When you're on a first name basis on the field, you're making it too personal.

Bob

Depends, BZ (and Rich).

If I'm doing a league where I'm not likely to see people numerous times, "Coach" and "Blue" are fine (and preferred).

If I'm doing a league with just 6 teams, where I'm working 3 nights a week, and see these guys constantly (and at school board meetings, and at other sports, and one coach is a fellow official in another sport... and another coach is the commish of another sport, etc...), sometimes you can't help but be on a first name basis. When that happens, I don't take umbrage if someone happens to call me Mike instead of Blue.

I don't memorize any names of the coaches or players. The only first name I memorize is my partner's. I talk to the catcher, but I don't know his name. I call coaches "coach" and they can refer to me by name or they can call be "blue", it does not matter to me. If an assistant asks me a question in a civil way I will answer it. I might even answer a question from a fan, if they are close enough to ask a question. I use what interpersonal skills I have to be...interpersonal, while not being too personal.

" . . . I might even answer a question from a fan,"

Hahahahahaha,

What a kidder!

I'm 19, so i'm still in the mode of calling adults significantly older than me by their formal title (Mr., Coach, etc). So by that fact alone, i always use "coach".

All;

Most college coaches make great efforts to remember the names of their umpires and all past games that the umpire worked for them, even if it was in another league years ago. Coaches at that level will walk up, greet me by name, and recall details of a game from two years ago and I cannot even remember their names. Usually, I have a foggy recollection of the game.

Do not call a college coach "Skip" or "Skipper." Some will intrepret that as an attempt to "big league" them. They are familiar with the protocol of pro school and are very turned off by minor league umpires and their attitude. OTOH, never call a minor league manager "Coach." They will be insulted. Only their name or "Skip" (per) will do.

These are some of dozens of niceties that should be mastered if one wants to go to the top.

Peter

Don't exist
 

I once had a game that only had one umpire. I have also worked a game as an umpire without a partner. Because of this, when I am coaching, I don't talk to base umpires because they don't exist.

For those of you who claim assistant coaches don't exist, I bet if there is a foul ball that ends up near the first base coach's box you expect that non-existent coach to pick it up and get it off of the field. I bet when the head coach shouts substitutions from the dugout in a manner that is difficult to understand and the assistant stops to clarify them for you on his way to first base, you ignore him and bring the game to a halt by making the head coach come out and explain the changes to you.

[Edited by harmbu on Apr 20th, 2005 at 02:53 PM]

I shouldn't respond to you, since it's obvious to me that you're an ASSt coach. But against my better judgement...

Assistants are there to assist the head coach. Both of the actions you describe are of that vein. And I don't really care who gets that foul ball off the field. We aren't playing until someone does.

Assistants are NOT there to chirp at the umpire. And if they do, they are not there at all.

PS - good luck ignoring BU. So ... how do you know if your runners are safe on the basepaths?

PPS - your analogy is actually kind of stupid. Head coach / Manager is a different animal than ASSt coach. BU and PU are simply different positions of the same animal, interchangeable often every game. Neither is inherently more or less important than the other.

Thanks
 

All good points. I am an assistant coach and I feel that the job I do is also important to the game.

I know that I am there to assist the head coach. That is what I do. My two points were that sometimes as an assistant coach I do something that causes an umpire to say "thanks Coach."

I agree 100% that assistant coaches are not there to chirp at the umpire. That is why I never do so. In fact, the only time that I even ask a question of an umpire is if my head coach has specifically asked me to do so. My question always begins with, "Coach wanted me to ask...."

My analogy may have been stupid, but the point I was trying to make was that a game can be effectively played without a base umpire as well as without an assistant coach. I obviously wasn't clear about what I meant. I do agree that one umpire is no more important than the other. One thing that drives me nuts is to hear someone say, "the home plate umpire should overrule him. He is in charge."

I guess where my frustration comes from is that there are a lot of good assistant coaches out there who do their jobs and are professional. I don't like being lumped in with the ASSistant coaches any more than the many, many great umpires like being lumped in with the few boneheads that have no idea what is going on. I have actually been an umpire in the past and I always stick up for them when I hear players or parents complaining about them.

If you were to ever call one of our games, you would definitely not go away with a bad impression of me. I only speak when spoken to and I am ALWAYS professional and cordial even if I don't agree with a call. I am sure I would be equally impressed with your skills as an umpire.

Thanks

I never call coaches by their first name. It seems disrespectful to do so or too informal. Even if I know the coach I try to call the coach as "Coach Johnson" as an example.

I will call players by their first name if I know it. The only reason I see doing this is with the catcher. Usually I will call a player by their number or last name if that information is on their back.

Peace

Re: Thanks
 

Great attitude harmbu and I'm sure officials appreciate it when calling your games. You have to admit though, you are not the norm when it comes to assistant coaches.

Some officials here do not recognize assistant coaches when it comes down to game situations, but not me. Hell, who is gonna wipe off the wet baseballs when it's raining?

JK, keep up the good work!

Harmbu - thanks for the comments. I'm sure that after working a few games with you out there, you would have earned my respect, and questions asked cordially would probably be answered.

This may be a my-neck-of-the-woods problem, but judging from posts by some of my more experienced colleagues here, I suspect it's not just here. MOST (and by that, I mean more than 80%) of the assistant coaches here are ASSistant coaches. Many (maybe half) are just there because their kid is playing and don't have the first clue about game etiquette, rules, or even coaching. They are more short-tempered than the manager, and have less reason to question rules than manager - a volatile combination. With this the situation the vast majority of the time, you can see why many of us have simply shut off communications with them

By the way, your moniker, "Harm BU" probably leaves several of us wondering what you have against BU (especially since you have rendered him irrelevant!) :)

I would ask you to reconsider whether a game could be run without a BU. I've worked games solo - and I'm POSITIVE that I've missed a runner missing a base or an obstruction here or there in each of those games. And I've probably missed an occasional out/safe call because I could not get all the way into the optimal position. Trust me - your game is in MUCH better shape, regardless of level (possibly excepting 8U or teeball) having 2 umpires (or more) out there.

Hmmm,
 

I might have said this before:

Assistant coaches do not exist.

I do not speak to them at all.

Re: Hmmm,
 

Not even when posting, eh Tim. Too funny!

thanks again
 

Please don't get me wrong. I was simply trying to state that a game can be run without a BU. It is not ideal. I was just saying that it can be done. I appreciate your comments and the fact that you are willing to discuss the issue. Because of this, I believe that you are a top notch umpire.

I agree that many assistant coaches have no business on the field or around the game. I do my best to keep my distance from those people as they tend to make me look bad.