[canump]

The post from ROADKING from a couple days ago titled "Drop third strike question:" got me to thinking about a local a couple of situations i had with a very new coach who was just learning the ropes on coaching and the rule book. Occured about 4 or 5 years ago so if the wording is a little vauge please bear with me as my memory these days is not as good as my appetite.

situation #1 Was the drop third strike rule with R1 on 1st. Was first game of the season and I still had my winter beard on, I'm PU, his team is up to bat and the play happens. I call "STRIKE 3" and procede with "Batters out". R1 had taken off at the release of the pitch so when play has stopped out comes this coach who procedes to question why batter was out when 1st was not occupied as the runner had left and I of course tell him how the rule goes and I could tell he doesn't beleive me but he heads back to his bench.

sit.# 2.. 2 weeks later, I'm BU, they are on defense when the same situation happens, R1 steels 2nd on the pitch and batter's out on DTK call. Out he comes to ask me why didn't send the R1 back to 1st. So I explain to him how the rule works, ball is alive etc. et. Well he goes onto say "We were forced to send our runner back 2 weeks ago by the plate ump,( I had already shaved my beard off). I said no you weren't and he started to go on about it, politely though, and I informed him I was here 2 weeks ago, I know about the play. He got this confused look on his face when I said that looked at me" Oh you were the base ump ok" turns around and goes back to his bench.
I never heard a peep out him again during the game, after the game as I'm heading to the parking lot he runs up to me and asks who the local UIC is so he could phone to ask a few questions so I tell him.

Well guess who the local UIC was, that right ME. The next night my phone rings and its him. He asks me about the rule and how it reads so I promptly read it to him, word for word. He explains why he's calling and that he knows he has a lot to learn so I ask him if he had a rule book. "Yes I do but I've only glanced thru it" I told him that you need to read it thouroly, learn how to use the book and so on if you plan on taking the game seriosly.
Well 3 years later he ends up taking his girls to the Canadian Championship. I happened to be one of the umps who worked the tournament where they qualified and he reconized me from the diamond back then and he eventualy found out I was the UIC he talked to as we've had numerous converstion.
He came over to where I was sitting relaxing between games and asks to shake my hand and tells everyone sitting with me about the advise I had given him and how much he's learned to appreciate the game of fastball via the rule book.
He has just this year written the umpire exam and is starting to ump on the side when he's not coaching.

Just thought I'd air a bit that SOME coaches do learn a thing or two about the game, not many but some.

Dale