Coach slaps Player...

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

You know that this question never was discussed at a round table of professional umpires...until the Blue Jays game of course.

As I wrote earlier, a coach who exhibits bad behavior towards his team can certainly be dealt with but most of us have never witnessed an atrocity worthy of ejection. If you see an assault and want to do the right thing, become a witness for the prosecution.

I once had a Dad/Coach walk out to right field and drag his kid back to the dugout. The kid refused to play right and thought he'd show his protest by trotting out there without his glove. His Dad/Coach realized this after a couple of the guys on the bench started laughing about it. He asked for 'Time' and walked out there...the kid turned white and the Dad/Coach grabbed him from behind the neck and dragged him off the field. It was not gentle and the kid was crying by the time he got to the dugout. The Dad/Coach came over to me and announced his replacement player and told me he would be leaving the park - his assistant would be taking over. The Dad/Coach grabbed his bag and the kid's arm and they walked to the car. I wouldn't have wanted to have been in that house when they got home. Two weeks later, I see the team and his kid is in right field - this time with a glove and a different attitude. Dad/Coach seemed to have mellowed too.

A parent asked me why I allowed that to happen to a sixteen year old kid. Since I was in the midst of stowing my gear after the game, I gave her a curt reply, "That Dad could handle it better than I could and his wife will handle him better that I ever will." Sometimes you have to know when to let go of a tiger's tail.

I like Garth's suggestion...if we all add him to the 'Ignore' list, life may just make more sense. I can't stand people who claim to be umpires but can't argue or defend their positions. Communication is fundamental to our discipline and sticking your fingers in your ears makes you look like a two year old. Learn, do, teach...that's what we are supposed to be doing here.