Quote:
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Originally Posted by MichaelVA2000
Situation: National Tournament
Through scheduling and results of other teams being eliminated during bracket play, an umpire is assigned to a game where this umpire had ejected the head coach the previous day for dropping the F bomb and poor sportsmanship.
Question: For UIC’s and Assignor’s
If the ejected coach or the assistant coach approached you insisting that the umpire who did the ejecting not be allowed to umpire any more of their games during the tournament, what would your response be?
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There is no standard answer to this question.
There are some "national" tournaments that are basically private (Armed Forces, for one) where the reps do have some input in umpire assignments if it is a serious issue at hand.
AFA other Nationals, it would depend on the situation. Would I move an umpire off a game solely because a team asked me to do so? Absolutely not. Would I move an umpire off a game under extenuating circumstances? Possibly.
You need to remember, at a National, the UIC may not be familiar with some of the umpires enough to have confidence in how the umpire may handle adversity on the field. It may depend on how the umpire handled the ejection. If the umpire was argumentative and became hotly engaged with the coach during an argument, it may not be a good idea to put that umpire back on the same field. Or maybe the UIC may have thought the umpire was a little quick to pull the trigger or acted as if the issue were personal when it was not. Of course, these would be things the UIC would have to observe to determine if it is noteworthy.
However, if the UIC has enough confidence in an umpire to work the next game as if nothing ever happened in the first game, s/he may intentionally put that umpire on the game which demonstrates his confidence in the umpire to the teams and his ability to control the game and insure it will not become something other than a good, competitive ball game.
I have never changed a schedule to accommodate a team's request. I have moved certain umpires to games which I have felt a need to add a bit more muscle and confidence to the environment.
Something else that needs to be remembered at a national is that the UIC is serving ASA and the tournament. While supporting and instructing the crews, the UIC is not there to accommodate the umpires and make sure their feelings are not hurt. The UIC must make the decision that is best for the tournament. It isn't as easy a job as some think.