As is 'more outs,' 'more strikes' is a good thing. More strike calls make for more active batters and a more entertaining game for fans as well as the coaches and players because there is more activity going on and therefore less opportunity for confrontation/frustration.
It took awhile but I also learned (or taught myself) that all comments were not directed at me. When the coach yells "that's a great pitch," "we gotta have that one," or "good location" etc... after you just called it a ball, it is not necessarily directed at you and a good pitch does not need to be, and may not have been intended to be, in the strike zone.
Isolate yourself from as much crap as you can. FOCUS. Let the garbage just blow by. If you do anything else and acknowledge their comments... you will find yourself in a confrontational situation that can only, and I do mean ONLY, get worse. Because you will want to defend yourself - and everyone else will want to defend themselves. Now instead of being the arbiter of the game, you are the opponent... not a good thing.
Umpires always win.
But as the "opponent" umpire, you generally win by making personal commands (sit down, shut up, get in the dugout) and ejections. You have the authority to do this but it is not a good result.
This talk-back attitutide is not just prevalent in baseball/softball - it has become the socially acceptable way to interact with those around you. A terrible misdirection that I feel has resulted from taking 'rights' for oneself rather than giving or affording them to others. It's a personal peeve of mine - the proper way to interact in society is to give and afford personal rights to other people, not demand those rights for yourself (at the expense of those around you).
I think I've exceeded my two bits...
Peace, and call as many strikes as you can - while being consistent.
