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My First EJ Was a Two for One Special (with some fans thrown in the mix)

jonathantullos

By jonathantullos
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jonathantullos

jonathantullos

Posted
Posted

This is my first FED year so be gentle (yeah, right).

Last weekend I had the dish at the home field of one of the better teams in the region as they played a school from the next region over. I should have known I was in trouble when during the pre-game conference I had to warn the coaches (read: The visiting coach) that if I see a tobacco can in the back pocket of anyone on the field after that point that I was not going to be happy. 

The fans and the visiting coach had been chirping about my strike zone all night. In the 3rd, the visiting coach went out to talk to my partner about an interference call and I went to be within earshot of the conversation. Coach comes out with a tobacco can in his back pocket. As he's walking back to the dugout I said, "Coach, I need you to get rid of that tobacco can as I asked you to before the game started." He shot back, "And I need you to start calling some strikes." Now, I know I should have ran him right then and there but I was trying to be nice (this is Kentucky and everyone has tobacco here) so I gave him a written and confined him to the bench.

Except for one of their fans giving me grief (I did not think I bore such a resemblance to Paul Blart), the game was relatively smooth. Visiting team was getting creamed. Top of the sixth comes and the leadoff batter for the visiting team comes up to bat. I called a strike on him that was in the high end of the zone and caught the inside corner. He shot off, "It was in my damn face!" I ran the kid. Restricted coach runs out and I give him one chance to get back to the dugout. He refused so I ran him too. He then gets in my face to get his money's worth. "You're terrible!" His assistant thankfully has some sense and gets him away from me and the field.

But wait, there's more!

In the midst of all of this, one of the home team's fans comes over to the visitor's side and the visiting fan who had been giving me all kinds of hell starts going at it with him. Game administrator calls the cops and has them kicked out. Cops stick around and to escort us to our cars after the game (thankfully the weather was turning sour and the coaches decided to forego the scheduled JV game). 

The Aristocrats!

I called another game tonight at another one of our better schools. Thankfully it went much smoother. :D

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stkjock
stkjock

That's Commieforina for ya

KenBAZ
KenBAZ

JT: One of the lessons I've tried to apply from this site that has made life easier for me is to call more strikes. Boarderline pitches are strikes. A coaches' view is not that I'm favoring the othe

Mudisfun
Mudisfun

In California possession of tobacco products on a school property not only is prohibited it actually is a criminal offence...

KenBAZ

KenBAZ

Posted
Posted

JT:
One of the lessons I've tried to apply from this site that has made life easier for me is to call more strikes. Boarderline pitches are strikes. A coaches' view is not that I'm favoring the other team but that I just have a big zone. As long as their pitchers is getting it as well they can adjust. I prefer someone upset with me for calling a pitch a strike then calling one a ball. Now your response to any questions is, "That has been, (will be), a strike all day".

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

  • Like 2
Specks

Specks

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, jonathantullos said:

"Coach, I need you to get rid of that tobacco can as I asked you to before the game started." He shot back, "And I need you to start calling some strikes." Now, I know I should have ran him right then and there

I probably wouldn't have for that statement.

14 hours ago, jonathantullos said:

so I gave him a written and confined him to the bench.

I think that's the better response.

 

14 hours ago, jonathantullos said:

"It was in my damn face!"

Me: "Thats a good pitch".

I would not have ejected him for that statement alone, now if it continued....

 

To start "The fans and the visiting coach had been chirping about my strike zone all night" Don't let them do that, on the second chirp NIP IT! Bad behaviour doesn't get better as the game progress, it gets worse so step on them early.

Mudisfun

Mudisfun

Posted
Posted

In California possession of tobacco products on a school property not only is prohibited it actually is a criminal offence...

  • Like 2
LittleBlue

LittleBlue

Posted
Posted

If a coach comes out to talk with my partner about a call and isn't happy with it, I'm probably choosing a different time to address the tobacco. He's only going to feel more mad and now he has an easy target in you. You gave him an excuse, even though you were justified, and he took it to take a jab at you.

  • Like 1
Richvee

Richvee

Posted
Posted

Maybe it's different in the tobacco belt of the south, but tobacco is strictly prohibited on any high school field....by anyone...actually anywhere on high school grounds. It was nice of you to tell him at the plate meeting to lose  to tin. When he came out and I saw it again, he'd be gone.

3-3-1(o)

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jonathantullos

jonathantullos

Posted
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2 hours ago, Richvee said:

Maybe it's different in the tobacco belt of the south, but tobacco is strictly prohibited on any high school field....by anyone...actually anywhere on high school grounds. It was nice of you to tell him at the plate meeting to lose  to tin. When he came out and I saw it again, he'd be gone.

3-3-1(o)

 
 

I completely agree but, again, this is Kentucky and so many people use tobacco in various forms that it seems acceptable to have it everywhere. I was trying to keep that in mind and do him a favor. As the old saying goes, "No good deed goes unpunished." 

 

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Lessons learned and will be applied in the future. 

jonathantullos

jonathantullos

Posted
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8 hours ago, Specks said:

I probably wouldn't have for that statement.

 

 
 

Oh, no, it wasn't for the statement that he should have been ran. As I'm sure you know, per FED rules, he should have been ran as soon as I noticed the tobacco can. It's my first year in this association so I really did not want to become "that new guy." Unfortunately, that bit me right in the posterior that is supposed humongous. :D

Sorry that I wasn't clear.

ElkOil

ElkOil

Posted
Posted
43 minutes ago, jonathantullos said:

Oh, no, it wasn't for the statement that he should have been ran. As I'm sure you know, per FED rules, he should have been ran as soon as I noticed the tobacco can. It's my first year in this association so I really did not want to become "that new guy." Unfortunately, that bit me right in the posterior that is supposed humongous. :D

Sorry that I wasn't clear.

Situations become more difficult when we acknowledge what we should ignore and warn... and warn... and warn again when we should eject. If by possessing a chewing tobacco can, that fits the FED definition of "use" per 3-3-1(O), you have no choice but to EJ the coach -- no warnings. No restrictions. Straight-up ejection. The rule is explicit that this shall be your course of action. If a restricted coach leaves the dugout, he's gone. Period. You already warned him, so another one only redraws the line in the sand.

Then again, perhaps things would have gone smoother if you said to the coach, "Do me a favor and stash that can, please, coach. You're not allowed to have it on the field." Telling him you "wouldn't be happy" isn't a consequence he's going to take to heart because your happiness is not his concern.

Local culture be darned. You are the arbiter of the game and are paid to uphold the rules. Don't overthink it and convince yourself it's anything but that.

umpstu

umpstu

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, jonathantullos said:

I completely agree but, again, this is Kentucky and so many people use tobacco in various forms that it seems acceptable to have it everywhere. I was trying to keep that in mind and do him a favor. As the old saying goes, "No good deed goes unpunished." 

 

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Lessons learned and will be applied in the future. 

The "This is Kentucky" excuse doesn't cut it.  I personally don't like the rule, but is a biggie at the time.  Run him.

  • Like 1
Specks

Specks

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, jonathantullos said:

Oh, no, it wasn't for the statement that he should have been ran. As I'm sure you know, per FED rules, he should have been ran as soon as I noticed the tobacco can. It's my first year in this association so I really did not want to become "that new guy." Unfortunately, that bit me right in the posterior that is supposed humongous. :D

Sorry that I wasn't clear.

Nah, that was me glossing over the other. You have reason for the tobacco, if he's been warned and still causing problems...use it!

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