Quote:
	
	
		
			
				Originally posted by LilLeaguer  
	Quote: 
	
	
		
			
				Originally posted by LDUB  
JM's protest is the same thing.  He saw something, and he assumed the umpire saw the same thing.
			
		 | 
	 
	 
 I feel confident, if JM actually acts anything like he posts, that he usually goes out onto the field with two goals: 
 
1.  Convince the umpire to change the call.  
2.  Bait the umpire into a winnable protest. 
 
-LL [/B]
			
		 | 
	
	
 Seems correct to me.  Coaches, all coaches, are lobbyists.  They do not say "boo" to an umpire without having a desired result in mind.  Experienced umpires understand this and limit their conversations accordingly.  Unfortunately, some newer umpires are not aware of this and, on occasion, in an effort to help a coach, say something in a manner that really didn't reflect their actions or understanding only to have it used against them. (again, there is a reason they are called Rats)
One of the good Texas umpires I know has, for years, advocated responses of five words or less to all questions from coaches.  I adopted that a couple of years ago and it works extremely well.