Well, He Asked For It.

[ElkOil]

15U select ball game.  I'm PU for the second time with this one particular team this weekend.  The first game featured their coach demonstrating a strong dislike of my zone.  This second one was worse.  He jawed at me endlessly.  I'm not calling pitches low and away and his attitude is rubbing off on his catcher, who is also demonstrating his dislike, but in a lesser way.  Finally, in the second inning, as he's yapping at me from the dugout, I say to him, "I hear you coach."

"Then do something!" he hollered back.  I gave him the stop sign and moved on.  After that inning, this cute old couple in the stands complimented me on how I handled it.  They even expressed appreciation.

An inning later, the coach doesn't like an out call my partner made on a banger at first to end the inning.  As he's trotting off, he starts in on me again.

"Coach, I'm warning you, now," I told him.  Then he came over to me and continued to gripe, but in a lower voice.  "Coach, do you want to stay in this game?"

Without hesitating, he said, "No."  Then he motioned for me to do the next thing.  I nonchalantly performed the ejection mechanic.  Then he did the ol' "get your money's worth" routine and lit me up as I walked away.  My partner hustled over and threw interference as he corralled the coach off the field.  I guess he was trying to add some inspiration to his team's uninspired play.

Things got predictably less chirpy after that.  And his team lost in the bottom of the 7th.

Edited June 29, 2015 by ElkOil

[urout17]

"Then do something!" he hollered back. 

Hahahah......too easy.  Nothing else happens if he's not there.

[Old Skool]

Probably should have shut him up quickly in the first game & you likely wouldn't have had to deal with him continuing these actions in your 2nd game with him.  

"The first game featured their coach demonstrating a strong dislike of my zone.  This second one was worse.  He jawed at me endlessly."

The "then do something" would likely have been my trigger had proper warning been issued previously.

[ElkOil]

Probably should have shut him up quickly in the first game & you likely wouldn't have had to deal with him continuing these actions in your 2nd game with him.  

"The first game featured their coach demonstrating a strong dislike of my zone.  This second one was worse.  He jawed at me endlessly."

The "then do something" would likely have been my trigger had proper warning been issued previously.

​Yeah, I wondered about that.  I really try to give a lot of rope on things like this.  And in this case, when the coach actually wanted to get run, I don't know if I could have headed it off at the pass.  I probably should have seen it coming, though, in hindsight.  I had an otherwise very good weekend and he was the only person griping at me.  So either I was a particularly bad umpire just for him or he was cruising for an EJ from the get-go.  After it all played out, I'm thinking it was the latter.

[bluejerred]

I'm not calling pitches low and away and his attitude is rubbing off on his catcher, who is also demonstrating his dislike, but in a lesser way.  Finally, in the second inning, as he's yapping at me from the dugout, I say to him, "I hear you coach."

"Then do something!" he hollered back.

 

​This coach is an idiot.  You weren't calling that strike.  They need to throw it somewhere else.  If you called it for the other team and not them, I could see an issue but it sounds like nobody was getting that pitch.  We have all felt this pain.

[ElkOil]

​This coach is an idiot.  You weren't calling that strike.  They need to throw it somewhere else.  If you called it for the other team and not them, I could see an issue but it sounds like nobody was getting that pitch.  We have all felt this pain.

​Certainly part of his frustration was that this pitcher had no control and he expected to get this one particular pitch.  The kid started the game by walking the first two batters on eight pitches.

[bluejerred]

​Certainly part of his frustration was that this pitcher had no control and he expected to get this one particular pitch.  The kid started the game by walking the first two batters on eight pitches.

​If the pitcher has no control, nobody has no business being in your kitchen at all about the zone.  They shouldn't be in our kitchens anyways but especially when the ball is going everywhere.

Was the pitcher the coaches son?

[Specks]

​Yeah, I wondered about that.  I really try to give a lot of rope on things like this.  DON'T!

​The I-A-W-E process is the preferred way to handle in a lot of places. You Ignore the FIRST COMMENT, not the first 3 innings or first game of comments the first comment he makes. The 2nd thing he says gets the Acknowlegement and so forth. You could go thru all 4 steps in one short encounter if the coach so pleases. The faster you step on that the better you'll be. If you wait until you're frustrated then it's not really fair to the coach because he doesn't know where the line is, he talks and talks and talks and then you do something. Nip it in the bud and the coach will know where the line is and he'll decide to cross and go home or he'll stop talking. Either way you win.

[ElkOil]

​The I-A-W-E process is the preferred way to handle in a lot of places. You Ignore the FIRST COMMENT, not the first 3 innings or first game of comments the first comment he makes. The 2nd thing he says gets the Acknowlegement and so forth. You could go thru all 4 steps in one short encounter if the coach so pleases. The faster you step on that the better you'll be. If you wait until you're frustrated then it's not really fair to the coach because he doesn't know where the line is, he talks and talks and talks and then you do something. Nip it in the bud and the coach will know where the line is and he'll decide to cross and go home or he'll stop talking. Either way you win.

​This is one part of game management I'm trying to get better at.  I am truly a work in progress.

[bluejerred]

We all are

​This is one part of game management I'm trying to get better at.  I am truly a work in progress.

​

[lawump]

The MLB and MiLB umpires don't put up with arguing balls and strikes for long...so why should we in "daddy" ball?  And the answer, of course, is that we shouldn't.  I'm not saying that you pull out the gun and toss him on the first comment.  Ignore the first comment (unless its personal, profane or prolonged (one of the 3 P's)).  On the second comment give him "the look".  On the third comment, just say STERNLY, "that's enough!".  On the fourth, toss him.

Of course, if he continues to argue after "the look" (which is, in pro ball, a recognized warning) or after the "that's enough!" he may earn an ejection prior to moving on to the next step.

Everyone from T-ball to MLB knows that arguing balls and strikes is the quickest way to enjoy the rest of the game in the locker room (whether the locker room is a clubhouse, bus or car).  Take advantage of this "knowledge" when needed.

I have posted this before on another site:  Although I don't agree with everything Ron Luciano did as an umpire, he had a great story in one of his books:  Earl Weaver was all over a rookie MLB umpire about balls and strikes early in a game (Baltimore was pitching and the umpire was calling "ball" a lot).  The umpire was getting flustered but not doing anything about it.  The BALTIMORE pitcher called time and asked the umpire to come out to the mound.  He told the ump (to paraphrase), "if you dump him now you and I can both have a quiet Sunday afternoon."  On the next "ball" call Earl yelled again.  The ump tossed him.  Yes, Earl came out and ranted and raved for a minute or two, but then things got a lot quieter.  The umpire had eight quiet, almost pleasant, innings of baseball.  Even the Baltimore pitcher settled down and threw a gem.  The moral of the story:  don't let a horse's ass ruin your fun at the ballpark.  Shut 'em up early so you can enjoy most of the game.

[bighouse]

The MLB and MiLB umpires don't put up with arguing balls and strikes for long...so why should we in "daddy" ball?  And the answer, of course, is that we shouldn't.  I'm not saying that you pull out the gun and toss him on the first comment.  Ignore the first comment (unless its personal, profane or prolonged (one of the 3 P's)).  On the second comment give him "the look".  On the third comment, just say STERNLY, "that's enough!".  On the fourth, toss him.

Of course, if he continues to argue after "the look" (which is, in pro ball, a recognized warning) or after the "that's enough!" he may earn an ejection prior to moving on to the next step.

Everyone from T-ball to MLB knows that arguing balls and strikes is the quickest way to enjoy the rest of the game in the locker room (whether the locker room is a clubhouse, bus or car).  Take advantage of this "knowledge" when needed.

I have posted this before on another site:  Although I don't agree with everything Ron Luciano did as an umpire, he had a great story in one of his books:  Earl Weaver was all over a rookie MLB umpire about balls and strikes early in a game (Baltimore was pitching and the umpire was calling "ball" a lot).  The umpire was getting flustered but not doing anything about it.  The BALTIMORE pitcher called time and asked the umpire to come out to the mound.  He told the ump (to paraphrase), "if you dump him now you and I can both have a quiet Sunday afternoon."  On the next "ball" call Earl yelled again.  The ump tossed him.  Yes, Earl came out and ranted and raved for a minute or two, but then things got a lot quieter.  The umpire had eight quiet, almost pleasant, innings of baseball.  Even the Baltimore pitcher settled down and threw a gem.  The moral of the story:  don't let a horse's ass ruin your fun at the ballpark.  Shut 'em up early so you can enjoy most of the game.

​To be fair, every pitch in T-ball is right down the middle, so if you're balling those you should catch some heat!!!

[urout17]

Just my two cents but I've never given the look.  I don't think most daddy coaches understand what that means but if I yell out "THAT'S ENOUGH", there's little doubt what my intent is.  Again, just me, but I don't do any games under 15.  Not that there's anything wrong with those that do of course and not that crap doesn't happen in games over 15 but we've all seen crazy sh@# lesser aged games and I have little patience for coaches trying to win games with little regard of teaching players how to play the game without circumventing the rules.

[mrumpiresir]

Just my two cents but I've never given the look.  I don't think most daddy coaches understand what that means but if I yell out "THAT'S ENOUGH", there's little doubt what my intent is.  Again, just me, but I don't do any games under 15.  Not that there's anything wrong with those that do of course and not that crap doesn't happen in games over 15 but we've all seen crazy sh@# lesser aged games and I have little patience for coaches trying to win games with little regard of teaching players how to play the game without circumventing the rules.

Do it the way lawump says.

​I remove my mask and say "knock it off" or "that's enough" when I feel it's time to send the message that I've had enough.  Knowledgeable coaches know what comes next. 

[KenBAZ]

I find I have to deal with this or my partners have to deal with this with lower level coaches. There are a couple of things I've done that help me are to 1. Call more strikes and 2. Inform or remind coaches it is against the rules to argue balls and strikes. Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

[Majordave]

1. Call more strikes

I like this advice.  I don't warn much for balls and strikes.  They all know they can't so I just warn once via "that's enough!" With a hand up.  After that I just eject.

My follow on advice would be to avoid working 60' baseball whenever possible. If you HAVE to work that level don't take ANY crap from daddy coaches.