EMD,
You are right to not be to quick with the trigger when it comes to ejections. Ejections are however a neccessary evil that comes along with the territory. Although we should not be quick on the trigger, we should know when it is time to pull it.
In my first year of umpiring I was way to lenient on both coaches and players, consequently I became a whipping post for certain coaches by the end of the baseball season. I simply lacked the confidence needed to control most situations. The senior umpires in the association I belong to let me know that it was necessary to turn it up a notch to maintain order on the field. I studied the rules hard and attended 2 clinics and a baseball umpiring camp before the start of my second season. I made a 180 degree turn from my first season, and became way to quick to eject due to overconfidence. During the next several years I found a happy medium and now I only eject in the most extreme cases.
This summer I had to toss 4 individuals in one game. F1 was run over by R3 with malicious contact while covering home on a passed ball and was knocked unconcious. I ejected R3 immediately. The offensive coach came out to argue the ejection while the BU and I were tending to F1 (BU is a combat medic), and was asked to return to his teams dugout and refused. Ejection #2. After F1 was ready to stand and be taken off the field we walked him back toward his teams dugout. Before we got there the assistant coach ran up to us insisting that we write in his book stating why we ejected his player, as they intended to protest. I asked him to please go back to the dugout, now was not the time.
He also refused. Ejection #3.
After F1 was situated in the dugout, the defensive teams coach asked for a few minutes for F1 to regain his composure before returning to the mound. I told him I would not allow F1 to return to the game as he had been knocked out. He went postal and refused to get another pitcher on the mound. Ejection #4. Maybe I did overstep my bounds by not letting F1 return, technically speaking, but I figured it was better to be wrong and have a protest upheld then to let F1 continue and be seriously injured. Prior to these unusual ejections I have only ejected 4 individuals in the past 5-6 years.
I use the same measuring stick that others here use. If it becomes personal or profane, I eject. If a coach or player runs at me, I eject. If a player makes malicious contact, or if a pitcher intentionally throws at a batter, I eject. I allow coaches to argue judgement calls to a small degree, but if they continue to argue after being asked to return to the dugout or coaches box, I eject.
You are also right in that the game is the players to play, but it is our job to administer the rules in such a way that conduct of the games participants is held to a certain standard. If a coach knows that you will eject when warranted, he usually will behave himself.
Tim.
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As umpires, we are the only ones in the world expected to be perfect on our first day on the job, and improve from there.
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