Did I do the right thing???

[Chris23]

I would like to know if I handled the situation the right way, here is how it started from begining to end: I was on my way to the feild to do an 11-12 year old playoff game(2 game elimination tournament) it was the top two seeds playing one of which already had a loss. Usually these games only have one umpire but one of my umpires who is part of my organization had a forfit on the field next to us(no one ever showed up to his game he was supposed to do). So he offered to do the bases and help me do my game. He asked both coaches during the ground rules if they wanted him to do the bases while i did the plate, they both said no i dont mind. So we start the game first inning comes it was a rough inning alot of close calls were made and in my opinion were the right calls. The only call that was really close and coach questioned was a play at the plate the kid slid in feet first right between the catchers legs and the catcher taged him on his chest, kid was safe. After the first inning the score was 3-2. About 2 innings later its a full count to the batter, the pitch comes its a ball while the runner was on his way to first the catchers calls time i grant him which i shouldnt of because the runner didnt touch first yet. The first base coach starts yelling at my partner for me and him granting the catcher time before the runner touched first, I hear the coach say clear as day " u should get your head in the game blue and stop getting on the kids for throwing their equipment (i should also add 2 kids in earlier innings got warning for throwing their helmet and bat at the dugout) right after the coach says that i give him a warning right after i give him the warning he throws his hands at me, sort of like oh please and that he was disgusted with the warning and he was trying to tell me screw you blue, so i threw him out parents were very rowdy coaches starting getting loud since it was a close game and he was very loud and screaming I said to myself it was a close game and i had to keep it in order. Then in the next inning a double play ball gets hit they get him at second but it was a close play at first my partner called him safe i hear the coach who i ejected earlier scream from the stands that was a horrible call blue i then call time and tell one of the coaches from his team to get him out of sight i wanted him out of the field complex the man was getting very rowdy i felt it would escalade to somethin bigger. He then screams out "I am reporting you to the league you have no right to do this". The game then continues everything went pertty good the rest of the game i didnt have one complaint about my strike zone the whole game, the only close call was the play at the plate which i explained earlier. After the game i hear that same coach come back in the dugout who i threw out and tell us you both called a horrible game now keep in mind his team won. I also have 2 parents of the losing team come up to me and my partner and tell us that was the worst game i have ever seen 2 umpires call, the best part about this is the two parents who are telling us we are horrible are saying why does one umpire stay on the first base foul line with no one on and between first and second leaning more toward 2nd base with a man on first. The two parents where complete idiots, the way some of the coaches and parents handled themselves over a 11-12 year old game was a comlete disgrace. Oh i forgot to add one kid was also throw out for throwing his equipment twice the first time in which he was given a warning and after he was thrown out a parent comes up to me and ask me is that rule how you throw a kid out for that or do you just feel like throwing him out, all the parents were extrememly nasty during and after the game. I also get looked at by coaches as a young umpire who doesnt know what he is doing and wont eject anyone no matter what the coach says or does(i am 17 years old and also look alot younger than my age which doesnt do me any good this is also my 3rd year umpiring) all i want to know is if I handled it the right way or how would any of guys handle a situation like this , thanks
PS: i also couldnt forfit the game if things got out of control i was told by my head umpire not to forfit the game i wrote about this in an earlier post

[bluezebra]

Never accept a game where you can't have complete control (can't forfeit). When you eject a coach, NEVER let him sit in stands. It's "out-of-sight, out-of-sound", immediately. This UIC sounds like a wimp. He should have been there to back you up.

Bob

[whiskers_ump]

Originally posted by bluezebra
Never accept a game where you can't have complete control (can't forfeit). When you eject a coach, NEVER let him sit in stands. It's "out-of-sight, out-of-sound", immediately. This UIC sounds like a wimp. He should have been there to back you up.

Bob

Bob, if this is Little League, and sounds as
tho it might have been, then it would take an
act of congress to forfeit the game. (grin)
However, I do agree with you that *out-of-sight*,
is always best.

Chris, there should have been a tournament
director there, these are situtations he should
handled for you.

[Tim C]

I simply gave up tyrying to read this.

It would help if you used sentances and paragraphs.

[mick]

Originally posted by whiskers_ump

Bob, if this is Little League, and sounds as
tho it might have been, then it would take an
act of congress to forfeit the game. (grin)
However, I do agree with you that *out-of-sight*,
is always best.

Chris, there should have been a tournament
director there, these are situtations he should
handled for you.

glen,
Yer right about the LL Tournament.
This sounds to me like the tournament was a local league playoff thingy.
mick

[Gee]

Originally posted by Tim C
I simply gave up tyrying to read this.

It would help if you used sentances and paragraphs.

------------------------------------

Tee, give the kid a break, don't look for boogers. BTW its sentEnces not sentAnces I won't even mention "TYRYING", although you did good on paragraphs. A booger. G

[Edited by Gee on Jul 27th, 2001 at 02:03 PM]

[Dakota]

All that stuff they taught you in school about grammar, capitalization, quotes, sentences, and paragraphs really is usefull for communicating your thoughts, etc. to others. Just because there is no grade here doesn't mean it is not important.

Here is your little essay, just slightly edited. See the difference? Only took me 2-3 minutes. ....

(Tee, is this better?)

-----------
I would like to know if I handled the situation the right way. Here is how it started, from begining to end.

I was on my way to the field to do an 11-12 year old playoff game (2 game elimination tournament). It was the top two seeds playing, one of which already had a loss. Usually these games only have one umpire but one of my umpires (who is part of my organization) had a forfeit on the field next to us (no one ever showed up to his game he was supposed to do). So, he offered to do the bases and help me do my game.

He asked both coaches during the ground rules if they wanted him to do the bases while I did the plate. They both said, "No, I don’t mind."

So we start the game. First inning comes. It was a rough inning. A lot of close calls were made and, in my opinion, they were the right calls. The only call that was really close (and coach questioned) was a play at the plate. The kid slid in feet first right between the catcher’s legs. The catcher tagged him on his chest; kid was safe.

After the first inning, the score was 3-2. About 2 innings later it’s a full count to the batter. The pitch comes. It’s a ball. While the runner was on his way to first, the catcher calls time. I grant him time, which I shouldn’t have because the runner hadn’t touched first yet.

The first base coach starts yelling at my partner about me and him granting the catcher time before the runner touched first. I hear the coach say, clear as day, "You should get your head in the game, blue, and stop getting on the kids for throwing their equipment." (I should also add 2 kids in earlier innings got a warning for throwing their helmet and bat at the dugout.)

Right after the coach says that, I give him a warning. Right after I give him the warning, he throws his hands at me, sort of like, "oh please," and that he was disgusted with the warning and he was trying to tell me, "screw you, blue." So, I threw him out.

Parents were very rowdy. Coaches started getting loud. Since it was a close game and he was very loud and screaming, I said to myself, "It is a close game and I have to keep it in order."

Then, in the next inning, a double play ball gets hit. They get him at second. It was a close play at first. My partner called him safe. I hear the coach who I ejected earlier scream from the stands, "That was a horrible call blue." I then call time and tell one of the coaches from his team to get him out of sight. I wanted him out of the field complex. The man was getting very rowdy. I felt it would escalate to something bigger. He then screams out "I am reporting you to the league you have no right to do this."

The game then continues. Everything went pretty good the rest of the game. I didn’t have one complaint about my strike zone the whole game. The only close call was the play at the plate, which I explained earlier.

After the game I hear that same coach who I threw out come back in the dugout and tell us, "You both called a horrible game." Now keep in mind his team won. I also have 2 parents of the losing team come up to me and my partner and tell us, "That was the worst game I have ever seen 2 umpires call." The best part about this is the two parents who are telling us we are horrible are saying, "Why does one umpire stay on the first base foul line with no one on and between first and second leaning more toward 2nd base with a man on first." The two parents where complete idiots. The way some of the coaches and parents handled themselves over a 11-12 year old game was a complete disgrace.

Oh, I forgot to add, one kid was also thrown out for throwing his equipment twice. The first time he was given a warning. After he was thrown out a parent comes up to me and asks me, "Is that rule how you throw a kid out for that or do you just feel like throwing him out." All the parents were extremely nasty during and after the game.

I also get looked at by coaches as a young umpire who doesn’t know what he is doing and won’t eject anyone no matter what the coach says or does. (I am 17 years old and also look a lot younger than my age, which doesn’t do me any good. This is also my 3rd year umpiring.) All I want to know is if I handled it the right way. How would any of guys handle a situation like this?

Thanks.

PS: I also couldn’t forfeit the game if things got out of control. I was told by my head umpire not to forfeit the game. I wrote about this in an earlier post.
------------------

[senior]

Chris, there are only so many choices you have to pick from during any given time. From your story, and the edited version also, I would say you did well, considering the circumstances.
Several things could have happened to improve your situation, (hindsight is always 20/20), the most obvious to me would be having a partner already assigned to this game, because of its' seeming importance. Scheduling someone to work alone in your described contest is an invitation to have trouble. Since you were fortunate to secure the help of a partner, more problems were prevented from occurring.
As already suggested in the responses, you may prevent these problems by requesting help in the form of the UIC or TD being present when this team plays, due to the reputation they have established.
There is no excuse for the boorish behavior from the parents, but that is not your problem to fix. You need to request attendance in the form of Board Members or League Officers to deal with them. They have no respect for you, or your efforts on behalf of their little darlings, but perhaps would at least consider listening to someone their own age, especially someone in a perceived "official" capacity.
Good luck in your efforts, but don't expect a miracle cure. One of the "downsides" of umpiring is the "flak" factor. Keep working to improve, ignore the negatives, and one day you'll get to where it won't bother you much. There are, believe it or not, folks who appreciate your efforts, but they will never be as obvious as the jerks who don't.

[Bfair]

Chris, I agree with everything Senior said and will add the following:

When the player was walked, wait to call time. That IS done at all levels. You didn't state if there was another player on base. At the age level you were calling, coaches sometimes allow the BR to continue advancing to "force" the defense into a play. Another runner or not, you took that potential option away from the coach. Keep that in mind. Also keep in mind we all make mistakes and hopefully learn from them.

Your game management skills as you state them were very good. It appeared you addressed needed issues without overreacting. Hopefully you demeanor was calm. That is a major factor in being a good umpire.

Have faith and confidence in your game. Expect the idiots to be present (they usually are) and know when to ignore them when best ignored.

Very important, if you continue to post, as I hope you will, note how someone re-wrote your post and note how I have used paragraphs in this post. It will make your posts easier to read and result in more and better responses for you.

Good luck in your future umpiring.

Just my opinion,

Freix

[bluezebra]

"When the player was walked, wait to call time. That IS done at all levels."

Have you watched pro games?

But, at the lower levels, it's always good mechanics to wait until the B/R reaches 1st and all action is stopped.

Bob

[Eric Hodo]

Your league Board of Directors needs to adopt a new policy. When coaches are approved for the new season, the coaches need to sign a form that contains the wording from the Little League rule book regarding Field Demeanor. That basically states that all coaches and players behavior will be beyond reproach (shame). Any violations and a coach can be suspended from future games and/or not considered for coaching all-star teams. That form can also include alchoholic consumtion before, during, or after the game as well as wording regarding behavior towards umpires, players, fans, and other coaches. You can then remind the coaches at your plate meeting that violations of the Field Demeanor policy will be reported and delt with.

[PeteBooth]

Originally posted by Chris23

I would like to know if I handled the situation the right way, here is how it started from begining to end:

Chris IMO you handled the problem as best you could but I would like to make another comment on your situation and call it Summer-Time Blues

Your scenario is another case involving Summer Ball programs that basically have little or no discipline at all.
No matter what you did - you are the bad guy

I too have had some troubles in summer ball and that includes some LL games as well. Next year I am going to take a real hard look at the summer schedule and stick with only those leagues that do have disciplinary action and have a strong BOD.

It's just not worth it to umpire games in this manner. Even if we make a mistake (which is inevitable) we shouldn't have to endure all that wrath.

So my recommendation to you is to seek out leagues / associations that have some form of discipline assigned to them. Also, join an umpires association that looks out for their fellow blues

It seems to me that only bad things can happen if you keep umpiring in this league.

Pete Booth