Oh my what a partner

[Mike Prince]

I will preface this to say in my 4 years on this board I have taken great pains not to post about partners, but this one last night was too much.  This is a guy who has been in our local rec ball group (8-9 umpires, I would not stretch this to call it an association) for about a year, I normally don't work with him (somewhat by my request to the assignor) but it's the playoffs this week and as a result I got scheduled 3 of my 5 days this week with him.

 

Also - this is a local rec league with local rules, so some of what we are asked to do is not normal.

 

I got my schedule for the week on Friday and responded to my Monday partner via the schedule email on Sunday evening that I would do first plate, lets wear Polo Blue, here's where we need to park and when I will get there, etc.  I have done this with this partner before and has never been an issue.

 

I get to the field yesterday with some dark clouds approaching, start getting dressed for the first game.  In pulls my partner and he pulls up to my car but does not park -

 

Him - "I guess this means you will be doing both games behind the plate"

Me - "No, I will do the first one, you have the second one like I said in my email yesterday"

Him - "I don't check my email during the day"

 

He makes some other comment about the weather and pulls away to go park, although there are spots open where I was.  I keep getting dressed and when I turn back around I realize he is not anywhere in the parking lot.  As I finish getting dressed it begins to rain - hard - so I jumped into the car for a minute and hope it passes.  Still no sign of my partner.  At 15 minutes to game time I have to go to the field to see if we can play (my decision under local rules) so I walk up in a steady downpour.  At this point I see my partner in the 1B dugout wearing navy (what the hell, I had Polo on when he pulled up), I get on the field and start inspecting around the bases and the plate to see if we can play, he stays anchored in the dugout holding the bench down carrying on a conversation with the coaches that had nothing to do with the game  ,  It stops raining, I inform both coaches we are going to have to wait to start the game as the field is too muddy right now but the rain is over, let's get the field worked on a bit and see if it firms up with the sun (which is now burning down on the field and creating steam) before we make a decision.  Since it has stopped raining my partner decides to venture out of the dugout.  Our conversation:

 

Him - "What do you think?  (referring to the weather)"

Me - "Where the hell did you go?"

Him - "I parked on the other side of the field where I always park here"

Me - "So there goes any chance of a pregame, great.  Any why are you wearing Navy?"

Him - "Since you have such a problem with me I should just go home and leave you to work solo"

Me - "Really?  If that's how you feel, I'll leave that decision to you."

Him - "I don't think we should play, the field is too muddy"

 

He stands about 15 feet in front of the plate during the plate meeting (?) because now he is apparently mad at me.  First game is a blowout and essentially I was working solo as he really didn't move, whatever.  He came in one time to tell me his footing was poor, I walked out and checked the field and it was fine, I told him to unclog the mud from his shoes and he would be OK.  At the end of the game he tells me I should just do the second plate.  No way partner, it's all yours.  Between getting fairly drenched with rain, astronomical humidity and having a bunch of mud on me, I changed everything between games except my compression tights (and I would have if I could have). so my changeover took a bit longer than normal.  I get to the field where my boy informs me in front of the coaches at the plate that they are waiting on me and since I am the "senior guy" I need to run the plate meeting (IMO consciously removing himself as the UIC).  I'm a bit surprised by this but I do it to avoid further ugly discussion with him and we start.

 

This game is the play-in game with a 0-10 team and a 1-9 team battling it out but we end up with a good game and it's 2-1 VT as we approach the last inning and the time limit.  It starts to rain and my partner immediately calls me in and wants to end the game.  No way, the field is fine, there's no lightning and there's time left on the clock, let's play.  Rain stops after a few minutes but there are some muddy patches here and there, I am watching like a hawk and if I see any player slipping or any safety concerns we are done.  I go in between innings to ask my partner where we stand on time (these games are time limit games) and he has no clue, he doesn't have a watch (?).  He calls the home coach out to ask him when we started and what time it was!    HT ties the game that inning and we go into extra time/innings where the HT wins.

 

As we are leaving the field, the VT coach runs after my partner who is trying to make a quick escape through the 1B dugout where he parked, I am going out the 3B dugout, I had already decided I wasn't going to go out of my way to walk off with my partner as I normally would as I just wanted to get off the field as quickly as possible,  The coach/partner conversation which I overheard:

 

Coach - "Why did we keep playing when it started to rain"

Partner - "I wanted to call it coach"

Coach - "Why didn't you?"

Partner - "My partner wouldn't let me"     

 

So now I am thrown completely under the bus.  Needless to say I called the assignor (who is also a good friend) on the way home and told him I would work solo the rest of the week if I had to but I can't work with this guy anymore.  I know this puts him in a bind as it is tournament and he has no extra umpires, so I fully expect to be stuck with this train wreck for 4 more games. Tonight if he shows up we will do a proper pregame and make sure responsibilities are fully defined.

[gnhbua93]

I will preface this to say in my 4 years on this board I have taken great pains not to post about partners, but this one last night was too much.  This is a guy who has been in our local rec ball group (8-9 umpires, I would not stretch this to call it an association) for about a year, I normally don't work with him (somewhat by my request to the assignor) but it's the playoffs this week and as a result I got scheduled 3 of my 5 days this week with him.

 

Also - this is a local rec league with local rules, so some of what we are asked to do is not normal.

 

I got my schedule for the week on Friday and responded to my Monday partner via the schedule email on Sunday evening that I would do first plate, lets wear Polo Blue, here's where we need to park and when I will get there, etc.  I have done this with this partner before and has never been an issue.

 

I get to the field yesterday with some dark clouds approaching, start getting dressed for the first game.  In pulls my partner and he pulls up to my car but does not park -

 

Him - "I guess this means you will be doing both games behind the plate"

Me - "No, I will do the first one, you have the second one like I said in my email yesterday"

Him - "I don't check my email during the day"

 

He makes some other comment about the weather and pulls away to go park, although there are spots open where I was.  I keep getting dressed and when I turn back around I realize he is not anywhere in the parking lot.  As I finish getting dressed it begins to rain - hard - so I jumped into the car for a minute and hope it passes.  Still no sign of my partner.  At 15 minutes to game time I have to go to the field to see if we can play (my decision under local rules) so I walk up in a steady downpour.  At this point I see my partner in the 1B dugout wearing navy (what the hell, I had Polo on when he pulled up), I get on the field and start inspecting around the bases and the plate to see if we can play, he stays anchored in the dugout holding the bench down carrying on a conversation with the coaches that had nothing to do with the game  ,  It stops raining, I inform both coaches we are going to have to wait to start the game as the field is too muddy right now but the rain is over, let's get the field worked on a bit and see if it firms up with the sun (which is now burning down on the field and creating steam) before we make a decision.  Since it has stopped raining my partner decides to venture out of the dugout.  Our conversation:

 

Him - "What do you think?  (referring to the weather)"

Me - "Where the hell did you go?"

Him - "I parked on the other side of the field where I always park here"

Me - "So there goes any chance of a pregame, great.  Any why are you wearing Navy?"

Him - "Since you have such a problem with me I should just go home and leave you to work solo"

Me - "Really?  If that's how you feel, I'll leave that decision to you."

Him - "I don't think we should play, the field is too muddy"

 

He stands about 15 feet in front of the plate during the plate meeting (?) because now he is apparently mad at me.  First game is a blowout and essentially I was working solo as he really didn't move, whatever.  He came in one time to tell me his footing was poor, I walked out and checked the field and it was fine, I told him to unclog the mud from his shoes and he would be OK.  At the end of the game he tells me I should just do the second plate.  No way partner, it's all yours.  Between getting fairly drenched with rain, astronomical humidity and having a bunch of mud on me, I changed everything between games except my compression tights (and I would have if I could have). so my changeover took a bit longer than normal.  I get to the field where my boy informs me in front of the coaches at the plate that they are waiting on me and since I am the "senior guy" I need to run the plate meeting (IMO consciously removing himself as the UIC).  I'm a bit surprised by this but I do it to avoid further ugly discussion with him and we start.

 

This game is the play-in game with a 0-10 team and a 1-9 team battling it out but we end up with a good game and it's 2-1 VT as we approach the last inning and the time limit.  It starts to rain and my partner immediately calls me in and wants to end the game.  No way, the field is fine, there's no lightning and there's time left on the clock, let's play.  Rain stops after a few minutes but there are some muddy patches here and there, I am watching like a hawk and if I see any player slipping or any safety concerns we are done.  I go in between innings to ask my partner where we stand on time (these games are time limit games) and he has no clue, he doesn't have a watch (?).  He calls the home coach out to ask him when we started and what time it was!    HT ties the game that inning and we go into extra time/innings where the HT wins.

 

As we are leaving the field, the VT coach runs after my partner who is trying to make a quick escape through the 1B dugout where he parked, I am going out the 3B dugout, I had already decided I wasn't going to go out of my way to walk off with my partner as I normally would as I just wanted to get off the field as quickly as possible,  The coach/partner conversation which I overheard:

 

Coach - "Why did we keep playing when it started to rain"

Partner - "I wanted to call it coach"

Coach - "Why didn't you?"

Partner - "My partner wouldn't let me"     

 

So now I am thrown completely under the bus.  Needless to say I called the assignor (who is also a good friend) on the way home and told him I would work solo the rest of the week if I had to but I can't work with this guy anymore.  I know this puts him in a bind as it is tournament and he has no extra umpires, so I fully expect to be stuck with this train wreck for 4 more games. Tonight if he shows up we will do a proper pregame and make sure responsibilities are fully defined.

IMHO, one of you have a big ego or you both have big egos.  As stated before IMHO.

[flastyle727]

Seems like you partner was worse than mine, or may be the same guy!!!

[Mad Mike]

If it were me and I was working with someone I knew was going to be a challenge, I would call them in person and make sure they knew where to meet, what to wear, etc. and insist on a pre-game. This would also allow for the opportunity to walk off the field together where he could not sell you out unless it was to your face. Whether you like it or not, you still have to act as a team out there....even if this guy is difficult to work with, it could also be that nobody has ever held him accountable and/or trained him in such matters.

 

Since you could not block him, you have to work with him. From the way you prefaced the story, IMO I took away that you clearly did not want to work with this guy and the lack of communication ended up hurting both of you at the end of the day. It is incumbent on the more senior partner to pick up the pieces and make it work. It's not always easy, but game management is more than just dealing with coaches, players, and fans.....it is dealing with people who are difficult at best, inexperienced, and not savvy to the game in general.

 

I would take this as an opportunity to look back at what did not work, try a different approach next time, and see if it works better for you and for your partner. It is tempting to work solo, but that is not the best answer to our problems in most cases, especially trying to work multiple games....unless you are Superman!

 

Thanks for posting what was certainly a trying event for you. I think we have all been there at one time or another and we have to make a choice: When handed a lemon, either make lemonade or squirt it in your eye!

[Stan W.]

 

I will preface this to say in my 4 years on this board I have taken great pains not to post about partners, but this one last night was too much.  This is a guy who has been in our local rec ball group (8-9 umpires, I would not stretch this to call it an association) for about a year, I normally don't work with him (somewhat by my request to the assignor) but it's the playoffs this week and as a result I got scheduled 3 of my 5 days this week with him.

 

Also - this is a local rec league with local rules, so some of what we are asked to do is not normal.

 

I got my schedule for the week on Friday and responded to my Monday partner via the schedule email on Sunday evening that I would do first plate, lets wear Polo Blue, here's where we need to park and when I will get there, etc.  I have done this with this partner before and has never been an issue.

 

I get to the field yesterday with some dark clouds approaching, start getting dressed for the first game.  In pulls my partner and he pulls up to my car but does not park -

 

Him - "I guess this means you will be doing both games behind the plate"

Me - "No, I will do the first one, you have the second one like I said in my email yesterday"

Him - "I don't check my email during the day"

 

He makes some other comment about the weather and pulls away to go park, although there are spots open where I was.  I keep getting dressed and when I turn back around I realize he is not anywhere in the parking lot.  As I finish getting dressed it begins to rain - hard - so I jumped into the car for a minute and hope it passes.  Still no sign of my partner.  At 15 minutes to game time I have to go to the field to see if we can play (my decision under local rules) so I walk up in a steady downpour.  At this point I see my partner in the 1B dugout wearing navy (what the hell, I had Polo on when he pulled up), I get on the field and start inspecting around the bases and the plate to see if we can play, he stays anchored in the dugout holding the bench down carrying on a conversation with the coaches that had nothing to do with the game  ,  It stops raining, I inform both coaches we are going to have to wait to start the game as the field is too muddy right now but the rain is over, let's get the field worked on a bit and see if it firms up with the sun (which is now burning down on the field and creating steam) before we make a decision.  Since it has stopped raining my partner decides to venture out of the dugout.  Our conversation:

 

Him - "What do you think?  (referring to the weather)"

Me - "Where the hell did you go?"

Him - "I parked on the other side of the field where I always park here"

Me - "So there goes any chance of a pregame, great.  Any why are you wearing Navy?"

Him - "Since you have such a problem with me I should just go home and leave you to work solo"

Me - "Really?  If that's how you feel, I'll leave that decision to you."

Him - "I don't think we should play, the field is too muddy"

 

He stands about 15 feet in front of the plate during the plate meeting (?) because now he is apparently mad at me.  First game is a blowout and essentially I was working solo as he really didn't move, whatever.  He came in one time to tell me his footing was poor, I walked out and checked the field and it was fine, I told him to unclog the mud from his shoes and he would be OK.  At the end of the game he tells me I should just do the second plate.  No way partner, it's all yours.  Between getting fairly drenched with rain, astronomical humidity and having a bunch of mud on me, I changed everything between games except my compression tights (and I would have if I could have). so my changeover took a bit longer than normal.  I get to the field where my boy informs me in front of the coaches at the plate that they are waiting on me and since I am the "senior guy" I need to run the plate meeting (IMO consciously removing himself as the UIC).  I'm a bit surprised by this but I do it to avoid further ugly discussion with him and we start.

 

This game is the play-in game with a 0-10 team and a 1-9 team battling it out but we end up with a good game and it's 2-1 VT as we approach the last inning and the time limit.  It starts to rain and my partner immediately calls me in and wants to end the game.  No way, the field is fine, there's no lightning and there's time left on the clock, let's play.  Rain stops after a few minutes but there are some muddy patches here and there, I am watching like a hawk and if I see any player slipping or any safety concerns we are done.  I go in between innings to ask my partner where we stand on time (these games are time limit games) and he has no clue, he doesn't have a watch (?).  He calls the home coach out to ask him when we started and what time it was!    HT ties the game that inning and we go into extra time/innings where the HT wins.

 

As we are leaving the field, the VT coach runs after my partner who is trying to make a quick escape through the 1B dugout where he parked, I am going out the 3B dugout, I had already decided I wasn't going to go out of my way to walk off with my partner as I normally would as I just wanted to get off the field as quickly as possible,  The coach/partner conversation which I overheard:

 

Coach - "Why did we keep playing when it started to rain"

Partner - "I wanted to call it coach"

Coach - "Why didn't you?"

Partner - "My partner wouldn't let me"     

 

So now I am thrown completely under the bus.  Needless to say I called the assignor (who is also a good friend) on the way home and told him I would work solo the rest of the week if I had to but I can't work with this guy anymore.  I know this puts him in a bind as it is tournament and he has no extra umpires, so I fully expect to be stuck with this train wreck for 4 more games. Tonight if he shows up we will do a proper pregame and make sure responsibilities are fully defined.

IMHO, one of you have a big ego or you both have big egos.  As stated before IMHO.

 

I disagree totally.........for the most part , we should take posts from members as written..............If I had a partner like that who did "HALF" what that guy reportedly did..........I'd feel the same way.......as for ego, yes, Ive met some over the top umpires in my travels...........but you cant do this job correctly or for long without a healthy ego..........

[gnhbua93]

 

 

I will preface this to say in my 4 years on this board I have taken great pains not to post about partners, but this one last night was too much.  This is a guy who has been in our local rec ball group (8-9 umpires, I would not stretch this to call it an association) for about a year, I normally don't work with him (somewhat by my request to the assignor) but it's the playoffs this week and as a result I got scheduled 3 of my 5 days this week with him.

 

Also - this is a local rec league with local rules, so some of what we are asked to do is not normal.

 

I got my schedule for the week on Friday and responded to my Monday partner via the schedule email on Sunday evening that I would do first plate, lets wear Polo Blue, here's where we need to park and when I will get there, etc.  I have done this with this partner before and has never been an issue.

 

I get to the field yesterday with some dark clouds approaching, start getting dressed for the first game.  In pulls my partner and he pulls up to my car but does not park -

 

Him - "I guess this means you will be doing both games behind the plate"

Me - "No, I will do the first one, you have the second one like I said in my email yesterday"

Him - "I don't check my email during the day"

 

He makes some other comment about the weather and pulls away to go park, although there are spots open where I was.  I keep getting dressed and when I turn back around I realize he is not anywhere in the parking lot.  As I finish getting dressed it begins to rain - hard - so I jumped into the car for a minute and hope it passes.  Still no sign of my partner.  At 15 minutes to game time I have to go to the field to see if we can play (my decision under local rules) so I walk up in a steady downpour.  At this point I see my partner in the 1B dugout wearing navy (what the hell, I had Polo on when he pulled up), I get on the field and start inspecting around the bases and the plate to see if we can play, he stays anchored in the dugout holding the bench down carrying on a conversation with the coaches that had nothing to do with the game  ,  It stops raining, I inform both coaches we are going to have to wait to start the game as the field is too muddy right now but the rain is over, let's get the field worked on a bit and see if it firms up with the sun (which is now burning down on the field and creating steam) before we make a decision.  Since it has stopped raining my partner decides to venture out of the dugout.  Our conversation:

 

Him - "What do you think?  (referring to the weather)"

Me - "Where the hell did you go?"

Him - "I parked on the other side of the field where I always park here"

Me - "So there goes any chance of a pregame, great.  Any why are you wearing Navy?"

Him - "Since you have such a problem with me I should just go home and leave you to work solo"

Me - "Really?  If that's how you feel, I'll leave that decision to you."

Him - "I don't think we should play, the field is too muddy"

 

He stands about 15 feet in front of the plate during the plate meeting (?) because now he is apparently mad at me.  First game is a blowout and essentially I was working solo as he really didn't move, whatever.  He came in one time to tell me his footing was poor, I walked out and checked the field and it was fine, I told him to unclog the mud from his shoes and he would be OK.  At the end of the game he tells me I should just do the second plate.  No way partner, it's all yours.  Between getting fairly drenched with rain, astronomical humidity and having a bunch of mud on me, I changed everything between games except my compression tights (and I would have if I could have). so my changeover took a bit longer than normal.  I get to the field where my boy informs me in front of the coaches at the plate that they are waiting on me and since I am the "senior guy" I need to run the plate meeting (IMO consciously removing himself as the UIC).  I'm a bit surprised by this but I do it to avoid further ugly discussion with him and we start.

 

This game is the play-in game with a 0-10 team and a 1-9 team battling it out but we end up with a good game and it's 2-1 VT as we approach the last inning and the time limit.  It starts to rain and my partner immediately calls me in and wants to end the game.  No way, the field is fine, there's no lightning and there's time left on the clock, let's play.  Rain stops after a few minutes but there are some muddy patches here and there, I am watching like a hawk and if I see any player slipping or any safety concerns we are done.  I go in between innings to ask my partner where we stand on time (these games are time limit games) and he has no clue, he doesn't have a watch (?).  He calls the home coach out to ask him when we started and what time it was!    HT ties the game that inning and we go into extra time/innings where the HT wins.

 

As we are leaving the field, the VT coach runs after my partner who is trying to make a quick escape through the 1B dugout where he parked, I am going out the 3B dugout, I had already decided I wasn't going to go out of my way to walk off with my partner as I normally would as I just wanted to get off the field as quickly as possible,  The coach/partner conversation which I overheard:

 

Coach - "Why did we keep playing when it started to rain"

Partner - "I wanted to call it coach"

Coach - "Why didn't you?"

Partner - "My partner wouldn't let me"     

 

So now I am thrown completely under the bus.  Needless to say I called the assignor (who is also a good friend) on the way home and told him I would work solo the rest of the week if I had to but I can't work with this guy anymore.  I know this puts him in a bind as it is tournament and he has no extra umpires, so I fully expect to be stuck with this train wreck for 4 more games. Tonight if he shows up we will do a proper pregame and make sure responsibilities are fully defined.

IMHO, one of you have a big ego or you both have big egos.  As stated before IMHO.

 

I disagree totally.........for the most part , we should take posts from members as written..............If I had a partner like that who did "HALF" what that guy reportedly did..........I'd feel the same way.......as for ego, yes, Ive met some over the top umpires in my travels...........but you cant do this job correctly or for long without a healthy ego..........

 

You have your opinion and I have mine.  I respect yours, you respect mine.  Opinions are like everybody have one.

[semper_fi_72]

Only thing I would suggest is do not rely on email as a primary way to contact partners.

He has a valid point.  Not everyone has a Smart Phone or check their email during the day.

You had the assignments on Friday but waited till Sunday evening to email him.

In the time it took you to write your email you could have called him, especially when it is the night before.

 

When I use email it is days in advance and if a response is not received with in 24 hours of the game, I call.

email is not always reliable.  They can wind up not delivered or in Spam folders and never be seen.

 

What I see the problem is now is the two of your egos are battling each other and work as a crew on the field.

You need to work as a team.

You also should have known the start time of the game and not be asking towards the end of the game.

[Mike Prince]

Thanks for listening/reading my rant and all of the feedback (especially the more constructive comments).  I plan to make it right with this individual tonight.  We will start with a post-game from last night to get all of what is above addressed and then move into a fresh pre-game discussion for tonight's games.

 

And yes, my next step is to call this person on the telephone.

[Mike Prince]

OK so I called him, apparently he is still not happy with me.  But asked him where will he park tonight (same field)  and what time will he get there - told him we need to get last night squared away face to face before we can take the field as a team tonight.  He agreed so we will take it from there.

 

A moderator can lock this thread if they are so inclined, I simultaneously am relieved and disappointed that I started the thread.

[JaxRolo]

OK so I called him, apparently he is still not happy with me.  But asked him where will he park tonight (same field)  and what time will he get there - told him we need to get last night squared away face to face before we can take the field as a team tonight.  He agreed so we will take it from there.

 

A moderator can lock this thread if they are so inclined, I simultaneously am relieved and disappointed that I started the thread.

Good Job! We learn from our mistakes. And there was no need for @gnhbua93 to go off on you. Uncalled for.

[Mike Prince]

Jax - his comment is what it is, he is entitled to his opinion and it helped me to realize I had to make this right.

[mstaylor]

The email was sent the night before, not unusual, most groups say contact your partner the night before. It saves contacting three days and it getting forgotten. However, with no response, a follow up phone is needed. Mike is correct that the two should park together whenever possible. The time issue, since he basically advocated the role of UIC to Mike he needs to take control of the time also. I would approach tonight in a vein of, "Look, obviously we missed on all cylinders last night, let's figure it out and get it right tonight." Tell him if he wants you to be the UIC, fine but that means you decide start/end times, weather questions, etc. Don't kowtow to him but don't be this way or the highway either. 

[Aging_Arbiter]

First, you must take the pebble from my hand Grasshopper...........

[Mike Prince]

Well, a less than good outcome here.  Apparently my phone call to this partner yesterday was taken as an aggressive step on my part and he deduced that I wanted to talk to him to call him out or belittle him (where the opposite is actually the case).  After that he communicated with the assignor via text message, had the entire schedule for this week changed and then had a subsequent conversation where much of what happened between us was twisted and/or omitted.

 

Bottom line at 15 minutes till game time I am left alone in the parking lot and changing from base clothes to plate gear to work 2 12U "A" bracket games solo.  He called the assignor very close to the game time to let him know he would not be showing up.  Luckily another umpire showed up as I walked on to the field and we had 2 excellent games last night, even without a pre-game.

 

After the game I got a phone call and was asked to meet with the assignor to discuss.  I presented what happened exactly as above, acknowledged and took responsibility for my actions in all of this, and then was told what the "other side of the story" was.  While it was a bit off-putting to hear the misrepresentation of what actually happened, I did not try to refute any of it, I simply reiterated my regret for my part in it,  I was made out to be 100% at fault here and decided there were more important things here than who was "right", so I took the high road, took the blame and let it go.  Unfortunate but I guess the good thing is that I learned something from all of this.

 

At some point I will attempt to have a conversation with this person about this incident and apologize for my part in it, but now is not the time - while I am ready, he clearly is not and I respect that.

[IABlue]

 

As we are leaving the field, the VT coach runs after my partner who is trying to make a quick escape through the 1B dugout where he parked, I am going out the 3B dugout, I had already decided I wasn't going to go out of my way to walk off with my partner as I normally would as I just wanted to get off the field as quickly as possible,  The coach/partner conversation which I overheard:

 

Coach - "Why did we keep playing when it started to rain"

Partner - "I wanted to call it coach"

Coach - "Why didn't you?"

Partner - "My partner wouldn't let me"     

 

 

OK, I'm not going to pile on here and assume that you were in the right for 99% of what went on and that the partner in question is a gigantic idiot, but I will take exception to the quoted passage.

 

According to your own version of the story, this is 100% factually accurate.  The other guy wanted to stop the game and you wouldn't let him.  What exactly is the big deal with acknowledging this fact?  Once a decision is made to either halt or continue play, that needs to be owned by the umpire making this decision.  There should be no attempt made to hide who was responsible for this call after the fact.