This thread reminds me of a minor situation with a catcher with whom today I have an outstanding relationship (uh, baseball-wise, that is
). In the summer of 2005 he was playing on a summer college team, in one of those summer wooden bat collegiate leagues. The first game of the 2005 summer season for this team saw me working the dish behind this young man (who is now a Junior in college and that school's starting catcher). Very early he didn't like a pitch I called a ball and he held his mitt out there too long and turned his head to look back at me in disagreement. I calmly told him that that wouldn't be tolerated, and the next time would see him involuntarily leave the game early.
After the inning was over, I heard his manager rip into him in the dugout, telling him, "You don't ever pull that kind of crap with this umpire. Randy doesn't put up with sh!t like that. You're lucky he didn't run your @ss." I had to smile and laugh a little under my mask.
He never did it again, and as I stated above, we have an excellent on-field relationship. In fact, he works very well with me out there and it's a pleasure to call a game when he's catching. Also, from a strictly objective baseball observer's point of view, he has turned into a hell of a ball player. He can crush the ball and has one of the nicest swings I've seen. Good kid.
I may be an umpire, but I have to admit that I really do enjoy seeing good players out there. It's one of this job's best benefits, if you ask me.