach accountable. 

[cyclonehokiece]

Yeah, now I see he did.  I would of still been glaring at the TD as why the coach is railing on me now.  He should take all the heat for this decision (which is correct IMO).  And MST, this is the cleanest way to do it, there will be no suing or legal action taken if all money is given back.

[mjr_2013]

The only thing I see wrong is the TD gave them a refund. Bounce them and keep their money, let the parents hold the coach accountable. 

 

+1. Non-refundable... Get your s*** and get out.

 

What is the point of a refund? To appease them? Why? So they come BACK?

[carolinablue]

Hey Jocko, think you would have used the " Boom " on that coach?  

[yawetag]

Am I the only one that wouldn't have asked the coach if he wanted to know what his player said? To me, it only opens yourself up to problems later, especially if you misquote it. In my mind, the first comment I would have made after the "There's nothing..." line would have been "Coach, I ejected him for slamming his helmet down." I would have never brought up the comment myself to the coach, and if he had asked, I would have simply said, "You can read it in my ejection report."

[Jocko]

Hey Jocko, think you would have used the " Boom " on that coach?  

Damn skippy. Double crow-hop and a sonic BOOM!!! Haller would approve.

[Thunderheads]

That is 1 of those injections that are so easy that you just gonna stand there for a second and think......."did he just say that?" BOOM! Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

[mstaylor]

yawetag, I have learned not to use the language on the field but I would certainly tell him the ejection is for both the helmet and the language. That statement is getting you tossed at any level, absolutely in a youth game. Obviously this is a recurring problem that dad is not handling. The team starts getting dumped from tournaments and the parents paying the freight will clean it up. 

[JaxRolo]

That is 1 of those injections that are so easy that you just gonna stand there for a second and think......."did he just say that?" BOOM! Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

Injection?

[Welpe]

That is 1 of those injections that are so easy that you just gonna stand there for a second and think......."did he just say that?" BOOM! Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2   Injection?

Maybe Jeff moonlights as a proctologist and got his gigs confused? :D

[GoodOldGus]

It would have helped if the TD would have spoken to the head coach AFTER the game to avoid the coach storming back out onto the field.

[cyclonehokiece]

It would have helped if the TD would have spoken to the head coach AFTER the game to avoid the coach storming back out onto the field.

Exactly, this is the way to handle it IMO.  No need to talk about suspensions for future games with a coach that is in a game right now. 

[mstaylor]

I agree he should have waited but he didn't. The fact is it will probably work out better for the team because they will likely dump the coach and his darling child. Or the dad actually does some parenting and show his kid the error of his ways. 

[James Walker]

Hey Jocko, think you would have used the " Boom " on that coach?  

Damn skippy. Double crow-hop and a sonic BOOM!!! Haller would approve.

Just a double?

[James Walker]

Or the dad actually does some parenting and show his kid the error of his ways. 

Doubt it'll happen, but it needs to. When I played, if I even thought about arguing with an umpire or throwing equipment like that, I wouldn't have made it halfway to the bench before mom or dad would've dragged me off the field promising a whoopin I wouldn't ever forget.

[Pete Peterson Sr]

Or the dad actually does some parenting and show his kid the error of his ways. 

Doubt it'll happen, but it needs to. When I played, if I even thought about arguing with an umpire or throwing equipment like that, I wouldn't have made it halfway to the bench before mom or dad would've dragged me off the field promising a whoopin I wouldn't ever forget.

 

 

 In my case,the beating would have commenced BEFORE I got to the gate.....

[James Walker]

Not sure when it would've started, but I didn't want to find out.

[Mike Prince]

When I was in HS playing basketball, I got a technical foul one home game (my only one ever) and when I turned around my parents were headed for the door with lots of time left on the clock.  After I found a ride home (I did not yet have my driver's license), I got what was coming to me when I got home.  Lets just say that I came away from that realizing that I had a good opportunity and was foolish to screw it up.

 

I am 6'4" and my Dad is only 5'5", but he had my respect from a very early age.  He did not mete out discipline often, but when he had to you knew it was not going to be good.

[James Walker]

I am 6'4" and my Dad is only 5'5", but he had my respect from a very early age. He did not mete out discipline often, but when he had to you knew it was not going to be good.

Ah, the good old days, when children actually respected their parents and feared being disciplined. Now, the parents fear their children (not all, but a majority). My oldest started school this year, and I've been to a few of her school parties. It's amazing how many of these kids have blatant disrespect for authority. And we wonder why our world is the way it is.