[Al]

I umpired a couple of T-ball games tonight. One with a partner. The one without a partner went very well. Great game...lot of fun and kids had a good time. The game with a partner started out pretty well, but soon turned into another series of garbage from the same two coaches that I almost tossed a few days ago. (the two from the pit) In the pregame I went over a couple of rules and told all the coaches and assistants that I realize emotions get high in these games, but I expect all coaches to set a good example of sportmanship to the players. They all agreed, even the two from the pit, who gave somewhat of an apology, for the way they acted in the last game. But it didn't take long before they had my partner, who is a teen girl with a couple years of umpiring experience. She is an excellent player and has a good understanding of the rules. I saw her crying after one inning. Here's why.. With a runner on 1st a batter hits a ball between 1st and 2nd that is being fielded by 2 kids at the same time. The runner from 1st had to go around them. One of the fielders came up with the ball and made a nice throw to 2nd and the girl caught it a couple steps ahead of the runner. My partner called her out. I was not able to watch the entire play as a kid was coming home and I needed to see if she touched home plate. This was one of those times when two things at once required attention. Anyway the head coach comes over to me and TELLS me to call her player safe cause she was blocked. Like I said, I didn't see the entire play, but my partner did and determined the fielders had the right to field the ball so there was no infraction. So now the coach is mad at me as well as my partner, but I say let's play ball. At this time if she didn't start to pitch to her next batter I was going to make my first toss and tell her not to come back for her next game. But she got back to the game. About a batter or two later one of her batters throws the bat and almost hit the hind catcher. (we have a local rule that a team warning is given when the first bat is thrown, and the next batter that throws a bat on that team is out) So I yell out to her dugout "that's a team warning the next batter doing that will be called out"). I repeat the warning. Several in the dugout said okay. We have another local rule that allows the kid to take 3 pitches before going to the Tee. She was pitching to the girl that threw the bat and was only about 25 feet from me when I gave the loud warning, not once, but twice.

I bet you already know what happens next... In the last inning one of her players throws the bat. I call her out and here she comes..."Why is my batter out"?...so I told her "I called her out because she threw the bat and you already had a team warning. She goes on to say "what warning" I point to the dugout and say "did I not give a loud and repeated team warning for bat throwing a couple of innings ago? They all said yes you did Ump. She goes on to say "I remember seeing the bat being thrown, but I didn't hear the warning given and you should have told me because I am the head coach"... At this point I said "everyone in the park heard me but you, maybe you need to learn to listen to the umpire more carefully. I have never had any other coach not hear my warnings when a bat was thrown. I am not going to deliever the warning in writing just for you. It's time to play ball the out stands. When the game was over this coach from the pit comes over to me and starts with me again. At that time an elderly man, who helps with her team, comes over to tell her to get into the dugout the game is over the way you are acting is wrong. Before she left she said I know what the problem is... "I am not a man. I should quit and let a man coach the team. I am going to talk to the administrator about this". So now I am at the point of losing my temper and say "So now you think I am a sexist and we have an harassment case here???!!! It's the other way around and they don't pay me enough money to put up with you! Then the elderly man really got mad at her and told her again to get back to the dugout, and she did. I think that man must be the coach from the pits father. But anyway me and him had a good chat and he told me he was an umpire from many years and knows how difficult some coaches can be.

Every now and then a fan would tell me through the backstop fense that she is awful. They can't understand why she yells at her players so much either. This is T-ball, not the world series between the Red Socks and the Yankees.


Nothin' like fun at the ole' ball park. ..Al