HC Does Not Attend the Plate Meeting

[johnnyg08]

Rule 3-2-4 States at the Head Coach must attend the plate meeting "Pregame Conference" 

When this happens, the head coach remains the "head coach" they simply coach from the bench/dugout area. Correct? 

My question is: Can the assistant coach...let's say the asst coach who was at the plate meeting come out to discuss plays with the crew or is that still the responsibility of the head coach who has been restricted? IOW, the umpire would need to go over to the bench/dugout area to discuss plays or request the crew conference on a play? 

I feel as though the HC is still the HC, he's just restricted to the bench for his failure to attend the plate meeting. 

For the purposes of this, assume that the HC refused to attend the plate meeting.  

[noumpere]

If the HC *refuses*, then he's restricted and no one else has the HC rights.

 

 

[johnnyg08]

56 minutes ago, noumpere said:

If the HC *refuses*, then he's restricted and no one else has the HC rights.

 

 

So basically substitutions and base coaching. 

[WIUMP]

Patrick Faerber (Umpire Classroom) has a pretty good video on this, IIRC.

[johnnyg08]

1 hour ago, WIUMP said:

Patrick Faerber (Umpire Classroom) has a pretty good video on this, IIRC.

I've reviewed his stuff, but I haven't seen specifics regarding what the "on field assistant coach's" responsibilities are whe the head coach is still in the game, just restricted. 

[DevildogUmp]

FWIW, I'm probably going to let one assistant take on the ability to ask question(s) and have a discussion.

1. I'm not going over to the dugout to have a discussion with the HC. 

2. As long as we are completely civil, I think the team still deserves to have an advocate with the officials.

[MadMax]

And here's where tournaments using / relying / defaulting to NFHS make a mess of this (specific rule topic, amongst other... things). 

It's often not just one team attending a tournament; instead, a collection (2-4, let's say) of teams across several age/"skill" ranges (our heroic 12U Teal Premier!), with the Head Honcho's "name on the door" of that academy / program, and he will float / scurry (depending on his assumed workload) between games. He may be "Head Coaching" the 12U Vermillion Elites, playing in AAA, at the moment you're about to plate-meet and first pitch the 12U AA game with "his" 12U Teal Premiers. So he sends out his Assistant (who just might be an 18-yr old recent HS grad). Then, you'll see him join the game underway in the 2nd or 3rd inning, right when you (or your partner) makes a... unique... call, invoking a rule citation not referenced since the last solstice. 

Head honcho wants to discuss it with you... 

Annnnnnnd scene!

[johnnyg08]

11 hours ago, DevildogUmp said:

FWIW, I'm probably going to let one assistant take on the ability to ask question(s) and have a discussion.

1. I'm not going over to the dugout to have a discussion with the HC. 

2. As long as we are completely civil, I think the team still deserves to have an advocate with the officials.

Fair. So let's say that's going great until a scenario comes up where NOW the restricted HC wants to have a word bit for the last 5 innings it's been the Asst. Do they now get two coaches who get to ahave a word? Where as the team across the diamond wio has been doing everything right has to stick with just their HC and their assistants have to keep their mouth shut. Seems to me the strategy might be to get restricted for more leeway for your assistant. 

[JSam21]

On 5/27/2026 at 7:53 AM, johnnyg08 said:

So basically substitutions and base coaching. 

No. He can't coach the bases. He can attend to sick or injured players outside of the dugout. That is all. 

[johnnyg08]

5 minutes ago, JSam21 said:

No. He can't coach the bases. He can attend to sick or injured players outside of the dugout. That is all. 

Yes. Of course. Those items were never in dispute. 

I was unclear in my previous post. That's the asst. coach responsibilities..the part where I'm seeking clarity is on plays they'd like to discuss. As seen in my most recent post before this one. 

Can the "acting" formerly an assistant, come out to discuss a play...when the actual HC is still in the game, but restricted?

The HC can still coach, he can call his team over to the dugout for a defensive conference, etc...

But who gets to "come out" and ask about a pulled foot at 1B? 

If we allow the acting HC/assistant, don't they now have two people who can do this when the non-offending team only gets one (their HC)? 

 

 

[johnnyg08]

On 5/27/2026 at 6:57 AM, noumpere said:

If the HC *refuses*, then he's restricted and no one else has the HC rights.

 

 

I agree with you. In a way, the team can get two "mouthpieces" if we treat it any other way. If the HC is still there, but restricted, we must work with the HC...since he's still the HC, just restricted. 

[BigBlue4u]

9 hours ago, johnnyg08 said:

Fair. So let's say that's going great until a scenario comes up where NOW the restricted HC wants to have a word bit for the last 5 innings it's been the Asst. Do they now get two coaches who get to ahave a word? Where as the team across the diamond wio has been doing everything right has to stick with just their HC and their assistants have to keep their mouth shut. Seems to me the strategy might be to get restricted for more leeway for your assistant. 

I would think all of this could be resolved if, when the head coach is ejected, ask one of the assistants who is now the head coach.

[Thatsnotyou]

HC gets restricted and no, they’ve lost any right to come on to the field and ask about a call. 

[The Man in Blue]

I think y'all are approaching this wrong (and then I will circle back to @MadMax's point because, yeah, I got it and a box of donuts). 

The "head coach" as far as our concern is, is the person who may come out and address us.  We don't give two squirts about the pecking order of the bench dads.  We don't care who is listed on the Disgracebook page they are using for a "team website."  We don't care who signed the registration forms.

So, if you restrict the person who came to the plate meeting to the dugout, they no longer have the rights and privileges of the head coach designation.  Whoever they deem Next In the King of the Hill Line now holds the rights and privileges of the head coach.

[DevildogUmp]

11 hours ago, johnnyg08 said:

Fair. So let's say that's going great until a scenario comes up where NOW the restricted HC wants to have a word bit for the last 5 innings it's been the Asst. Do they now get two coaches who get to ahave a word? Where as the team across the diamond wio has been doing everything right has to stick with just their HC and their assistants have to keep their mouth shut. Seems to me the strategy might be to get restricted for more leeway for your assistant. 

A restricted Head Coach isn't talking to me. The restricted coach gets to do 3 things in relation to the game on the field:

1. Check on an injured player

2. Check on a sick player

3. Have a conference at the dugout.

He doesn't get to argue/discuss calls because he doesn't get to leave the dugout for that reason and I am not going to the dugout to talk with him. He can relay his concern to the assistant, just like an assistant has to go through the HC normally.

[johnnyg08]

2 hours ago, BigBlue4u said:

I would think all of this could be resolved if, when the head coach is ejected, ask one of the assistants who is now the head coach.

But that's the point..he's not ejected. He's restricted and can still coach his team from the dugout. 

[DevildogUmp]

12 hours ago, MadMax said:

And here's where tournaments using / relying / defaulting to NFHS make a mess of this (specific rule topic, amongst other... things). 

It's often not just one team attending a tournament; instead, a collection (2-4, let's say) of teams across several age/"skill" ranges (our heroic 12U Teal Premier!), with the Head Honcho's "name on the door" of that academy / program, and he will float / scurry (depending on his assumed workload) between games. He may be "Head Coaching" the 12U Vermillion Elites, playing in AAA, at the moment you're about to plate-meet and first pitch the 12U AA game with "his" 12U Teal Premiers. So he sends out his Assistant (who just might be an 18-yr old recent HS grad). Then, you'll see him join the game underway in the 2nd or 3rd inning, right when you (or your partner) makes a... unique... call, invoking a rule citation not referenced since the last solstice. 

Head honcho wants to discuss it with you... 

Annnnnnnd scene!

There is a difference between a high school game and a random tournament. I know who the head coach of my high school teams are (either I have had them in the past or because I jumped online to look up their name pregame because I want to be addressing them by name from the get go). Tournament game, the adult who comes to the plate meeting is the head coach for that game. I am not entertaining any other adult, I don't care what door their name is on. If the head honcho wasn't at the plate meeting, if he wants to come out and try the "I'm the head coach", then it is ok coach, you refused to come to the plate meeting, you are now restricted to the bench. If he doesn't agree, then he can leave and I am back to the coach who came to the plate meeting.

END SCENE

[The Man in Blue]

12 hours ago, MadMax said:

Annnnnnnd scene!

USA Softball tournament, early in my career (so I was a bit of a greenhorn redass).  Pretty much the situation you describe, but first, a quick prologue.

These tournaments are quality tournaments run by a joint venture of a local organization and the park district.  Facility staff are all regulars and work these things all summer.  As I am approaching the gate and wheeling in my gear for the day, HC BigPants is harassing the little old ladies working the gate about wanting them to let his parents in without paying or him not having his pass or some of his usual BS.  I nod a sympathetic nod to them on my way in.

During a morning game, while I am PU, HC BigPants presents as the HC at the plate meeting.  In the middle innings, he decides he is going to start taking phone calls while coaching third base.  I call time, take out my lineup card and walk down to discretely talk to him.  I tell him he needs to take that off the field.  He says "Yeah, yeah."  I walk back and look up, and he is back on the phone.  We are playing this game.  "Coach, take it off the field!" 

"I need to deal with . . . " 

"I don't care coach.  You can't have electronics on the field and I don't need you taking a line drive."

"Do you know how much money I spend at this tournament?"

"I don't care.  You are going to have plenty of time to take calls if I have to remove you from the game."

He relents, bitching and complaining the whole way.

 

Fast forward to a late afternoon game with one of the several HC BigPants teams.  The head coach presented to us at the plate meeting is a young female.  Mid-innings with BigPants' BigBallers on defense.  I have a whacker at second base, calling the BR safe as she stretched a single into a double on a lazy play by the outfield.  Crowd is screaming and yelling.  Here comes HCBigPants on the field.  I assume he is headed to his pitcher, but he keeps coming to me.  He starts very loudly with, "How can you . . . "

I cut him off.  "Who are you?"

I don't think he even remembers our interaction earlier in the day.  "I'm the head coach and . . . "

I cut him off again.  "No, sir.  SHE is the head coach," and I point to the coach who came to the plate meeting.

"I'm the one who writes the checks and I had to coach another team so she was just . . . "

"And you were not at the plate meeting, so you are an assistant coach for this game.  You cannot be out here."

"You don't know how much money I spend at this . . . "

And I launched him.

The TD was already watching and had to get him off the field.  I became the stuff of legends (for the next two days).  The little old ladies at the gate heard about it.  They brought me donuts the next morning.  One of them told me, "I hate that @$$#0!3.  Thank you for kicking him out, somebody should have done it a long time ago."

So, no, tournaments don't make it confusing.  They make it very clear.  The person who comes to the plate meeting with the line up card is the head coach.  We don't care what your org chart looks like.

 

[jimurrayalterego]

12 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

12 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

 

 

So, no, tournaments don't make it confusing.  They make it very clear.  The person who comes to the plate meeting with the line up card is the head coach.  We don't care what your org chart looks like.

 

So, no, tournaments don't make it confusing.  They make it very clear.  The person who comes to the plate meeting with the line up card is the head coach.  We don't care what your org chart looks like.

 

OBR based tournaments might make it clear but if they don't a manager can be designated 30 minutes prior and he can designate someone to attend the plate meeting. NCAA only requires the Head Coach at the first game of a weekend series.

[jimurrayalterego]

13 hours ago, DevildogUmp said:

A restricted Head Coach isn't talking to me. The restricted coach gets to do 3 things in relation to the game on the field:

1. Check on an injured player

2. Check on a sick player

3. Have a conference at the dugout.

He doesn't get to argue/discuss calls because he doesn't get to leave the dugout for that reason and I am not going to the dugout to talk with him. He can relay his concern to the assistant, just like an assistant has to go through the HC normally.

2016 Interps

"SITUATION 7: What is a head coach who is restricted to the bench allowed to do?

RULING: Even though the head coach is restricted to the bench and may not occupy a coaching box, he is still the head coach. He still represents the team in communications with umpires and may address and coach base runners, the batter, defensive players and other coaches. He may hold team conferences at the dugout or bench area. He may leave the bench/dugout area to attend to a player who becomes ill or injured and may request to talk to an umpire concerning a rule or rule enforcement. However, he shall be ejected for any further misconduct. (3-2-1, 3-3-1f Penalty)"