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Originally Posted by BlueLawyer
Don't escalate the volume of the conversation. On the other hand, when you've had enough, say so without shouting. "Coach, I've heard enough about my strike zone today."
One very effective technique I've seen applied without using it yet myself goes something like this:
Coach comes out to 1B Ump to argue safe/out call. On his way back, he says, in a normal voice, to 3B Ump something like: "Your partner sucks today and you ain't any better."
3B Ump:"You really think so?"
Coach (stops): "Yep."
3B Ump (normal voice, no gesture yet): "You, Sir, are ejected."
Coach now screams and throws fit. 3B Ump NOW makes the heave-ho gesture.
I thought it was clever, if not a little deceptive. 
Strikes and outs! |
Just made me smile and brought back one of my favorite coach/umpire between inning dialogs I've ever had.
In 1990, I was working a "big" varsity game, and it was around the 5th inning, and I was doing quite well (At least in my opinion, anyway).
Between innings, the head coach of the visiting team (anyone from SoCal probably knows or knows of this guy) comes up to me on the foul line and says, "Steve, you see that umpire over there?" He nods in the direction of my partner in short RF. I say, "Yeah, what about him?" He says, "Well, I think you're doing a helluva good job, be he thinks you're horsesh*t!"
I just chuckled because it was funny.
He tried to pull it on me the next year. I guess he didn't remember or thought I wouldn't remember, I'm not sure. He gets to the punch line again, but I beat him to it and say, "Coach, I think you're a great coach, but my partner thinks you're gone!" And he laughed, and I laughed, and continued the game.
Sometimes you have to leave the gun in the holster, like WW says.