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I did a Big Ten series at Indiana this year (vs. Purdue), and in Game 1 on Friday we had two pitchers who couldn't find the plate, so the coaches were on the plate guy whining most of the game. Saturday I had the plate for Game 1 of the DH, and I said, "If everyone is square on the ground rules, I have one request...could we have a little less s**t than we did yestereday?" After some wide eyes and a pregnant pause, the Indiana coach said, "You didn't hear anything from our players, did you?". I replied, "No, it was coming from you two, and it was uncalled for!".
They were so surprised they said NOTHING in EITHER game. Of course, my plate job was 2-1, and game 2 was 1-0. We had pitching, so they said nothing. Or I called 'em, and they said nothing. Either way, we had a quiet afternoon. One of the rookie umpires said, "I hope I'm in the league long enough to talk to them like that". I said, "They'll either take it to heart or they'll fire me...either way we had a good doubleheader".
It's hard to look good in a bad game, and sometimes you just have to tell 'em what's on your mind. BTW..that's the first time I've ever phrased my concerns in that manner...timing was right...
GBA
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