Ejections

[EMD]

Reading other post and discussions I feel like I'm missing something, any comment from a caoch someone suggest that they should be ejected, I have not ejected a coach in better than 5 years. (I have ejected players for sportmenship issues). Last time I came close to ejecting a coach, he throwing a fit like a little kid, I calmly said "You know better than that, knock it off" He was the only one to hear me and I said in a normal voice. He stopped and the game continued without any more out bursts. I try to treat them as professional and with respect, if they treat my partner & me the same then I seldom have problems.

At the end of the game, my partner & I walked off, he caught us in the parking lot and said good game and gave us water. Never had any trouble with him again.

Lately I've developed the attitiude that I would not be noticed and just let the kids play because it not my game, it's thiers. I only inject my authority when something is about to go south, for the most part these kids know how to play the game and I never call a coach a 'RAT'. Seems to me you aready have a bad attitiude befor the games starts. BTW: I umpire 3A & 2A Legion with a couple of D2 games here & there. No NFHS

[BigUmp56]

EMD,

You are right to not be to quick with the trigger when it comes to ejections. Ejections are however a neccessary evil that comes along with the territory. Although we should not be quick on the trigger, we should know when it is time to pull it.

In my first year of umpiring I was way to lenient on both coaches and players, consequently I became a whipping post for certain coaches by the end of the baseball season. I simply lacked the confidence needed to control most situations. The senior umpires in the association I belong to let me know that it was necessary to turn it up a notch to maintain order on the field. I studied the rules hard and attended 2 clinics and a baseball umpiring camp before the start of my second season. I made a 180 degree turn from my first season, and became way to quick to eject due to overconfidence. During the next several years I found a happy medium and now I only eject in the most extreme cases.

This summer I had to toss 4 individuals in one game. F1 was run over by R3 with malicious contact while covering home on a passed ball and was knocked unconcious. I ejected R3 immediately. The offensive coach came out to argue the ejection while the BU and I were tending to F1 (BU is a combat medic), and was asked to return to his teams dugout and refused. Ejection #2. After F1 was ready to stand and be taken off the field we walked him back toward his teams dugout. Before we got there the assistant coach ran up to us insisting that we write in his book stating why we ejected his player, as they intended to protest. I asked him to please go back to the dugout, now was not the time.
He also refused. Ejection #3.

After F1 was situated in the dugout, the defensive teams coach asked for a few minutes for F1 to regain his composure before returning to the mound. I told him I would not allow F1 to return to the game as he had been knocked out. He went postal and refused to get another pitcher on the mound. Ejection #4. Maybe I did overstep my bounds by not letting F1 return, technically speaking, but I figured it was better to be wrong and have a protest upheld then to let F1 continue and be seriously injured. Prior to these unusual ejections I have only ejected 4 individuals in the past 5-6 years.


I use the same measuring stick that others here use. If it becomes personal or profane, I eject. If a coach or player runs at me, I eject. If a player makes malicious contact, or if a pitcher intentionally throws at a batter, I eject. I allow coaches to argue judgement calls to a small degree, but if they continue to argue after being asked to return to the dugout or coaches box, I eject.

You are also right in that the game is the players to play, but it is our job to administer the rules in such a way that conduct of the games participants is held to a certain standard. If a coach knows that you will eject when warranted, he usually will behave himself.

Tim.
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As umpires, we are the only ones in the world expected to be perfect on our first day on the job, and improve from there.

[PeteBooth]

Originally posted by EMD

Reading other post and discussions I feel like I'm missing something, any comment from a coach someone suggest that they should be ejected, I have not ejected a coach in better than 5 years.

You are missing something. No one said simply EJ a coach for saying something like Common blue that's 2 today or "hey blue call it both ways, etc.

what was said is that if a Coach MAKES IT PERSONAL like calling you a cheater or saying you are not hustling which if memory serves was the theme of the latest threads then the Coach is EJ'd immediately.

When a Coach makes it PERSONAL he is NOT giving you respect, etc.

There's all kind of ways that are utilized to keep a coach in the game like the line-up card technique etc., but once the coach crosses the line and makes it PERSONAL then he has exhausted any means of staying in the game and is gone in a heartbeat.

Pete Booth

[EMD]

I have not had a coach get personal with me, maybe I get the games when everone is already worn out? Or maybe I do not take it personal. I do know, however, due to your comment I will consider it and try to better myself.

"You are missing something. No one said simply EJ a coach for saying something like Common blue that's 2 today or "hey blue call it both ways, etc" -Pete Booth

I have seen other umpires run a coach for less, I've also seen other umpires eject a coach for something they did last year! Lately I've notice some more senior umpires (in my assoc.) hold grudges and try get a coach to get personal and eject themselves. Maybe it the differance between Legion & H.S., I'm not sure.

[BigUmp56]

EMD,

There really is no significant difference between the conduct of HS players and coaches and Legion players and coaches. At least in my experience.

The Legion players in the area I cover are the cream of the crop from the local HS teams, and should know how to act accordingly.The same can be said for the coaches in our area.

Most of the umpires that call Legion games in our area are NFHS umpires as well.

Tim.
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As umpires, we are the only ones in the world expected to be perfect on our first day on the job, and improve from there.

[tmp44]

Originally posted by BigUmp56

After F1 was situated in the dugout, the defensive teams coach asked for a few minutes for F1 to regain his composure before returning to the mound. I told him I would not allow F1 to return to the game as he had been knocked out. He went postal and refused to get another pitcher on the mound. Ejection #4. Maybe I did overstep my bounds by not letting F1 return, technically speaking, but I figured it was better to be wrong and have a protest upheld then to let F1 continue and be seriously injured.

Big,

I know it's off-topic on the thread, but if you were playing FED rules, you were fine. I don't have my books w/ me, but recall that in FED rules, a player knocked out cannot return to play w/o the consent of a physician.

[officialtony]

I worked with a new association this year. Many of the guys I worked with ( most for the first time ), told me I was too lenient and took too much. After-game discussions always seem to get around to " why didn't you toss that guy in the third inning? " or " why was that coach still around after he came out onto the field to challenge you? ". Instead of thinking about the ejection ( or lack of ), I found myself asking " what did I do to cause that coach to jump me? " or . . .
" Did I lose control of the game by not doing something or applying something correctly? ".

In any case, I now feel like I was letting coaches get away with too much. While I am not committed to one ejection a game or anything like that, I am committed to keeping the game in MY control - not the coaches or players.
I don't want to be noticed or be the focus of the game - but I also do not want to become some coaches whipping boy, because HIS team is playing badly and losing.
Relative to another thread, I have learned a lot from our forum and want to continue to see it's success multiply.

[drumbum565]

Originally posted by tmp44

Big,

I know it's off-topic on the thread, but if you were playing FED rules, you were fine. I don't have my books w/ me, but recall that in FED rules, a player knocked out cannot return to play w/o the consent of a physician.

This is correct just so long as the player has no open wounds or bleeding.