Arguing

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by uxley11

...SNIPED... I only had 1 ejection, and that was because the coach argued every single call. Finally. I told him complain again and your gone. Well, 10 pitches later he complaiend about a strike being a ball so I gave him the hook....SNIPED...

Never give an ultimatum to a coach! If you say to a coach "One more word and you are gone", and he says "Sorry, Blue", you have to throw him out! If you don't, you haven't kept your part of the ultimatum! Pretty silly, isn't it?

In your situation, just go to the coach and say "We are not going there today, coach! Do I make myself clear?" and do it early on. Don't allow pi$$ing and moaning about balls and strikes. If you let it fester for 3 innings, you can only blame yourself!

Originally Posted by uxley11

...SNIPED...I don't take **** from any of the coaches. Especially, since half the coaches don't know anything about the rules of their age group....SNIPED...

Be careful here. Make sure you know who the manager is and make sure that he is the only one who talks to you. He gets a little tolerance so let him have his say to a point. If he gets personal verbally ("You are horrible" as opposed to "That's a horrible call"), abusive or makes any physical contact, he's gone.

As far as who talks to you, here's the general rule of thumb I was taught:

Players - They get a smile and not much more. I'll talk to them politely about the weather and stuff like that but if they start arguing, they will be dismissed.

Base Coaches - They have no business arguing calls with me. The only discussion I want with them is "How's the wife & kids". Their job is to coach the players. If they start arguing, they usually are not long for the game.

Manager - He has the right to confront me. He is my contact to the team and he and only he speaks for the team. I will give him my undivided attention should he want to discuss (and I mean discuss) a call or decision. When he starts to repeat or when I feel he has had his say, I tell him that we are done and we are getting back to the game. I then hustle back to my position or the outfield. If he follows me, he's more than likely getting an early dismissal from the game.

Scorekeepers, Tournament Directors - Not one word is allowed! If they have a comment, they are gone - period. I've tossed 5 tournament directors in my time that thought they would intercede on an ejection or a ruling. I do not allow them on the field - period!

Fans & Parents - Not my problem. If they become a problem for me, the game is halted until someone with authority remedies the problem. If the problem doesn't go away, the game is over!

I do not and never recommend an umpire dealing with anything outside the fence. Only NCAA has specific rules that cover an umpire's legal power outside the confines of the field.