I could not believe what this umpire said

[umpirecordova]

Not only am I an umpire, I also coach a little bit at my old high school. I had to fill in one day when our HC couldn't make the game so I get to be the HC for the day. Mind you this is a varsity game. Being an umpire I understand all the things that umpires go through and so I tend not to question them. But what I had an umpire tell me in this game made me cringe and I was at a loss of words.

My team is on defense runner on first, batter squares to bunt and the pitch hits him, I thought he maybe attempted to bunt at it so I ask "can you check it?" He tells me the ball hit him he gets first. I said "I know it did, but can you check with your partner to see if he offered at the pitch."

He then told me "It doesn't matter he got hit with the pitch he gets first base." At this point I was baffled. I asked him "so your telling me that if pitch hits a batter that he swings at its not a strike?" He answered "Yes, it doesn't matter what he does, if he gets hit by the pitch he gets first base." I didn't want to show him up and tell him that he was wrong, and it wasn't an argument i was going to win, so I just turn back and went to the dugout in disbelief.

Next time our team is going out on defense our catcher is getting his stuff on and we didn't have subs on our bench, so I go out there to warm up the pitcher. As I get down to catch the ball he tells me "you can't be out here." I tell him I am a coach (I am kinda young so i didn't know if he thought I was a player and needed a mask). He tells me "coaches can't warm up players. Players play and coaches coach." I am not a 100% sure there is a rule saying a coach cant warm up a player but when I played my coach used to warm up the pitcher and never heard anything about it.

My point to this is what should be done if you are working with a guy like this? or if you are coaching and run into this type of umpire? What do you say to try to tell him he is wrong, or do you just have to deal with it and just hope he doesn't miss any big rules that may cost a team a game?

[yawetag]

I had to fill in one day when our HC couldn't make the game so I get to be the HC for the day.

I tell him I am a coach (I am kinda young so i didn't know if he thought I was a player and needed a mask).

If you're the HC for the day, wouldn't he have known you were the HC for the day?

My point to this is what should be done if you are working with a guy like this? or if you are coaching and run into this type of umpire? What do you say to try to tell him he is wrong, or do you just have to deal with it and just hope he doesn't miss any big rules that may cost a team a game?

As a partner, I try to talk to him after the game -- I'm certainly not doing it during the game.

[Mike Prince]

As an umpire you tell him he is wrong in a postgame meeting, as a coach you report him to the booking agent.

[NovaScotiaBlue]

If you are allowed, and you know its not a judgement call, you protest the decision.

It may seem extreme, BUT you do have that right (again, if allowed.)

If anything it might cause the umpire to look up the rule try to convince himself he was right and

you were wrong..he will find out otherwise and perhaps not make the same mistake again.

[noumpere]

A comment which always worked well with me when I was starting is "can we both look that up after the game to be sure"

[Dragon29]

A comment which always worked well with me when I was starting is "can we both look that up after the game to be sure"

I don't know about other guys here, but for me that comment wouldn't have the intended effect.

If my ears heard this from a manager, my brain would hear, "You don't know the rules and should study them after the game."

[mstaylor]

I believe noumpire was answering from the what do you do if it is your partner.

The coachcan't warm up pitchers is a LL rule.

[Dragon29]

I believe noumpire was answering from the what do you do if it is your partner.

The coachcan't warm up pitchers is a LL rule.

Well then - that makes more sense.

Nevermind.

[Umpire in Chief]

As an umpire you tell him he is wrong in a postgame meeting, as a coach you report him to the booking agent.

Absolutely, doing this on the field would be punching your own ticket. I may wait beyond the day of the game but very shortly afterward. But for the purposes of training him so it doesn't happen again on the field.