Apologies in advance for the long post, but this is a game management situation. Sometimes context is not succinct. Imagine, if you will, a game where you have one of "those" coaches. A coach who almost knows the rules, almost knows umpire mechanics, and most importantly, constantly almost crosses the line. I recently had one of those games. (NFHS, for reference)
I like to think I have decent game management. Not great, I will admit, but decent.
When is "enough" enough and you send him off? My sitch: HS game, with "that coach". I am BU, 2-man. Coach's team in 3B dugout. No comments were directed at me that I could hear from the dugout; all encounters were face to face.
1st encounter: Coach on
offense, R1 on 1B, BR bunts. The throw from F5 to 1B takes F3 across the double bag where she drags a toe across both sides of the double bag for the out. From about 20 feet on a 45 angle with the bag, I point, say "Yes, she got it!" and sell the out signal. R1 advances to 2B. As I jog to C, Coach jogs to meet me. We have the usual back and forth where he wants me to go for help, and I ask him what question he has about the play. What does he think I missed? I tell him I won't ask for help on the touch at 1B as I'm 100% sure on it. He says I was totally out of position (wrong, but irrelevant) and the stereotypical "that's terrible" grumble-grumble. He keeps chirping as he leaves and I tell him that's enough to his back as he walks away, and give a stop sign. Life moves on.
2nd encounter: Steal at 2B, R1 only. Coach on defense. The ball arrives in plenty of time and F6 tags nothing but air. R1 slides past 2B...I have no tag and an overslide, so I delay my call. F6 does not re-apply the tag, so when R1 touches the base I give a routine safe call. Coach jogs out again and asks what I saw. I tell him "No tag." Coach says "And what was your positioning?" I tell him we are not having that debate today. For what it's worth, I had a near-perfect 90 at a distance of 8-10 feet from 2B, and closed to 6 feet on the missed tag/overslide. He walks off, repeating the stereotypical "that's terrible" grumble-grumble. I can live with this. Life goes on, again.
3rd encounter: Coach on defense again; R2 on 2B. Ball is hit to RF/CF gap, and I read the speedy BR as probably going to try for a triple, so I say outside on the SS side. (Whether or not this is lazy 2-man mechanics is another conversation, and not relevant to the play. Yes, I should have busted in, but it would not change the play.) BR goes to 3B as expected, and is there in plenty of time before the throw. I get an easy 90 on the 3B foul line. The ball comes in late, F5 straddling 3B, and tags the BR as she finishes her pop-up slide. This play is 100% routine, and I give no signal since Blind Grandma in the stands could have made that call. UH-OH: here comes Coach jogging out again.
(For purposes of future discussion) Moment #1: I put up the stop sign as he comes out of the dugout and tell him "There wasn't a play - we have nothing to talk about." I'm right by his dugout. He keeps coming.
Moment #2: I say again + stop sign: "Coach, no need to come out on this. I'm not going for help here." He keeps coming.
SUPER LATE EDIT: I seriously considered dumping him right here.
Moment #3: He arrives. He says "You aren't going for help on that play? You were right on the line. You can't see the ball from there." I say "Nope." He replies, "I work with USA Softball and I don't know what's wrong with some of you umpires, never going for help." He never questioned the call, or lack of signal. He came out to argue a non-call, of all things. I say nothing. He glares at me and goes back to his bucket.
And finally we arrive at the postgame question:
At any moment in this game, should I have ejected? He toed the line quite well, and got under my skin enough for me to post this. Did he walk the fine line well enough to stay in one of your games, or did I miss an opportunity to solve the problem in front of me?
Super late edit #2: I guess you could say I had a "Coach Encounter of the Third Kind".
