Ejected Coach Refuses to Leave the Dugout

[Mudder]

Happened in a league game that I was not involved in. OBR game, HC came out to argue a call, went on to be ejected, refused to leave the diamond, after multiple warnings that his team would forfeit the game if he does not leave, he stayed in the dugout.  There were two other assistant coaches there, finally the umpire called the game a forfeit.

In an OBR game what is the protocol if a coach refuses to leave the ballpark after he has been ejected?

[johnnyg08]

The last resort is to forfeit the game.

[maven]

I agree: last resort. In a tournament, let a TD deal with it. If you have site management of some kind, let them deal with it.

If you're on your own, get a drink of water and wait. I've waited 20 minutes. They'll cool down eventually, and probably leave.

What you don't do is engage the ejected individual: once ejected, he is not entitled to explanations, discussions, etc.

And I always cringe at the expression, "multiple warnings." A warning can be given only once: the problem with "multiple warnings" is that the recipient never knows which is the "actual" or "final" warning.

[alan2703]

Being head coach was ejected inform asst. coach/coaches that game will be a forfeit if HC will not vacate , if they can not get him to over then game over,call assignor and go home .

[Umpire in Chief]

I've had a similar situation a while ago. I may not have handled it correctly but here's what my partner and I did. 

Situation: 16/17 y/o travel ball. I'm on the bases in A , No one on pop up to RF, I read as a can of corn because the fielder only takes a step or two and camps. I cut in and pivot. As I'm turning back to the fielder I hear my partner yell "no catch!" And I never see the ball on the ground, but as I look the fielder is on the ground and has the ball in his meat hand. Apparently the fielder camped under it, bus misread the ball and made a last second dive for it which was a trap. Defensive coach looses it and comes out to me, but my partner steps up and tells him it's his call. He hollers at him for a moment and comes back to me. He thinks it should be my call since I was closer. The only thing I said to him is, something like, "my partner made the call, he told you it was his call, I have nothing to add to the conversation." He then shouted, "because you're not doing your damn job!" 

Needless to say I tossed him. He continued to shout at both of us and we ignored him. After what seemed like a long time but was probably only a minute or two, I turn to him and tell him, "You've had your say, we need to get the game going again. You need to leave and be out of sight and sound of the game." It took a while longer because this fired him up even more. My partner used the diversion I created to go to their bench and tell them they needed to get somebody to get him off the field immediately. 

Well he made it off the field but tried to stay in the dugout. My partner and I just stood on the mound waiting for him to leave. He was still being stubborn and I told him loudly enough that all can hear. "You need to leave sight and sound of the game right now or we'll be forced to forfeit the game. That got him moving.

As were getting ready to start again the pitcher asked my partner if he could have some warm up pitches. My partner told him no. 

We only get a few more pitches in and I notice him now wearing a jacket peering from behind the box. I call time and meet with my partner to tell him. My partner goes back to the bench and tells them to get rid of him. A moment or two later he leaves again.

About an inning later my partner signals me to come in b/t innings. He now sees the coach in the top row of the football stadium looking down on the field. We debated forfeiting, but didn't. 

While this was travel ball where there is no accountability, we did let our assigner know.

[kylehutson]

The last resort is to forfeit the game.

Ah. *That's* what I did wrong. A couple of weeks ago I had to EJ a coach and she (yes, a female coach of a baseball team) left the dugout, but stood in the street (about 40' - 50' parallel to the 3BL) and continued to yell to her players. I told her to leave the area and she refused. Per our commission rules I called the police. I'd be willing to bet the threat of a forfeit would have been enough to convince her to leave without having to resort to law enforcement.

Dangit - I hate when I leave a tool out of my toolbox.

[mrumpiresir]

Associations i have been involved in do not allow the umpires to call a forfeit.  If an ejected coach refuses to leave, we should suspend the game, leave the field, and let the league handle it.

[Dbellyflop]

What our league does is, if an ejected coach or parent refuses to leave, put both teams in the dugouts and tell him or her that the game will not continue until he or she is gone from sight and sound........ Haven't seen it needed for a coach yet, but as a league official I have done this a few times for parents that have gotten out of line. Also, as for calling the police, our games are held in public parks, so they will just ask the offender to leave, but can't really make them (unless they do something really stupid). But, the police will back up our play of not continuing the game until they leave.