[John Robertson]

Hi, everyone:

An umpiring colleague and I are having a dispute about how a situation was handled by me in a tournament game here in Canada several years ago. It all depends upon one's philosophy of umpiring, I suppose. I'd appreciate your views. Here's what happened:

It was a girls' tournament featuring teams from small towns. The quality of play was not very good. Many of the teams played in leagues that allowed very liberal substitution and pitching rules. The tournament organizer decided the simplest thing to do was go by the book regarding substitution and pitching rules. The coaches for all the teams and the umpires were specifically told that book rules would be used.

My first game was squirt girls (age 12). In the top of the first inning, a batter hit a line drive off the third baseman's ankle. The third baseman immediately fell down like she had been shot. The coach, a female, came out and asked if she could put one of her substitutes in for her injured third baseman. I said yes.

Before the bottom of the first inning, the coach asked if she could re-enter her third baseman so she could bat in the spot she had vacated. I said yes. At the end of the inning she wanted to put the substitute for the third baseman back into the game in another spot. I said, "No. Only your starters may re-enter the game." I informed the coach her substitute's game was now over. The coach got angry and said she wouldn't have made the substitution and re-entry had she known that. I reminded her that the tourney was using book rules for such things. I further said I had to assume she knew what she was doing when she made her substitutions. The coach walked away angry.

An inning later her pitcher was getting shellacked. The coach came out to talk to her. When the coach left the pitching circle, I held up a finger and said, "First conference." She looked at me but made no comment. The next batter was promptly hit by the first pitch. The defensive coach again came out to talk to her pitcher. I could tell she had no idea that this second conference would mean her pitcher was done for the game. When she walked away from the circle without making a pitching change, I told her her pitcher was done. She became very angry again and blamed me for not telling her in advance what would happen if she came out twice in an inning. I reiterated that we were playing by book rules and it was her obligation to understand the ramifications of any moves she might make. "I'm not here to coach your team. I'm here to enforce the rules," I told her.

Here's the dispute I'm having: Some umpiring colleagues of mine consider what I did to be "over-officiating." I don't see it that way at all. What was I supposed to do? Not enforce the proper substitution rule? Not enforce the charged conference rule? I feel the coach has an obligation to know the rules--and these are fairly basic ones. If I start giving advice, it is unfair to the other team.

Your comments, please.