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Originally Posted by Stevetheump
Seth - I don't do that, either, but there are different ways to handle any situation:
1. Yeah, you can further *iss the pitcher off by calling "ball 4." That will probably result in his getting in your face and you ejecting him. Now, the situation has ESCALATED to a possible forfeit situation. Or,
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To start, this is the rule, you are being paid to enforce the rule and if you start worrying about how a player is going to react by you doing your job, you will stop doing the job for which you are being paid.
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2. (Again, quietly) say something to the catcher to have him go out and calm down the pitcher. The pitcher is going to be more "receptive" to the catcher than he would be to you. Now, I have DEFUSED the situation. The pitcher gets a chance to cool down. I get a chance to cool down and nobody has (yet) made a decision that they will later regret.
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Not my problem. If the pitcher is going to be an ***, nothing the umpire does or doesn't do is going to make that change. For that matter, in many circumstances, if the player is trying to intimidate you (and that IS what the player is doing), you may have just raised the bar for him/her and THAT may escalate it that much more.
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Getting in a *issing contest with players is NEVER a good thing. Being an umpire requires a good working knowledge of the rules, excellent mechanics, and knowing when to warn & when to eject.
Okay, off soapbox.
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Why would an umpire get into a pissing contest with anyone? When was the last time you saw an umpire lose a debate/discussion/argument with a player or coach?
Yeah, as an umpire, you don't WANT to eject anyone. And you do want to defuse any possible volatile situation. However, there are TWO teams on the field and both are paying for the umpire to be there and enforce the rule by which THEY agreed to play. Your feelings are irrelevant to the issue. You are not the one who intentionally allowed the ball to pass into center field and delay the game.
And, yes, the game situation may determine how you handle the situation. But if you allow this pitcher to get away with this stunt, what are you going to let the other pitcher get away with? After all, you don't want to seem unfair, right? Where does it end?
In this case, the OP has already set the play and resolution. You are being asked to rule on the protest as the UIC. And I can tell you that personal feelings or preferences should not factor into your decision.