Ejection or Not

[umpire_scott]

Had a situation where I had a personal situation come that caused me to be running late.  I called my partner who agreed to take the plate.  The host coaches then called both of us to make sure we knew where the field was, because the game had been moved earlier in the day.  I told him about my situation and he was very cool about it, saying that with the last minute switching they were just happy to get the game played.  I got to the game and we started about 10 minutes late.

 

Game is going fine and then late in the game there is a close play at 3b on a steal.  I move from "C" and get in position near 3B.  Ball beats runner but it's a poor tag.  Instead of dropping the glove down wide in front of the bag for the runner to slide into it the third baseman lays it down narrow and the foot comes in to the side of the glove.  But I'm right there and it looks to me that foot scrapes the glove as it comes into the bag.  I bang him out.  The 3B coach goes a little nuts saying he never tagged him.  I say that there was contact between the foot and glove.  Fans then start yelling about me not being in position.  Then another fan yells once "Why don't you try getting to the game on time".  I ignore it, then you yells it again.  I call time.  I tell the coach that he needs to keep his fans quiet or I will eject him.  He is incredulous.  I explain it's his job to control his crowd, that I have no way of knowing who is yelling things and so I will throw him out if I hear any more.  He says okay.

 

Next inning there is a pick off at second and the runner gets in a rundown between 2nd and 3rd.  My partner comes up the third base line to help.  It just so happens that the play ends up being a close play at third and PU makes the call on the tag. Someone from the crowd yells something about "Good thing that umpire hustles to get in position to make calls".  Someone from the other side then says rather loudly, "hey they already got a warning, where's the ejection?".  I chose to ignore it.  What would other have done?

[BigUmpire]

Don't rise to the bait.

Unless the crowd is effecting play on the field ignore it.

[Stan W.]

to the best you can, keep your ears out of the stands.........ignore the fans.....

[KLAH316]

to the best you can, keep your ears out of the stands.........ignore the fans.....

What fans????

[BuckeyeMike]

 

"Fans then start yelling about me not being in position.  Then another fan yells once "Why don't you try getting to the game on time".  I ignore it, then you yells it again. I call time.  I tell the coach that he needs to keep his fans quiet or I will eject him.  He is incredulous.  I explain it's his job to control his crowd, that I have no way of knowing who is yelling things and so I will throw him out if I hear any more."

 

 

HTBT i guess, but man....this seems awfully quick to me.  I get fans yelling all the time.  Sometimes for good reason (poorly called ball or strike) and sometimes for not good reasons (they don't know all the rules). 

 

As far as your last line, "What would others have done?" ......  this is what we're expected to do in THIS situation.....nothing.  Call your game and have confidence that you're a highly trained, tested and certified, and proven professional.  (If you're not all those things, rectify that)

 

Regardless, i would encourage you to grow thick skin and adapt your level of accepted BS based on your confidence in the call you made.  (If that makes any sense)

 

Hang in there brother.

[BT_Blue]

I agree with the above. Sounds like idiots just being idiots. However, you did want the coach. Now you do nothing with any kind of reason behind it, and your threats are now rendered meaningless for both these teams for the foreseeable future.

[mstaylor]

Unfortunately you have knuckleheads be knuckleheads. Stay out of the stands unless it is very bad, possibly leading to escalation. 

[umpire_scott]

It would seem to me that at some point allowing those types of verbal insults, whether crude or not, to continue undermines the atmosphere of the game.  I get that at older levels, especially MLB they ignore that stuff.  But it just seems wrong to ignore it in a 13U game as it didn't seem like it was going to stop at all.  It makes for a really uncomfortable atmosphere for all involved to allow "idiots to be idiots".

 

Granted it was the most uncomfortable for me, but once again one reason I feel like it's important to nip that early is that I think allowing it makes the umpire crew look weak and lacking in authority.  My partner did state that had I not said something he was going to.  I have never worked with him before so maybe he just said that to make me feel better.

[JHSump]

Actually, completely ignoring the fans can make you look very strong.  I had one fan that kept taunting both me and my partner with such gems as, "No Pay for blue!  No pay for Blue! ..." as if he were drumming up the crowd.  This was an 11U game.  Some took him up on it.  We both ignored it entirely, accept for the occasional chuckle as we passed.  I can't even remember what got him started.  May have just been his own issues.

 

My partner and I just kept doing our jobs, professionally.

 

We did not take the bait.  Never even looked at him.  Eventually, everybody in the stands ignored him.  He was all alone.  And he got quiet.

 

Ignore the fans.  You won't look weak.

[Dannytheman]

I have grown to love when the fans get obnoxious. I can't be the only one. God knows I have heard it all.

I ignore them completely. I walk away and privately admire some of their clever remarks. I particularly love when they expect me to come over in between innings and explain myself.

UNLESS there is salty language thrown about, I let them vent.  It is after all, in my case now, Little League.

[umpire_scott]

Thanks for all the advice.  I've always felt that allowing that made me look weak, guess I was wrong.  I'll just pretend like I'm getting paid to take it like the MLB guys are.

[JHSump]

I'll just pretend like I'm getting paid to take it like the MLB guys are.

If they are getting to you, and you feel yourself reacting internally, the operative word you used is "pretend."  If you act like it doesn't bother you at all, you will soon find it really does not bother you.  You will have trained yourself to not get worked up about it.  This sort of "pretending" can work with many issues you might encounter.