Quote:
Originally posted by akalsey
After he asked me why a bounding ball down the third base line was called fair, I told him that it bounded over the bag. He said it didn't.
Later as he passed me to give his batter some instruction between innings he stopped to very quietly tell me that it appears to him and his team that my judgement was tilted in favor of the other team.
The moment the final out was recorded, a different coach on the same team shouted "Thanks Blue for the worst umpired game we've had all year." I turned and dumped him. The coach who had been pushing it the whole game yelled "you can't do that, the game's over." So I tossed him too.
I feel like I let too much go early in the game because the individual offenses were relatively minor and because I was concerned with appearing to be the aggressor. The problem is that each of these small things built up and eventually caused problems.
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I don't eject too often but I subscribe to quick ejections for comments that are personal, profane, or prolonged. When he said "it didn't" in the first case I would have replied "we disagree" and not leave him anything more to comment about. When he made the "tilted judgement" comment I would have asked him if he is questioning my integrity. I want him to say "yes" so I can dump him. After the game it has to be personal or profane, because there is no prolonged, because I'm gone.
You don't say much about other incidents but there must have been some for you to feel you let too much go early in the game. Begin early by giving hard stares at anyone who makes a smart crack. If it continues, at some point you have to feel like you have taken all you are going to, call time and let the coaching staff know you are not going to take any more. Get out your game notebook and write it down.
You must understand that a coaches of 12 year old teams playing for a league championship are going to be uptight. They are probably also playing to see who will be the all star coach, and often have a son playing. They are, by definition, uptight. But keep them on a leash - and call anything close a strike.