Arguing

[O.T.Hill]

I have to weigh in on this one, being a relatively inexperienced umpire, yet still getting my fair share of NFHS varsity baseball games. The coaches that will sort of sidle up to me between innings and ask if I was "sure" about a call will really earn my respect in an instant compared to guys who will either show me up on the field or continually comment from the dugout. Usually, I will say either, "I'm sure, man." or "It was close." and they're pretty satisfied either way. The one thing that's tough is when coaches come to me to complain about my partner. I realize that I used to do that all the time when I coached. I know they're just looking for some sympathy, but I always just say something like, "He's doing fine, and I've got enough to worry about myself."