This Early?!

[JamesC]

I just want to get this off my chest. I know what the outcome should have been, but I also know that it didn't happen.

Nevertheless...

End of 3rd inning in a close game, 2-0 home team. Both teams are playing well and pitching is really good, and two higher caliber teams in our area. I have the dish and the head coach from the visiting team is coming out from the dugout headed to the coach's box at third base (1st base dugout). I notice he has his cap in his hand and I mention it, thinking that he just grabbed his regular cap instead of his skull cap, which is required by rule for anyone occupying a coach's box. He says he doesn't have it and had forgotten it for the night. I didn't expect this conversation to go this way and I must have just not noticed the first couple of innings because they normally have skull caps that are pretty similar to their regular caps, and unless you're looking closely or looking for that specifically then I don't catch it. I told him he wasn't going to be able to occupy the coach's box without a skull cap and he asked if I was serious. Of course! I'm not out here for giggles. He is walking off and I had focused my attention back to the pitcher because his warm-ups were about to conclude. He said something really low and at first it didn't register with me what he said. After about 10-15 seconds I realized he told me, "you're a fuc*ing douchebag." AHHH!! Didn't get him. Been doing this several years with him out there and never any problems out of him other than the occasional attempt to get calls to tilt his way. Just wanted to get this off my chest because I know I missed one but come on, it was the first game of the season and couldn't have been more than the 2nd or 3rd for him. I already have a bit of a reputation with our association of having a quick trigger, but I promise that isn't the case. I just don't let them all get away with the stupid things everyone else does (except last night apparently).

Let the bashing begin! And it's nice to be back. I think this is my first post in probably a year or more.

[maineump]

If it took you 10-15 seconds to figure out what he said, then is there a chance if you mis-heard him? Not trying to stir the pot here, but if it was a low mumble kind of thing, that you had to think about, I wouldn't have run him either. Let them mumble to themselves, until it is heard clearly by you or someone else - my opinion is don't go looking for stuff that might not be there.

[maven]

Why would anyone bash you? You think you missed one, but can you think of any way to handle the situation that would be less likely to prompt an outburst? We can't fix stupid, but we can try to minimize it....

Sometimes deflection works: when he asks whether we're serious about safety rules, something along the lines of, "yeah, my wife is a lawyer and she won't let me umpire unless I enforce every last safety rule in the frigging book!"

Doesn't work if he knows your wife, but if he's laughing it's hard to stay pissed off.

[kstrunk]

It doesn't sound too likely that anyone else heard it, and he may not even be aware that YOU heard it, so probably a non-issue. 

[grayhawk]

Maybe he was talking about himself for forgetting his skull cap.  If you had ejected him, you know this would have been his defense.

[Mudisfun]

Had my first game of the HS season on Wednesday. As it was one teams 3rd game and the others first I reminded them at the plate of their need for the hats... Visitors just wore their helmets throughout the game instead of normal hats so they were easy... The home team however... Had to remind the assistant coach one time (1st inning) as he went by me but from there on he just kept it on.

The HC for the home team however... EVERY inning... Coach! (get his attention) and then tap my head... There he goes running back for his hat... thankfully they were home and on the 3rd base side and he was in the 3BCB. When he came to make changes he apologized so I know he is just out of the swing of it. No hard feelings from either side about it at all but it was starting to wear a little thin having to remind him every inning. Ohh well... JV game what do you expect.

[Welpe]

I had a Freshman game on Thursday and we had to tell coaches on both teams to put a lid on. Oh well it's early still.

[KenBAZ]

In AZ we are not requiring coaches to wear a hard hat in the coach's boxes.

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