Quote:
Originally posted by Jerry
When officiating, one must avoid the compliments just as easily as one must avoid criticism. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts! After your nice explanation to a Coach who asks, "Hey, Blue. What'd you see?", it opens you up to . . . "Too bad. You're missing a good game." Or some other snide remark. Maybe that won't happen . . . but you're the one that initiated the discussion by allowing the Coach to question what you saw. Sparky Anderson was a master at this one!
If you're typical and have been officiating for some time, you know that simple "arguments" and "comments" can be addressed easily and professionally and even by acknowledging to the Coach that things probably looked a little different from their angle.
I'm always skeptical of coaches that question a call, no matter how nicely they phrase their arguments. I actually have more respect for one that gets in my face and hoots and hollars. (Earl Weaver by contrast, is the master at this one!) At least I can throw him out. The "nice guy" can make you look like an idiot . . . and you didn't even see it coming.
Jerry
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I don't know if I can see your point, Jerry.
Let's say you've made a call. The manager doesn't like it. He's going to:
A. Keep his trap shut, stay in the dugout, and swallow the bad call
B. Make comments from the dugout
C. Enter the field and nicely ask what you saw
D. Enter the field and hoot and holler in your face
I don't know about you, but I respect manager A the most. But, if he's got to say something, I'd prefer it be like manager C. Certainly, he can then turn into manager D. But at least manager C came out on the field to begin with.
Point is, yeah he might be coming out to be nice to you so he can set you up for an insult. Or, he might not. But that, to me, is head and shoulders above manager D who is a jerk from the outset.
I mean, you can't seriously be proposing that we become intolerant to a manager who enters the field to question a judgment call, can you? In my opinion, that intolerant attitude really makes you, the umpire, look bad.