[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Dan, while I am not an advocate of tossing coaches at the drop of hat, I am wondering if the coach who read you the riot act in the third inning remained in the game or was at least restricted to the dugout for the remainder of the game (I assume that this was a H.S. game using NFHS rules).

It is an official's job to speak with and to player when appropriate, and I think that your situation was one of those times. Many coaches do not understand that, probably because they are control freaks.

I had a situation last year where in a H.S. jr. varsity baseball game where the catcher just was not making any attempt to catch the ball unless the pitch came straight down the middle of the strike zone and was handed to him on a silver platter. After the second time in the second inning where the catcher set up for and outside pitch and the pitch game down the middle and he made no effort to catch it (I know that getting hit by a pitch or foul ball from time to time is in our job description), I told him that if he did not start doing his job I would have his coach find a catcher that would. After the inning was over who do you think came charging out of the dugout, you guessed it, the catcher's coach, reading me the riot act. I did not waste anytime restricting him to the dugout before he could finish his second sentence. I explained what I told his catcher to an assistant coach (who was much calmer) and the catcher did his job after that.