HS Coach Strikes Umpire

[SanDiegoSteve]

Mike1989, is that the year you were born?

Anyway, I just saw this on the news here. They only showed the part where the umpire was getting in the coach's face, and then the head slap from the coach. They left out the original ejection, which would have been nice to see. At first I thought that the umpire had been at fault by getting in the coach's face, but now after viewing the whole thing, I can no longer take that position. Once the coach was ejected, the only thing he should have done was exit the field. Coming back and touching the umpire was not a good move on his part.

Coaches have no business laying their hands on an umpire for any reason, especially grabbing from behind. The coach is lucky he didn't get his butt kicked.

I have not to my recollection ever ejected anyone while wearing a mask or helmet. It is just more manly to not hide behind a mask when dealing with managers. The mask isn't there to make an umpire tough, it's there to protect his face from pitched baseballs only.

[LMan]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I have not to my recollection ever ejected anyone while wearing a mask or helmet. It is just more manly to not hide behind a mask when dealing with managers. The mask isn't there to make an umpire tough, it's there to protect his face from pitched baseballs only.

I see your point, Steve, but I see a lot of the opposite also.

I was under the impression that HSM wearers touted the fact that since the HSM had such better vision and so on, that they were freed of the requirement to take it off as often as mask-wearers do. I know a HSMer certainly would have it off for the plate meeting, but I see HSMers keep it on while making lineup changes, casual chatting with a coach b/w innings, etc, and I see them certainly keep it whilst in a rotation, etc. Traditional mask-ers obviously remove the mask for those events.

So, is it 'policy' for HSMers to only remove it when an ejection is imminent? Would this umpire have kept it on for a 'calm' discussion with the coach?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by mike1989

i would remove my mask before ejecting anyone..thats how it is taught..what a joke..i think this happened a little to fast to think about taking of a mask.
Yea, the coach did nothing Garth,,,so you would let someone touch you...you such a good umpire, we all wish to be like you.
yea , a bobble head...you look so good in your gear..we look at amazement on hoe ripped you are and how perfect you look..In fact, i bet 3/4 of you think that when the game is going on, all the fans are looking at you..lol.
No one but no one, puts there hands on me....specially in a half *** high school game...
critize, joke and examine it to death because most of you would have handled it diffrently..lol thats why your in the bigs making 100,000 of dollars..lol.
who cares what shirt color he has, what helmet he's wearing and what calls he made,,,he's working hard and some coach pushes him or turns him around.
great respect, sportsmanship and way to teach our up and coming citizens how to handle a problem....this is high school baseball...not getto ball in east l.a....you never ever touch another human being unless ya wanna fight!!!

[DonInKansas]

If you're going to nitpick, how about the fact that the umpire removed his HSM with his RIGHT hand after getting bashed.....

[sri8527]

now that is freakin funny!!!

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by LMan

I see your point, Steve, but I see a lot of the opposite also.

I was under the impression that HSM wearers touted the fact that since the HSM had such better vision and so on, that they were freed of the requirement to take it off as often as mask-wearers do. I know a HSMer certainly would have it off for the plate meeting, but I see HSMers keep it on while making lineup changes, casual chatting with a coach b/w innings, etc, and I see them certainly keep it whilst in a rotation, etc. Traditional mask-ers obviously remove the mask for those events.

So, is it 'policy' for HSMers to only remove it when an ejection is imminent? Would this umpire have kept it on for a 'calm' discussion with the coach?

I wore the helmet for three seasons, and making lineup changes was the only time I kept it on other than for pitches, and even then I would usually remove it. I was not above dropping it onto the grass to free up my hands, if necessary.

During play I pulled the helmet just like a mask as soon as the ball was hit (forward), and removed it during conversations, etc. I never looked at the helmet as being freed from any requirement to remove it, just for better protection.

If and when I return to umpiring, it will be with a conventional mask and 6 stitch hat.

[DG]

He moved his head back and thrust it forward. Head butt, no doubt about it. I would love to know if the ball was alive or dead when the balk was called. If it was dead the coach should have quietly protested the call.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by DG

He moved his head back and thrust it forward. Head butt, no doubt about it. I would love to know if the ball was alive or dead when the balk was called. If it was dead the coach should have quietly protested the call.

(sigh)

If you watch video of other coach/umpire arguments, you will see the same movement of the head accompanying the yelling and the body movements. For example, the old "minor league meltdown video": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDx_6...elated&search=

Check out the movement of the coach's head as he yells. If he was wearing a HSM there would be contact.

Incidental contact, no doubt about it. And, wisely, so ruled by the authorities in this case.

[umpduck11]

Originally Posted by Durham

L,


He only got slapped as a reaction to being hit in the face.

Well.....that certainly makes it OK.

[Durham]

Originally Posted by umpduck11

Well.....that certainly makes it OK.

Not my point! My point was the umpire ****ed up, and I hope we all learn from it. He is luck he got off and should consider himself so.

[etn_ump]

I find it absolutely amazing that some of you think that after you dump a coach, it is okay for the coach to grab you by the shoulders, spin you around so that he may start his verbal tirade.

This is High School baseball, not college or the Major Leagues. Sportsmanship is always supposed to be a major point of emphasis as well as coaches setting the example for their players.

I don't condone the umpire's apparent head-butt, intentional or not. But ask yourselves this, would the head-butt, however slight, have occured had the coach not laid his hands on the umpire and physically spun him around?

[waltjp]

Originally Posted by etn_ump

I find it absolutely amazing that some of you think that after you dump a coach, it is okay for the coach to grab you by the shoulders, spin you around so that he may start his verbal tirade.

Where did you read that? Of course the coach was wrong for going after the ump. And the ump's actions were wrong too. He should have backed away and kept walking. After I eject a coach I'm done with him and I'm getting out of the area as quickly as I can. If the coach insists on following me it's my partner's job to head him off. But the coach's actions in no way justify what the ump did.

Like my dad used to tell me, two wrongs don't make a right.

[DG]

Originally Posted by GarthB

(sigh)

If you watch video of other coach/umpire arguments, you will see the same movement of the head accompanying the yelling and the body movements. For example, the old "minor league meltdown video": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDx_6...elated&search=

Check out the movement of the coach's head as he yells. If he was wearing a HSM there would be contact.

Incidental contact, no doubt about it. And, wisely, so ruled by the authorities in this case.

I am only looking at this one case. It is the only one under discussion. And he head butted the guy despite your objection to this fact. If the authorities are overlooking it is becuase the coach's actions were much more serious.

This video is not representative of what happened here and therefore irrelevant. The umpires in this case are completely composed and the coach has lost his mind, but he didn't head butt anybody.

[Cub42]

My question is, Where in the world is his partner after he dumps the coach?

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by DG

I am only looking at this one case. It is the only one under discussion. And he head butted the guy despite your objection to this fact. If the authorities are overlooking it is becuase the coach's actions were much more serious.

This video is not representative of what happened here and therefore irrelevant. The umpires in this case are completely composed and the coach has lost his mind, but he didn't head butt anybody.

The head move is not a head butt. Simple as that. I brought up the other video to illustrate that when one yells as in this kind of confrontation, the head moves, both backwards and forwards. Just watch the coach in that video. I can additional visual evidence of that fact, but it appears that you'd rather not be annoyed by facts now that you have your mind set.

If the umpire didn't have a helmet on, there would have been no contact and there would have been no discussion.