Interference or Not???

[UmpJM]

Originally Posted by Xtopher_66

Tim
I'm not talking about waving a rule book and shouting insults at you. That's obviously too much and I would expect to get run out of the park by a seasoned umpire.

But help me out. As a coach I see some rulings that either don't seem right to me or sometimes I outright know are wrong.

What is the best way to get you to explain to me your ruling without pissing you off during a game? Can I approach you at all? Suppose you just told me that the dropped third strike rule is not in effect in a two out bases loaded situation. Can I pull the rulebook out of my back pocket and show you?

Xtopher_66,

Since you seem to be actually bothering to learn the rules, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It (generally speaking) really pisses off umpires to see a coach bring a rulebook onto the field. For some reason, even though you're probably just trying to be helpful, they interpret this as if you're trying to "show them up" by calling their competence into question - in front of God and everybody. It's kind of considered "poor etiquette".

Now I always bring my rulebook to the games I coach. And it always remains in the dugout - unless the umpire grants explicit permission for its egress (which has actually happened on a few occasions).

Ultimately, it would be the most rare of occasions when a rulebook would even be useful during a game (see insatty's comments regarding interpretations manuals and such).

If you have a reasonable belief that an umpire may have misapplied a rule in making (or not making) a call during the game, in such a way that your team was materially disadvantaged, ask for time. When it is granted, calmly approach the umpire who made (or failed to make) the call. Politely ask him for a clarification. If you still feel his decision was erroneous, state your case in plain language in terms of your understanding of how the rules should have applied to the situation in question. (Remember, it really doesn't matter what you saw; the only thing relevant in this discussion is what the umpire saw. Yeah, I know it sucks, but that's just the way it is.)

If he finds you unpersuasive, inform him that you are protesting, thank him for entertaining your query, and return to your dugout.

JM