Quote:
Originally Posted by wadeintothem
IMO, the better question is.. are they prohibited from doing so?
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Yes, under the category of unsportsmanlike conduct. Take the extreme of the team at bat screaming loudly when the pitcher is about to make his delivery. If it's obvious the intent is to throw off the pitcher, yes, it's unsportsmanlike. If it's just a little bit of noise, I'd let it go.
I had a game not too long ago where on the pitcher's backswing, one guy in the dugout suddenly broke a near dead silence by screaming, "let's go, Mike!" The pitcher, who was obviously inexperienced in a C league game, stopped his delivery. Technically, an IP, but I'm not calling that one. I called time and told the guy in the dugout to knock off the crap or somebody's going to the parking lot early.
It's a tough line to draw, as it becomes an issue of managing the game versus managing individuals. Is it picking nits? Depends on where you draw the line.
There's a major difference between cheering for your team and being an a$$hole. The guy in the above example was clearly being the latter, so that's when I step in.