If a coach said....

[phillips.alex]

i was just joking earlier about coaches job being to keep us on our toes....however, i like the use of a disarming reply. It keeps the focus on the game and the coach off the heels... I disagree that game management is just a small part of our job, however. If you can give a good enough pre-game, you can usually make your job a hell of a lot easier. By the way, i could not disagree more with people who say to toss the coach for saying things like "that's two you missed today, blue" The coach is not arguing balls and strikes here, he is just pushing the line to see what kind of umpire you are... Saying something witty back is a joke (similar to what i said in my other post, and how it was just a joke) Umpires are to act at all times in a professional manner. One of the men who taught me how to officiate used to put it like this: If a coach or player ever calls you a worthless piece of trash, the correct response is this: Yes, sir. (then eject)