I'm not sure if it's me or not, but it seems like I've had more problems with coaches resulting in ejections from a lack of understanding or communication on the INT / OBS calls. I think most of my ejections this year can be traced to one of these calls.
I had two games last night and it was a direct issue in one and the subject of discussion / debate in the other.
In the first game, 11U BB I called a kid out advancing from 2nd to 3rd for INT with the SS. INT runner OUT. The 1B coach started yelling, "Blue, you're wrong, you need contact for INT." There was maybe incidental contact anyway--a little brush as the ball was arriving--but I told him no, all I need is INT and his runner INT with the SS.
The second game was 11U SB and the coaches were relating prior game ??'s they had about fielders OBS his runners by positioning themselves in front of runners as they advanced to obstruct and when his runners ran around them to avoid contact, he says the umpire that night told him he needed contact to call OBS.
I've had similar discussions this year regarding batters INT with C throws, mainly to 2B but occasionally 2B.
Some coaches seem to WANT contact when the rules seem to encourage avoidance of contact (ie: slide rules to avoid--not must slide--no take out slides at 2B, etc.)
Is it that these coaches are that dense, are they just pining for calls in their favor, are umps not communicating the reason for no-calls in these situations by saying "I didn't have contact" rather than I either had INT / OBS or I didn't? Or is it some combination of all three?
The problem is in all these situations--if contact or no-contact is the issue as far as making the call or not-- is that the next words out of the coaches mouths that did not get the call is generally along the lines of "Next time, run him/her over", "Throw it through him/her if you have to", etc. Now you have a dicey situation.
Do we really want to be encouraging this type of comment, conduct or behavior? I know I don't.
I'm just venting a little, it seems to be more prevalent this season, I'm just wondering why that may be.
