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Old Tue Jul 10, 2007, 11:28pm
TussAgee11 TussAgee11 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigUmp56
In horror I watched a 14 year old starting pitcher begin to cry and grimmace in pain during the 6th inning of a slugfest. My guess is that he'd already thrown 100 pitches or more during the game. His rat for a coach asked for time and only came out as far as the foul line and began to taunt his own pitcher. The converstation went something like this.


"What's the matter, does your arm hurt?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to come out of the game?"

"Yes."

"Well it ain't happening, so suck it up and strike somebody out!"


There are no words to describe how I felt as a parent of players the same age.


Tim.
In a 14 year old game, me and that coach would have had a private conversation regarding this pitcher (assuming I feel that he is risking injury on the mound). I'm probably in the minority here, which I understand. As an umpire, but more importantly as an adult, I'm interjecting myself into this one. If I was that kid's parent, I'm pulling my kid off the field that instant. Most parents would. Now I'm assuming the pitcher's parent did not hear this, and perhaps I'm the only other adult that did. What happens if this kid gets hurt? Its certainly on the Coach, but I would feel guilty as well for putting my job in front of the wellbeing of a kid.

Chances are this coach would go ballistic on me during our private conversation, I'd toss him, and then the assistant, who always in these sorts of situations realizes the manager is a maniac, will take the kid out and we will go on. UIC will get a report, I may get a "don't do that again from him", but it will pass on to the league president, and that coach wouldn't be coaching again. And a kid may have avoided serious injury.

It goes without saying that at JV, V, Legion, etc. level I would never do this, but then again, I don't think that it would ever happen at any other level than the one Tim described.

Just my two cents. Let the flaming of me begin.
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