Should have been covered in the ground rules

[Umpire in Chief]

Last week I had a game and I didn't think it was funny at the time because this coach was getting on my last nerve, and it was hot as hell. 7:00pm game time temp 94 with insane humidity and a "real feel" of 111 degrees. In hindsight it was a little funny, just because this coach took every opportunity to show his ignorance. 

1. Visiting coach comes to the plate meeting and weakly shakes hands gives me the yeah, yeah, yeah. Very obvious he was completely disinterested.
2. Potential catch & carry situation but there were already 2 outs. Pop up near visitor (their team) dugout. Home F3 busts ass to get there. F3 caught the ball about a step before DBT and his momentum carries him well into the visitor dugout. Coach comes unglued. I tell him I lined myself up perfectly and definitively saw he caught the ball before going into the dugout area. He replied "these are your ground rules blue, and you're not even following them." I let it go, that was his freebie.
3. I missed a pitch, really bad timing on my part. It was high, higher than I'd been calling strikes, but still called it a strike. He starts screaming, You've got to get help on that. Now it wasn't absurdly high, but still I own it so he gets a little rope. 
4. Late in the game the visitors made a big comeback and are now in the lead. Nobody on and the visitor catcher lazily throws the ball to the pitcher making the pitcher chase it off the mound. He steps in a little hole twists his ankle and goes down like a sack of potatoes. I'm standing by as the coaches are tending to the pitcher and the VC tells me. "this is your fault this should have been covered in the ground rules, you have us make sure they're wearing cups but don't tell us about the dangerous areas on the field. But what does it matter..." I cut him off and snapped back at him, "you're not going to go there and ground rules aren't designed for this." He goes back to tending to his pitcher. After the pitcher walked it off I tell him, "take a few and let me know when you're ready." VC then says, "You better give him all the pitches he needs..." I cut him off again and got really loud making sure the whole field could hear, "That's enough, I'm not having any more of this from you." He huffed and puffed off the field. 
5. After the game and they won, we decide to go out the home dugout, but have to walk behind the visitor bench to get off the field. The coach makes eye contact with me and tells his team, "Great job you had to not only beat them but the umpires too."

In hindsight, I had every right to dump him after the pop-up. It would have been in bad form, but within the rules based on his behavior I could have justified it. The bad pitch, he didn't cross the line and I kicked it so there's nothing there. Again I could have dumped him for the, "This is your fault" statement, but again it wouldn't have looked good. 

 

[Jimurray]

1. I've noticed at the Rec and Select lower levels that some coaches don't like to be called to a plate meeting. They like to exchange with the other team before the meeting and would be happy not to have a plate meeting. I think it is an authority thing with that type of coach. That being said, I just did a U9 tournament and meetings covered the basics and any questions. Some coaches looked pleasantly surprised as we shook hands. I think they experience some umpires that make the plate meeting a lecture at that level..

[DVA7130]

I would have to really have to hold back a, "...and you also fought through the poor sportsmanship and lack of rule knowledge from your coach".

If only.

[Majordave]

Shoulda, woulda, coulda....

you ALWAYS regret the ejections you don't issue. Rec ball?  My rope is very short. Along with my patience.