My favorite phrase to hear from a coach

[eddieq]

Working a slow pitch softball tournament this past weekend.  Two plays got the coaches and moms up in arms at me.

The first one was mostly me having to explain the rule with the second home plate and the peculiarities that go with it.  They were still mad though when we got to a batter having his lead foot on the ground at least six inches in front of the batter's box when he hit the ball (turf field, permanent lines so no issue with them disappearing).  He hit a fly ball to center, but I called it dead immediately and declared the runner out.  There was a runner on third who tried to tag and score, but I sent him back.

Here comes the coach.  He used all of the "c'mon blue" arguments.  It's kids, he wasn't out of the box, etc.  Finally he said, "We haven't been called on that all year".  This is my favorite thing a coach can say during a discussion after a call because my response will always be, "So, you admit that it's the correct ruling and you just don't want it to apply to you?  We're done.  Two outs, let's have a batter."

I know, softball.  Slowpitch even.  Sorry

[Catch18]

Working a slow pitch softball tournament this past weekend.  Two plays got the coaches and moms up in arms at me.
The first one was mostly me having to explain the rule with the second home plate and the peculiarities that go with it.  They were still mad though when we got to a batter having his lead foot on the ground at least six inches in front of the batter's box when he hit the ball (turf field, permanent lines so no issue with them disappearing).  He hit a fly ball to center, but I called it dead immediately and declared the runner out.  There was a runner on third who tried to tag and score, but I sent him back.
Here comes the coach.  He used all of the "c'mon blue" arguments.  It's kids, he wasn't out of the box, etc.  Finally he said, "We haven't been called on that all year".  This is my favorite thing a coach can say during a discussion after a call because my response will always be, "So, you admit that it's the correct ruling and you just don't want it to apply to you?  We're done.  Two outs, let's have a batter."
I know, softball.  Slowpitch even.  Sorry

If you wanna get saucy…..

Them: “Hey, c’mon, they haven’t called that all year!”

Us: “Happy New Year.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[elares]

I once suggested to the coach that he needed to start sending Thank You cards to the other crews that have been giving him gifts all year

[eddieq]

I had three games on this field that day and saw this team twice. The 8 am game where this happened and the gold medal game at the end of the day. The coaches and I got along just fine. The moms were the snarkiest although when they won it all in the end - a great game with their home team winning in the bottom of 7 - they were a lot friendlier. Their leader as I walked off the field said thank you at least. 

[MadMax]

Those who have heard my stories know of a phrase, from a (head) coach, directed at me after an… intense discussion – “You (Max) were right the other night, but there’s no way you’re right twice!” 

That didn’t get him the hook. 
 

 

… the hook came after the next insight he offered. 🤠

[eddieq]

To be fair, this was the Special Olympics so we do give a lot of leeway on things.  However one of the mantras of inclusion is that we treat all athletes the exact same.  The coach tried the "but it's the Special Olympics" with me on the out of the box call.  I told him, "Right, Special Olympics.  No special treatment though."  One of the moms that wasn't mad at me all day did talk to me between games and said, "His dad has been working with him on staying in the box all season and even told him that they would call him out if he was out of the box."  So everyone also knew that he had a propensity for that.

Anyway, nobody ejected.  People went home with medals.  My knees held up the whole weekend (torn meniscus injury on Memorial Day), everyone went home at the end of the weekend.

Bonus - I got to read the "Officials Creed" at the opening ceremonies.

[Velho]

4 hours ago, eddieq said:

The coach tried the "but it's the Special Olympics" with me on the out of the box call.  I told him, "Right, Special Olympics.  No special treatment though."

emphasis mine...

"No special" [i.e. different] treatment, including coaches to umpires 🤣

I'm sure they were great and better than 99.99999999% of all other games but still, trying to work the umpire with a version of "how can you call that there", it just made me laugh.