Babe Ruth 14-15th baseball

1st base coach will not stay in the 1st base coaches box. 1st inning he is standing on the dirt next to 1st base. I got him to move into the box, then he comes out and is 2 steps into the grass from first. I have warned him quietly, no I warn him in loudly? I don't dump him. Right call?

After Peter's article's on Creative Ejections in 2003, I am also curious to hear from him. And yes, I have a Jekyl/Hyde reputation...and I like it.

Of ALL the things you have to do while officiating a baseball contest, Why O Why are you gonna care exactly were that coach is standing. ?????????????????????

There is a phrase used often that you may want to consider, "Don't go picking Boogers","Don't go picking Boogers","Don't go picking Boogers".

Who cares where a coach is standing.

Even the official rules of baseball mention that it is customary for coaches to stand a little bit out of the coaching boxes.....

As long as they are not interfering with any part of the play, then why make a problem where there is no problem?

Why ?
 

The only time I've ever seen a complaint on this was a team saying that 1B coach was stealing signals.

I told them, teach your catcher to hide the signs better.

This is a "it doesnt' matter."

Now if its LL and they have rules to that extent, I know of some small ball leagues that do, that's different.

Thanks
David

This may be a concern to ball bag wearin', indicator carryin', long undie wearin' base umpires, but most of the rest of the world has better things on which to focus.

I don't care where he stands either. However, if he interferes AT ALL (the most minute thing) with a play and is out of the box, penalize him.

Glad to oblige:

This is a golden opportunity to be an a$$hole, if you think it necessary. If the game is going smoothly and you have absolutely no reason to suspect any future problems in the game, then you should never have brought up the issue of where the coach was standing. However, if the other coach was complaining, you are obligated to enforce this rule but then you have to enforce it on both teams.

Now, suppose that you have reason to suspect that this game is going into the crapper. You can wait for a controversial situation to come (probably over one of your calls) and deal with the bad situation at a moment not of your choosing. The resulting ejection will be blamed on your bad call and it will travel around your association that you have bad judgment. Umpires want to stab other umpires in the back in order to get their good games.

OR

You can eject the first base umpire for being out of the box after a warning. I can guarantee that everyone will leave you alone once the s$$$house from that ejection winds down. They will think you crazy, unreasonable, and an a$$hole. Short of an ejection, you can publically show up the first base umpire by publicly chewing him out.

Therefore, when I suspect that a game will go south for any reason, I look for an excuse early in the game to publicly show up a coach or dump him. Everyone gets the message that I am not a person to be messed with. By choosing the moment for a confrontation, I can plan what I will say and more important, make sure that the confrontation has nothing to do with one of my calls.

This is usually a poor idea in NCAA baseball and Men's Leagues. It is a great idea, however, in summer baseball and especially under 18 baseball.

Peter

What?
 

Is there a point here?

Peace

thanks
 

To those who thought this was booger pickin'...I agree, however, coach was interfering with my view of the home plate area and from the B and C position, he caused received double takes from both myself and the pitcher, simply because he looked out of place.

Peter, exactly what I thought.

I elected not to dump this guy because of my reputation and he had apologized to me at the pre-game for a previous ruckus he instigated and the game was shaping up to be a good one.

What about this, in a recent little league game, the 3rd base coach ran all the way to about 1 foot from the plate during a play at home. I warned the coach, was that the right thing to do?

By the way, the coach DID NOT interfere with the play, and the kid was out regardless. So there was no interference.

-John

Yes, a warning here is appropriate. His action could confuse the defense and therefore not allowed.

Therefore, when I suspect that a game will go south for any reason, I look for an excuse early in the game to publicly show up a coach or dump him. Everyone gets the message that I am not a person to be messed with. By choosing the moment for a confrontation, I can plan what I will say and more important, make sure that the confrontation has nothing to do with one of my calls

thats pretty crazy

umpguy - I would have been sorely tempted to toss that guy. That's not a matter of standing slightly out of the box - that's a matter that could cause serious problems (even if it didn't on that particular play). HTBT, I suppose, but I would have thought seriously about sending that guy to the dugout.

Yeah, so was I. The very strict warning worked, so no harm done I guess. -John

Encouragement
 

At your level he was likely only trying to encourage his wee toddler to run... get home. But as others have noted this is a pretty serious violation. I might give a sterning warning in a little league game and possibly eject the next time you saw it... Well I don't do little league, so I wouldn't do anything.

In a slightly higher level game where the runner knows how to run, Babe Ruth and up, I would likely immediately eject the coach and probably call a runner out. This is a form of interference and can potentially draw a throw from the defense - a throw to an inappropriate location, at the coach, and thereby allowing other runners to advance. Can him!

[Edited by DownTownTonyBrown on May 25th, 2004 at 11:00 AM]