[Armadillo_Blue]

I was working a 14U tournament last weekend utilizing Fed rules.

Friday and Saturday went fine and then came Sunday which was bracket play instead of pool play, leading up to the championship game.

I guess I will keep this simple, although there is probably a lot of background I could share to set up the situation.

The RH pitcher, with a runner on third, tries to step to the 45 degree line and pick off the runner on third. Unfortunately the step is more toward home and the PU and I both call a balk and stop the ensuing rundown.

Out comes the coach, loudly declaring that this is not a balk and that his pitcher stepped at a 45 degree angle. The PU explains that he stepped more toward home and that this is a balk.

Then the coach turns and heads toward me. I hold up my hand in the stop sign and say "Coach, we are not going to argue step balks" The coach keeps coming, heading toward the mound and says "I just want to see something" I hold up my hand again and say "Coach, stop, let's play ball"

The coach proceeds to the mound, looks at the ground, finds a foot print and with an exaggerated motion points at the foot print and says, "There it is, that's what I thought."

I eject the coach at this point and start walking back toward my spot which is now in A. The coach follows me, yelling at me, demanding an explanation of why he was tossed, since he wasn't arguing. I continue to my position and he continues to follow, yelling at me not to walk away from him.

I get to A and turn around. The coach is right there and I explain to him that I have ejected him for arguing and if he does not leave the field his team will have to forfeit the game.

The coach then turns around and walks over to the PU who is still behind the plate. He and the plate umpire get into a discussion, complete with motions and gestures, as to where the pitcher stepped and why it was a balk. My partner continues this discussion for about three minutes and then the coach leaves the field.

The coach takes up a position about 50 ft behind the backstop on a sidewalk bordering the parking lot. I notice him actually sending in signals to his other coach and players from his position.

At this point I call over the site supervisor, who incidentally is the TD's son. I explain to him that I have ejected the coach and that the coach needs to get out of sight of the field. He says OK and I return to my position. After this, he does nothing to remove the coach. At the half inning he talks to the PU while I am in right field and then hops on his cell phone.

Two innings later the tournament UIC shows up and talks with the coach and then lets him stay there.

After the game is over, the UIC approaches me. I say "I think you will need to find someone else to work the rest of the games today" He asks me what is up and I relate the above events. He then tells me that I was wrong to eject the coach. In his x number of years experience he has learned that sometimes you just have to let the coach come out and point at some footprints and make some marks and yell a little and then go back to the dug out. I told him that I disagreed.

At this point he thanked me and handed me a check for all the games I had worked up to that point. I gathered my gear and left.

So now I am looking for opinions and constructive criticism.

Was I right to toss?
Was I right to quit?
Should I have expected my partner and the UIC to back me up even if they disagreed?
Could I have done something in a better way?

What do you guys think?