Misc. Ramblings (long post, sorry)

[RPatrino]

Folks, had an interesting JV game yesterday, so I thought I'd relay some incidents and get your thoughts. BTW, I worked this game solo, could have really used a partner.

1) This was a JV game, a double-header of sorts. Due to all the games we had to cancel because of the rain around here we have begun to play two 5 inning games in one day. Has anyone else done this?

2) Apparently these two teams did not like each other. The coach's didn't like each other and the fans didn't like each other. I did not know this, going into the game. Our association uses the Arbiter program and that seems like the ideal place to put this type of info. Does anyone who use Arbiter use it for that sort of thing? Had I known that these teams had a history it would have changed my approach to the game going into it.

3) The game included 3 team warnings and an ejection.
a) One team warning was for a fake tag, F2 simulated a tag at the plate and caused a runner to slide.
b) The second team warning was for coach's addressing the other teams players. That is a violation of 3-2-1, but there is no penalty associated with it, so I pulled both HC's together and told them to have it stopped. Was that the right way to handle this problem?
c) The third team warning was for spectator behavior. I may have over reached here but I did not want to have to get involved in managing the fans, so I pulled the HC's together and told them both to get control of the fans or I will have to. Any other thoughts?
d) EJ was for pitcher throwing at batter. R3 comes home on a squeeze, and the pitcher airmails the ball into the backstop, R3 scores easily. Scoring team whoops it up, as that was the go ahead run. F1 then sends the next pitch sailing behind the batter at head height. I tell him to "knock it off". He then proceeds to send the 2-0 pitch behind the batter again... I toss him. I get both HC's together for yet another meeting and tell them, I won't tolerate this and I will EJ each and every pitcher who intentionally throws at a batter, and that I expect them to get control of their teams and coach's immediately, and that we WILL finish this game without further incident. We did, it ended 11-5.

Whew! I could have used a partner. Sorry for the long post.

Bob P.