Ignorant fan rant

[Richvee]

I needed to get on here and rant a little about one of the loudest, most ignorant fans I've come across in a while. 

12u 50/70 travel ball.  (imagine that. loud parents/grandparents at a 12u travel game.)

Real leather lung granddad I'm guessing 60-ish. Mostly cheering and barking out instructions to the hitters, when on defense, yelling out situations (Hands back Billy" , "one out play to first " ) junk like that, but loud. He was between the dugout and home, near the coaches, so I figured as long as no coach cares this guy's "cheering" like this, I could care less. No one had anything to say. ...Then it starts...

 No out, R1. Pop up between F1 and F2. Miscommunication, ball falls, untouched. F2 throws R1 out at 2nd, BR on 1st. Leather lung starts roaring "Infield fly!!! he can't do that." I'm thinking, "do what?"  but I just looked in his general direction as I was walking back to the plate and said "no". Then as I put on the mask and get behind the plate he says something like "Looked  intentionally  to me."  Now I'm trying to hold back the laughter and track the next pitch. 

Now we got R1 one out. Next kid swings at K3, ball gets by F2. R1 takes off for 2nd BR, of course, takes off for first as I'm yelling "batter's out!" a few times in a row trying to yell over leather lungs who's roaring "RUN!! RUN!!..STAY THERE YOUR SAFE" I take a few steps up the line and tell BR he's out as he's standing on 1st looking confused. On the way back to the plate, leather lungs is talking loud to the rest of the know-it-all parents around him. "He stays on first catcher missed strike 3. That's the wrong call"  Now I'm getting a bit aggravated at this guy's volume and his ignorance. Lucky for me, Daddy coach asks "Why is my batter out" (because of course, Daddy coach thinks leatherlungs knows the rules better than me). That gave me the opportunity  to tell the coach, rather loudly  "1st base occupied, less than two outs, BR can't run"...Then while walking back to the plate, speaking softly, but loud enough for Leatherlungs to hear,  "Baseball 101". 

That kept him quiet...Until his team's pitcher throws a ball a good foot or more off the plate and he yells "Keep it there, that's a strike all day".  I took off the mask and gave a "death stare" to the 3 Daddy coaches standing in the dugout , and they say, (in unison which was pretty funny) "We didn't say anything" and I said, "No, but it came from this direction and if I hear any more one of you are going."  And Leatherlungs wasn't heard from the rest of the game. 

Thanks for letting me rant.  Maybe it was the humidity, maybe I'm just in a rotten mood. But this time I really wanted to just unload on this moron. Took a lot for me to ignore such ignorance from the stands. Venting here helps. 

 

[Majordave]

12U..........say no more.  I worked four 14U games this weekend.  Daddy coaches.  Two coach warnings.  Lots of know-it-alls in the stands.  Quality of play and coaching sucked.  All my fault.  HS regionals 3-man crew, 3 games tomorrow.  Expecting large crowds.  Lots of unhappiness will be exhibited I'm sure.  Great partners though.  Both have professional baseball umpire experience.  Great way to end HS season.  Summer showcases and tourneys and college woodbat season is almost here.

[Richvee]

Yep. 12u,  the know-it-alls are sure to be there. They never bother me, mostly amuse me.  Most is comical.  But this guy just got under my skin today. I really wanted to tell him what a moron he sounded like. 

[kylehutson]

I work hard not to listen outside the field and dugouts, but the one thing that really grates my nerves is a "fan" who's trying to explain rules to those around him (or to me) and being completely wrong. Bonus points if they're also loud.

Hope you feel better getting it off your chest, @Richvee.

[Specks]

One of the only times I've ever spoken to to the other side of the fence. 11/12u I have the plate and the backstop is 10'-12' behind me, R1 advances on a foul tip. 2 guys right on the fence start in on the foul tip the runner has to go back, of course I ignore them. I guess thinking that I didn't hear them it got louder, I ignore again. Now they SCREAM the runner has to go back. I call time, turn around and tell them "You can be loud or you can be wrong, but you can't be both"! Told them it was live and they slinked away, never to be heard from again (by me at least). Do as I say not as I do, don't talk to the crowd.

[maineump]

I don't know how the kids can play the game or learn anything, with all of the coaches in the stands. That is exactly why I could never coach young kids, because the entire world is smarter than the guy that is supposedly running the team and the guys calling the balls and strikes. It seems to be a lot worse with the younger kids - or the fences are closer and we hear all of the bull coming from the stands.

[Umpirechick1]

I can completely relate!  Yesterday, I was PU and we had the usual yapping over the usual stuff. The one that got me was a ball hit to the OF, and my partner has the ball so I've got the touch at 3rd and runner scores. Plate is a mess, I call time to clean it and then a dad starts telling the catcher that the runner missed 3rd and they need to appeal it. (Coach has no clue what they're doing). I put the ball in play, they appeal which takes too long because everyone is confused about what they're doing and why. I make the safe signal and I hear a mom say "Oh give me a break, it's not like he (meaning BU) was actually watching that!!!"  I said out loud to no one in particular "Actually that's MY call and I WAS watching and he DID touch 3rd."  Yeah, I didn't hear anything else from that side. Meanwhile, she went back to pushing her baby in the stroller behind the bleachers where I'm sure she had a better view of the plays than my partner and I did. 

I don't normally address fans, but I sure felt better after that. 

[spiritump]

Why punish the coaches because of a fan ???

[Richvee]

Why punish the coaches because of a fan ???

​Travel ball, no TD. Obviously one of his team's parents/grandparent. I don't have authority to toss a fan, so it's on the coaches to control his kid's parents. 

[Richvee]

I don't know how the kids can play the game or learn anything, with all of the coaches in the stands. That is exactly why I could never coach young kids, because the entire world is smarter than the guy that is supposedly running the team and the guys calling the balls and strikes. It seems to be a lot worse with the younger kids - or the fences are closer and we hear all of the bull coming from the stands.

​Exactly what I said to my partner post game. There must have been 4-5 people (coaches and parents) yelling "instructions" to every batter. "hands back", Wieght back", "move closer to the plate",  "Move back in the box", ""watch the outside corner"..Evey batter...A total onslaught on each kid. The whole situation just annoyed the heck out of me. 

[ricka56]

 

That kept him quiet...Until his team's pitcher throws a ball a good foot or more off the plate and he yells "Keep it there, that's a strike all day".  I took off the mask and gave a "death stare" to the 3 Daddy coaches standing in the dugout , and they say, (in unison which was pretty funny) "We didn't say anything" and I said, "No, but it came from this direction and if I hear any more one of you are going."  And Leatherlungs wasn't heard from the rest of the game. 

​I think most coaches that have parents/grandparents that act this way would be grateful that you addressed this as you did (they lack the gravitas to put him in his place). Even a know-nothing daddy coach would be sick of listening to this stupid crap.

[Tksjewelry]

I had one of these bleacher daddy coaches on a 9u tournament. He had hitters missing pitches because they were stammering listening to his instructions and when his kids were pitching he caused several balks. He was coming close to getting kids hurt. I finally told his coach, you shut him down or I will, I'm not having a kid hurt because they are listening to him instead of paying attention to the game. TD finally came and moved him away from the stands. He wasn't a happy camper the rest of the day not that I gave a rats a**. 

[Dbellyflop]

I have had managers ask me to toss parents and grandparents  from the bleachers. 

[StrikeToWin]

We have a rule in our park that if you have to toss a fan (foul language, abuse, belligerance etc.) then the head coach of the offending team has to go as well.  It really helps to get the coaches involved with shutting fans down.

[ZebraStripes]

 I don't have authority to toss a fan, so it's on the coaches to control his kid's parents. 

​My second year I had a particularly obnoxious fan...and I tossed them.  They left.  

[ZebraStripes]

I have had managers ask me to toss parents and grandparents  from the bleachers. 

​That reminds me, we had a visiting varsity football team ask one of our crews to toss their QBs dad.

[RingEmUp]

​My second year I had a particularly obnoxious fan...and I tossed them.  They left.

​I did this many years ago when I was 19 or 20 and was behind the plate for a 12u game.  A couple of parents dropped a few very loud F-bombs and I pulled off the rare double fisted EJ mechanic.  We did have the authority to EJ parents from the game at that particular park.