Preventative Officiating
We've all heard those words. But in the area we are discussing, most umpires, leagues, and associations don't practice preventative officiating. I, for the life of me, can't figure out why that is.
Many umpires complain about abuse. Some of them have legitimate claims. But others don't bother to take the easy steps that will prepare for when a fan goes ballistic (or, for you Generation X-ers, "postal.")
It is impertaive that every league sets up a system for dealing with irate fans. As has been said, in most places, baseball games simply do not get police coverage. It is up to the leagues to have a system for dealing with this problem.
For example, in one league I work, the home team is responsible for fan disorder. If the fans get unruly, the coach had better get in gear. If he doesn't know what to do, then you run him and see if his assistant can think of something. It's that simple. Usually they go talk to the fan and things get quieted down. Other times the police are called.
In Little League, the Board of Directors is responsible for creating this type of system. Usually, there are league officers present at every game. If a fan gets out of hand, that league officer is charged with the duty of controlling the problem.
If no such system exists in your league, make it your association's top priority to hound that league until it does.
Then, every umpire must be informed of the different policies. It is an umpire's responsibility to know what to do when a fan is out of control. Don't neglect this area. Go out and find out what you are to do. If you don't the kinds of horror stories we have heard will happen to you.
Sincerely,
Jim Porter
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