What do you do?

[bluejerred]

14-16 year olds playing. 110 degrees, 60% humidity (people are irritable).  1st inning, 4 batters into the game.  DTHC starts asking "Where is that pitch at" after a few close balls from the dugout.  I ignore.  After giving a stop sign and stating that you are working with the catcher to find a spot, he says, "Answer my question!".  I tell him it was up and continue play.  I hear nothing from him the rest of the game.  However, what do you do from the point he says "Answer my question"?

[Mad Mike]

Trying to understand what you noted after giving the stop sign and stating that you are working with the catcher to find a spot. What exactly do you mean by this, "Trying to find a spot?"

[ElkOil]

"That's enough, coach."

[Replacematt]

IAWE is not in play at this point because the primary issue with the question is no longer balls and strikes; it's that he is challenging your authority. At a minimum, I am telling him in no uncertain terms that he does not make demands of me. I may toss, depending on my mood. To me, this is something that is dancing on the line.

I absolutely would not have answered his question. He doesn't get the satisfaction. 

[noumpere]

I probably would have answered the first question to not let it get that far.

[Replacematt]

I probably would have answered the first question to not let it get that far.

​ I'll clarify...I would have not answered his question after he demanded I do so.

[noumpere]

​ I'll clarify...I would have not answered his question after he demanded I do so.

​Oh -- I agree with that.  The issue came up because the first question(s) by the coach weren't answered.  Answer the first, on the second (assuming it's "right after"), say "it was high, too, and we're not going to discuss calls all day long".  It never gets to a "demand" by the coach.

 

Now, if he does "demand", say "Bill, if you want to discuss balls and strikes, don't yell at me, come out here."  Then, when he does, eject him.  Or, since it's so hot, just restrict him to the dugout.

[MidAmUmp]

Answer legitimate questions. People naturally tend to get pissed off when you ignore them. 

To prove this: you ignored him, he got pissed and demanded an answer, you answered and he left you alone. 

I write this over and over. Answer a question either before it's asked or when it's asked. No one is arguing anything at that point so warning or ejecting isn't even an option. Depending on how they respond to your answer determines if an argument, warning or ejection is necessary.

[Stan W.]

First inning ?, Normal tone?....Id probably have answered his question....and ignored it the next time........

[Replacematt]

First inning ?, Normal tone?....Id probably have answered his question....and ignored it the next time........

​I don't think ignoring subsequent questions would be a good idea. He's going to have an impression after the first one that you will respond, and ignoring it may give the impression that you blew the pitch and can't answer it. After the second one, I'd address it and tell him that this is not going to be something that is going to happen all game. 

[Rich Ives]

​Oh -- I agree with that.  The issue came up because the first question(s) by the coach weren't answered.  Answer the first, on the second (assuming it's "right after"), say "it was high, too, and we're not going to discuss calls all day long".  It never gets to a "demand" by the coach.

 

Now, if he does "demand", say "Bill, if you want to discuss balls and strikes, don't yell at me, come out here."  Then, when he does, eject him.  Or, since it's so hot, just restrict him to the dugout.

​That'll look really good in the coach's version of the ejection report.

[noumpere]

​That'll look really good in the coach's version of the ejection report.

​My mistake for not having the proper emoticon in my statement.

[noumpere]

Answer legitimate questions. People naturally tend to get pissed off when you ignore them. 

To prove this: you ignored him, he got pissed and demanded an answer, you answered and he left you alone. 

I write this over and over. Answer a question either before it's asked or when it's asked. No one is arguing anything at that point so warning or ejecting isn't even an option. Depending on how they respond to your answer determines if an argument, warning or ejection is necessary.

​Agreed (obvisoulsy, since it's the same thing I said).

 

I might add that IAWE is NOT for questions, it's for complaints.  And, while it can be hard sometimes to tell the difference, give the coach the benefit of the doubt on the 4th batter of the game.

 

Now, If he had said, "We've gotta have that" or "That pitch is right down the pipe" or something, then you can think about ignoring it.

[ricka56]

Answer a question either before it's asked or when it's asked.

​I am in the process of changing my ball call (in/out) to include location. BALL...OUT. Good part is, coaches give you less B/S grief...unless you forget to give location on a critical pitch call...then they're gonna think you were indecisive about that last call and let you have it.

[kylehutson]

​I am in the process of changing my ball call (in/out) to include location. BALL...OUT. Good part is, coaches give you less B/S grief...unless you forget to give location on a critical pitch call...then they're gonna think you were indecisive about that last call and let you have it.

​Nope. Nope. Nope.

Giving the location only opens you up to more criticism. "That wasn't either low, I can see THAT from here."

Give the location only if asked.

[ricka56]

​Nope. Nope. Nope.

Giving the location only opens you up to more criticism. "That wasn't either low, I can see THAT from here."

Give the location only if asked.

​RIF...reread my post...I said nothing about giving up/down direction. And if he's going to have a boisterous problem with my IN/OUT on a close decision pitch (the only time I use IN/OUT), then I may be eliminating the I part of I-A-W-E.

[MidAmUmp]

​Nope. Nope. Nope.

Giving the location only opens you up to more criticism. "That wasn't either low, I can see THAT from here."

Give the location only if asked.

​I give location on borderline pitches. I have not had to issue a ball/strike warning in 4 years while working at a pretty high level. I'm pretty sure I'm not opening myself up to more criticism. I've even asked some of the coaches and they have told me they appreciate it so they're not having to ask/wonder.

Answer the question before it's asked avoids many unnecessary conversations which can turn into arguments, warnings and ejections.

[noumpere]

​I give location on borderline pitches. I have not had to issue a ball/strike warning in 4 years while working at a pretty high level. I'm pretty sure I'm not opening myself up to more criticism. I've even asked some of the coaches and they have told me they appreciate it so they're not having to ask/wonder.

Answer the question before it's asked avoids many unnecessary conversations which can turn into arguments, warnings and ejections.

​Agreed.  And, there just aren't that many borderline pitches in most games.

 

The move away from location came because some were giving it on almost every pitch (well, those that were called balls).  As some start to move back toward it, I am seeing that again.

[kylehutson]

​I give location on borderline pitches.

​I won't disagree on that - especially those that are just out or just in (i.e., where they look good from the dugout). I might give a location once/game on average unasked, especially if I here the grunts from the dugout that indicate they thought it was a strike (without explicitly saying so).

But giving location on all/most of them? Still nope.

[MidAmUmp]

I think there is some confusion on what I'm talking about. Here is a video of me balling a borderline pitch and giving the location so you can see exactly what I mean. 

IMG_1427.MOV

Hopefully you can open the file.

Edited June 15, 2015 by MidAmUmp

[johnnyg08]

Is it ever okay to use F2 to communicate your response to the bench? 

Bench:  Where was that pitch?

Plate umpire to F2:  "I've got that down Chris"  

 

 

[ricka56]

Is it ever okay to use F2 to communicate your response to the bench? 

Bench:  Where was that pitch?

Plate umpire to F2:  "I've got that down Chris"  

I think you might be putting Chris in between a rock and a hard place. He doesn't want to piss off you or his HC. If Chris backs up your call, he may piss off HC (not the message he wanted sent to YOU) and if Chris gives his HC what he wants (disagree with your call), that'll piss the PU off. 

I used to do this. Once F2 just gave a response and pissed off both his   HC and me.

[LMSANS]

I have been giving location for 2 or 3 years.  I haven't had any issue with it.  I've only had one coach ask me location..."Outside, like I said." "sorry, didn't hear you."

[noumpere]

Is it ever okay to use F2 to communicate your response to the bench? 

Bench:  Where was that pitch?

Plate umpire to F2:  "I've got that down Chris"  

 

 

​Or, F2 says, "Well, he said it was down" (in a tone that indicates F2 doesn't agree).

[MadMax]

@MidAmUmp, I'm assuming that your head turn to the 3BS dugout is the answering of that/any question. Incredibly discreet. You don't have to be applauded for it, but other umpires need to watch this video snip of yours, repetitively, until they break themselves of the habit of pointing/indicating/flagging/denoting/pantomiming/calling attention to where that last pitch missed.

Being a former catcher, I usually have a good repoire with ones working in front of me, and while my call of "Ball!" is quite audible, the trailing description of where it missed / what makes it a ball is much more discreet, just enough to be heard by the catcher, likely the batter (unless he's wearing a helmet with the padding stuffed in his ears), and, on close dugouts with a sparse attendance and near-silence in the park, the coach. I don't say it on every Ball (a bad habit I used to do when I first started), just on the borderline ones. Most catchers will relay that to the coach. Some maintain radio silence (buggers), and I'll have to answer the rare repeated question.