Profanity After Team Warning from Unknown Player

[Velho]

16U, profanity in 4th inning from the dugout. It's shutdown and team given a warning. Repeated in 6th inning, again from the dugout so can't identify individual(s). How do you all handle that?

[JonnyCat]

I would handle this in a couple of ways depending on the situation.

At the first hearing of it, and if it wasn't directed at anyone, just dumb kids talking and loud enough for the stands to hear or if it was inapropriate, I would not issue a warning. I would just say loud enough for everyone to hear something to the effect of "Hey, knock it off with the profanity," or something along those lines. In that situation, if it happens again, I will then say something like "Hey, I already told you to knock it off, if you don't stop, then someone is getting dumped." I will even go as far as telling the coach that If I can't identify the culprit, then I'm going to dump him. But you must be loud and vocal so that everyone knows whats going on and what will happen. Of course you run a risk of a kid doing it in hopes he gets his coach dumped because he's not getting any playing time.😁

If it was egregious from the get go, then I'd either dump the culprit right then and there, or I'd go to the second step as described above right away.

The problem with warnings are that you must follow through, otherwise you look weak. If I'm going to issue a warning, I'm very specific about the consequences that will follow. So if it does happen again, and I do dump someone, It's just what I said I'd do. I'm not a fan of umpires saying "that's a warning," and leaving it at that. What does that mean? Double secret probation? I'll warn you again? If I issue a warning, I'm telling right then and there what the consequence will be. I almost never say the word warning. I'll usually say things like "If I hear that or if that happens again, you'll be ejected." That way there are no ambiguities.

Now that being said, these situations often have variables, and many ways to handle them. I don't normally have issues with profanity. When I do, I just give them a stern directive to not do that. One of my collegues like to say things like "Hey, if you do XY or Z, by rule, I'll be forced to eject you." That's not a bad tactic, and it works for him.

BTW, I've never ejected someone for just profanity, I just tell them not to do that. Unless they call me a F*#Khead, or something like that.😅

[Jonump]

agree with the above about the effectiveness of a simple "knock off the profanity guys" and if its becoming a problem you can also couple that with a quiet aside to the coach, maybe with the lineup card out so no one is showing anyone up, where you can enlist him as an ally in whatever tone is most helpful--friendly, stern, what have you:

friendly:

"Bill, we don't want to go here but I'm hearing loud and clear profanity from your dugout and I need it to stop. I don't know who is doing it. I don't want to just point and toss, but I will if I have to. Can you please handle this now so I don't have to make it a thing?"

10:1 coach goes back and says "alright guys cool it on the language"

[Jonump]

Oops, reading too quickly and didn't realize you already gave the warning. At that point you have got to follow through unless you can legitimately pretend you didn't hear it.

Time to either 1) point and give a players number to eject. I wouldn't really care who, they brought it on themselves. 2) restrict a coach to the dugout 3) go to the coach privately and say "I gave the warning, someone has to go. It can be you or a player you think said it. Got a likely suspect?"

I'd probably favor #2 as the last chance to keep everyone in the game. Next time coach is tossed for failure to control the bench. 

[JonnyCat]

3 hours ago, Jonump said:

"Bill, we don't want to go here but I'm hearing loud and clear profanity from your dugout and I need it to stop. I don't know who is doing it. I don't want to just point and toss, but I will if I have to. Can you please handle this now so I don't have to make it a thing?"

I like this tactic. IMO, good game management.

[Velho]

5 hours ago, Jonump said:

3) go to the coach privately and say "I gave the warning, someone has to go. It can be you or a player you think said it. Got a likely suspect?"

I can respect that approach but have run into an issue...

19 hours ago, JonnyCat said:

Of course you run a risk of a kid doing it in hopes he gets his coach dumped because he's not getting any playing time.😁

Or the coach chooses to throw the profanity innocent playing time whiner under the bus. D'oh!

 

For LL* , especially Tournament, I've settled on the need to be very clear on the warning "Manager, profanity is not ok. You are responsible for your team. If it happens again you and the player are gone."

If it happens again, I'm tossing the Manager. Bonus if I can identify the player and toss them too.

* LL has a clear mission statement. Profanity that the stands, not to mention the entire field, can hear - even when not directed at the other team or even having anything to do with the game - is not acceptable, even in Senior League.