I have a real simple question - where in FED does it say you can call a strike on a batter for conduct on the part of the coach? As long as the batter is in the batter's box and the batter has not committed an infraction, you as PU have NO authority to call a strike on the batter in this situation.

The only time an umpire may charge a batter with a strike other than a called strike or swinging strike/foul ball, is for delay of game on the part of the BATTER. See 2-27-1f, 7-2-1e, or 7-3-1 penalty.

Same place where it says a coach can come to the plate during live ball action to argue about my balls and strikes.

I did it. So I got the authority from somewhere.
I think it's called assumed authority. Your speaking strictly to expressed authority.
And I agree that I overstepped my expressed authority, but it worked so well that given similar circumstances I'll do it again.

I know the rule. I'm not arguing. But it's a great way to disarm the coach and an easy sell.

Q1) If you think you kicked it, tell your partner what happened, and that you think you missed it and then say, "Are you ok with me changing this and getting it right?" The reason for asking this quetion is there is probably gonna be an argument, a big one. And your partner may have to deal with a little crap because you messed up and now you are fixing it. If he says it is ok, change it and get ready for war, if he says, let's stick with the call, then you looked like you were trying to get it right and he had nothing new or different to give you.

Q2) Ok, so we screwed up and kicked a pitch, fine lets move on. But now that we have moved on, let's not screw up a stich by letting a coach get away with something extra. Yes, you will listen more, but after your second warning, if he continued, throw him out, he just ran HIMSELF. Don't let one screw up turn into two.

Q3) Ask the coach if he called time to talk to his catcher or to you. If he wants a charged defensive timeout, then let him have it, if he wants to talk to you then let him, but don't let him do both. When he blows up as he did, warn him and then eject. If his actions are an obvious attempt to show you up and serve no other purpose, then just run him. You are there to work a game and not stand there and be target practice for the snipers and peanut galleries, and I would say that you just found the president of that peanut gallery.

First of all I do not think it is unusual to miss from 10-15 pitches a game. Now when I say miss pitches, I mean calling a couple of pitches strikes that should be balls and some balls that should be strikes. Now that number can change based on the ability of the pitchers and how many close pitches batters are letting go by. It is a lot easier when batters are swinging at the ball and not giving you as many chances to call pitches. I would not beat yourself up about that part of the game. If you have a game with 31 runs scored, that is a lot of batters and probably a lot of different pitchers with different styles and abilities to watch. That is not easy for even the best umpires to deal with. So if all you felt is you missed 6-8 pitches, that is pretty damn good.

Peace

I think that the plate umpire feeling he missed 10-15 pitches is a LOT.

What you think and what is reality are two different things. I know I probably miss pitches that I think I got right. ;)

Peace

If I think I got them right, in honest self-evaluation, well that's all that's important to me. I know when I've missed a pitch and I usually know whay I've missed it, too. 99% of the time it involves timing.

So, if we don't like the methods available in the rulebook, we should just make up our own penalties? Coaches coming to home plate to argue balls and strikes is covered in the rulebook. It is called an ejection. Instead, you choose to make up your own rule and penalize the batter for the coaches actions. Do you do the same for other situations that are covered in the rules?

lds7199,

Well said. Besides, I can't for the life of me understand why an umpire would serve up valid grounds for a protest on a silver platter to a coach who was acting like a di**head.

JM

Leave the cheating to the Rats. If you can't call an honest game, find another hobby.

Oh my god. Please stay the hell away from the ballfield in the future. There's no place for umpires with this attitude.

I didn't make up a rule, I made up a penalty.

I have a serious question for you.
Fed rules
Home team at bat R1, R2 no outs

Ground ball to F5 forces out R2
R2 keeps jogging right past 3rd to dug out.
6 feet from dugout R2 takes off helmet while still jogging and 1 second later is in dug out helmet in hand.
You clearly see it.
Are you issuing a warning?
If you answer truthfully then the answer should be no, if you answer yes then I'm sure I can find a sitch to get my point accross.
I think you get my point.
If you answered no
You have just chosen to ignore a safety rule
Do you ignore other safety rules also. You obviously take it upon yourself to arbitrarily decide which rules are important enough to enforce.

If you choose not to penalize a rules infraction haven't you in essence changed the penalty?
We all draw lines within the rule book, it's just a matter of where.
In this case I chose to modify the penalty and got a much better long term result than an ejection would have got me.

Please, don't give me your better than though attitude.
You ignore rules all the time
What's the difference?

the pro umpires miss between 2 - 4 pitches on average per game...so for somebody to say 10-15 pitches missed at amateur levels...is probably fairly realistic...although missing 10 - 15 pitches per game does seem like a lot as I continue to type...oh well...get better each time out...

Not the same thing at all. Overlooking minor or inconsequential infractions is part of the game, sometimes written and sometimes not, but always consistent with the custom and practice of the umpires, and within the expectations of the game participants. Making up penalties as you are with your directed strike turns the game you're officiating from baseball into "Don-ball."

It appears you don't have a problem with that, but you should understand you're in a very lonely camp with that attitude.