Manager Acts Like a Dipstick, I'm Sorry to Say

[RPatrino]

Mr. Umpire Dude, sir....your highness!!!!

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by FTVMartin

To me, Blue is not offensive. Certainly can not be compared with the N-word.

Nincapoop?

[SanDiegoSteve]

That's Mr. Nincapoop to you!

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Dave Hensley

I answer to nothing but "Mr. Umpire Dude."

I prefer "Your Lordship."

Maybe I should come up with a stage name. I performed my favorite magic trick last night. I made an assistant coach disappear.

[David B]

Originally Posted by GarthB

So fans are the arbiters of what umpires are called? Okay, in that case, how do you feel about a$$hole? It's just as popular with them as "blue."

I haven't met a MiLB or MLB umpire yet who liked being called blue.

Tradition? It goes back further than "blue."

Oh that's funny! You knew exactly what I was talking about! (I've read your writings for too long

Maybe a regional thing because its still the norm in my area of the country for players to routinely refer to the umpire with "blue". (This is more in HS ball than with the college players)

Of course, we still teach our umpires to address the coach as "coach XXXX" and try to not address them with first names also.

One thing I always note is that college coaches like to refer to you by name ... HS coaches generally do not (again that might be a regional thing)

But bottom line is for an umpire to think that the way a player addresses the umpire (in a general way) is disrespectful IMO is simply ludicrous. Maybe I've been doing this long enough to just know when a player/coach is being disrespectful and when he's not!

Thanks
David

[lawump]

"Blue" is considered a term of disrespect on the professional level. I've never met a pro umpire (including myself) who liked (likes) being called "Blue". The coaches and the managers on the pro level know the umpires hate that term.

This is a true story:

Early in my first pro season I screwed up: I called a manager "coach". Which itself is considered an insult. If you call a manager "coach" you will piss them off!.

Specifically here's how it went: (I was standing on the foul line as it was between innings).

Manager (from the dugout): "Those were good pitches. Let's go!"
Me: "That's enough, coach!"
Manager: "Get a clue, BLUE!" (His emphasis on "Blue": He said it loudly with exageration.)

In this case, the Manager called me "blue" because he was p.o.'d that I called him "coach". He used "blue" because he knew it was considered an insult by pro umpires, and he wanted to insult me after he felt I had insulted him.

Just an example to show that "Blue" is a term with negative connotations (which are known by manager and umpire alike) on the pro level.

[LMan]

Do you call them "manager?"

[lawump]

Call them their name or "skip". I'm terrible at remembering names, so I called them "skip". (As in, they're the "skipper" of their team.)

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by David B

Maybe a regional thing

I agree. And, as you said, it's a "level" thing. And, it's an individual thing. HS and college coaches almost always use my name. Players rarely do.

It matters far more to me the way it's used (or, as I told F2 last night, "it depends on what adjective you put in front of it") than whether it's used.

[tmp44]

Wow...

First, I missed the personal part of the OP..my apologies.

Second, Didn't know I would piss that many people off by saying "blue."

My apologies to all....Yeesh

And no..I'm not a coach/manager/rat, etc....

So to summarize all of the varying opinions -

Some think it's ok to be called "blue".
Some don't like it but tolerate it.
Some say it's a sign of disrespect, others say not.
It appears to be more disrespectful at higher levels than lower levels.
In at least one California association, it's an absolute no-no.

Same applies to the word coach, especially when the "head" coach is actually the Manager.

If I offended anyone, that was not my intent so I extend my apologies.

To everybody - go out and have good games wherever they are and whatever the level.

[jkumpire]

Let me go down the list:

Preacher: Is that just a nickname, or a professional position? I am one too, that's why I asked. Yes, Ohio weather is great, our HS teams will be playing until mid-July.

I assumed that a real baseball person, even if they don't know the rules would understand the concept of the 45 deg angle on the balk cal. My biggest mistake was assumign the guy had a clue about the rules or baseball. Chalk it up to my idealism, I should know better by now.

MRM, I have been doing basebll for so long most kids parents weren't married and I was doing games. I just keep trying to get better.

Garth, good to hear from you again! I am doing well these days. IMO, even though FED describes how they want this called, doing it the other way is more natural, and if you do multiple rules codes as mos of us do, it only makes sense to call it this way. If you kill the ball, who cares what is first?

Lawump, I also went to pro school many years ago, and in the pro game, or even the college game, short answers are always better. IN FED, you should use a few more words, if you let people know what they did, ususally they move on. This guy didn't, maybe because he didn't know the rules well enough to accept you could have a balk here.

Tex, and others: The ***'t di dnot get the gate because he yelled from the dugout after I put him back in it, and frankly, if he wants to show himself to be an idiot, just get out of his way. This is HS baseball, and these teams are not state caliber teams. He did not do enough to get ejected, and if I have to watch his underperforming team play, he should have to too.

3 apples, I have done many funerals, so I am professionally qualified to perform a funeral for a ball. And I think usually can do a good service for one that brings comfort to those who are suffering loss

To many, I passionately hate "Blue", and I make it a point to write first names of managers on the lineup card before each game, so I can converse with them in a civilized manner. . But I am one of the few who always checks equipment before games, gets in trouble for not letting team line up on the fould line whille the other teams warm up, remind people to cover their pitchers in the bullpen, and a whole host of other things people in my area don't do. Until I find bunch of people in my area who will not tolerate being called blee, I'm going to have to live with it. As we all do. Thank goodness when we do serious games, people understand the traditions.

[jkumpire]

In the post above this I used the word I-D-I-O-T, and it got replaced with ****'t.

What's the deal here? It's not cussing, and has this board gone PC now too? I register my complaint with the proper authorities.

[LMan]

Originally Posted by jkumpire

In the post above this I used the word I-D-I-O-T, and it got replaced with ****'t.

What's the deal here? It's not cussing, and has this board gone PC now too? I register my complaint with the proper authorities.

Didn't you get the memo? This board complies fully with FED 3-1-g(3,4)

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by lawump

"Blue" is considered a term of disrespect on the professional level. I've never met a pro umpire (including myself) who liked (likes) being called "Blue". The coaches and the managers on the pro level know the umpires hate that term.

This is a true story:

Early in my first pro season I screwed up: I called a manager "coach". Which itself is considered an insult. If you call a manager "coach" you will piss them off!.

Specifically here's how it went: (I was standing on the foul line as it was between innings).

Manager (from the dugout): "Those were good pitches. Let's go!"
Me: "That's enough, coach!"
Manager: "Get a clue, BLUE!" (His emphasis on "Blue": He said it loudly with exageration.)

In this case, the Manager called me "blue" because he was p.o.'d that I called him "coach". He used "blue" because he knew it was considered an insult by pro umpires, and he wanted to insult me after he felt I had insulted him.

Just an example to show that "Blue" is a term with negative connotations (which are known by manager and umpire alike) on the pro level.

My experience:

"That's enough, coach!"

"COACH??? COACH??? I ain't no f@#$ing COACH! I got all kinds of f@#$ing coaches. There's one, there's one, there's another one. You talkin' to them or you talkin' to me, BLUE?