At least I had some shade

[RingEmUp]

Friday and I had the dish.  Nice shade over home plate with a cool breeze.  It was pretty much downhill from there.  The HT was terrible and many of their pitchers were lucky to get the ball over the plate.  In fact, they were so bad that my partner went into preventative umpire mode and these kids were still balking on every other pitch.  It was 14-2 after 2 innings and the VT HC was complaining about the balks.  My real question is at what point do you just let the kids play and stop worrying about balks.  I ask because my partner basically refused to call any once the score got out of hand.

[maven]

Ew. Sounds terrible.

 

Here's an idea: after F1 balks for the 9th time in the inning, instruct the head coach to stop his team from balking. When he can't, eject him. Do the same to the next coach, till the run out of adults. Game over.

 

That ain't baseball, and I'm not sure why they want to pay umpires to supervise their pitching clinic.

[ricka56]

Ew. Sounds terrible.

 

Here's an idea: after F1 balks for the 9th time in the inning, instruct the head coach to stop his team from balking. When he can't, eject him. Do the same to the next coach, till the run out of adults. Game over.

 

That ain't baseball, and I'm not sure why they want to pay umpires to supervise their pitching clinic.

@maven, you usually give sound advice, but this post isn't one of them. You can't just keep EJ'g adults until the game is over and please your TD/UIC. I doubt that an umpire would continue to get assignments if they kept EJ'g coaches of teams that they didn't think were worthy of being on the field. This often happens at tournaments where a team is playing in a division out of their class.You just need to suck it up and endeavor to persevere.

 

I have had such games and I have quit calling balks when things were getting out of hand like this. The winning coach should be doing the sportsmanlike thing and stop stealing bases, not barking at the umpire for not calling 99 balks (balks that are fooling nobody). But I am not a rule geek. I sometimes have to adjust my officiating to fit the game being played.

[RingEmUp]

I should add, this game was varsity HS and yet the entire time it felt more like a 12u game. 

[JaxRolo]

Is it doing any good to anyone to keep calling balks???

[ricka56]

My opinion doesn't change. EJ'g a HS coach is a serious matter around here (coach and the school's AD have to go to the state capital to explain themselves). And if I was eyeing a coach to EJ, it would probably be the DB VT coach that is running up the score and hollering at me to call more balks.

[GreyhoundAggie]

I think Maven was kidding

[ricka56]

I think Maven was kidding

 

If I read that Billy Graham was endorsing devil worship, I would be equally confused. 

Does anyone have a tool to cut the barb off of this hook before I pull it out of my mouth.

[Majordave]

I like @maven's idea. And in some BS USSSA tourney I would rather not be working but for the whining of an assigner or friend I might just have to try it IF the losers coach is a douche and the losers playing don't really want to be there.

As @ricka56 said IF the winning coach (at any level I work) is being the douche then he may get an early trip to the bus/parking lot/pub as the case may be.

Here is how I plan to do it:

I will have a conversation with the douche about several things. 1. His douchiness in running up the score.

2. His douchiness in whining.

3. The fact that I think he is a douche for doing 1 and 2 (and I would use the word "douche and/or douchebag" (even if he's wearing a priest's collar)

4. The strike zone for his starters will now be extremely deep and wide and tall. (I won't screw his subs who deserve their whack at earning a hit or a starting position.) 5. Any continued douchebag behavior will be dealt with in a manner I haven't decided yet but I'm sure you won't like it.

All said, of course, in a low enough voice at one of the baselines between innings. Which will hopefully be enough so that I can bait him sufficiently to dump his sorry butt and move on with the game. I would plan on doing the same with his assistants until Maven's suggested method has the proper effect on coaches being douchebags or game over for lack of adult supervision.

Life is too short and there are just too many games out there to endure douchebaggery like that for very long.

My .02.......

[MadMax]

I should add, this game was varsity HS and yet the entire time it felt more like a 12u game. 

 

Worse, a 13U game. At least 12U's (most) play on a 50-70, and can make the necessary throws. Once those 13-year-olds step on a 60-90, it's like watching penguins trying to fly.

[umpstu]

I should add, this game was varsity HS and yet the entire time it felt more like a 12u game. 

Do you ever umpire Julian High School?  I know it is the San Diego group.  Had them Friday in a brutal game, 18 - 0.  Julian won, but their coach was fantastic and would not let his players advance more than 1 base on a hit, nor would he allow them to steal or advance on passed balls or wild pitches.  The opposing team seemed to have little to none as far as coaching.  They did have some really dry humor, which was greatly appreciated by me.  I used the game as a teaching moment for both teams and myself.  Out of there in less than two hours.

[umpstu]

Is it doing any good to anyone to keep calling balks???

Exactly and take the coach aside and explain to him why you aren't going to call them.  It's obvious his was the better team and if he's any kind of knowledgeable coach he will understand.  If he doesn't put him on the bench.

[LMSANS]

My opinion doesn't change. EJ'g a HS coach is a serious matter around here (coach and the school's AD have to go to the state capital to explain themselves). And if I was eyeing a coach to EJ, it would probably be the DB VT coach that is running up the score and hollering at me to call more balks.

Not if you forget to file the report...