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

[lawump]

Umpire Schools teach umpires to keep it short and simple when explaining balks.

For example:

Umpire: "That's a balk! You second base (said to runner)."
Manager: "What did he do?"

Possible responses include:

Umpire: "No step."
Umpire: "He started and stopped."
Umpire: "No pause."
Umpire: "His leg crossed the rubber."

At higher levels (HS, NCAA, pro) this usually works. (Now they might come out and argue that your judgment was wrong (i.e. that he did pause) but at least they're not arguing the rule.)

If the coach/manager wants more of an explanation, listen to his question and answer only that.

For example, this following conversation (by coincidence) happened to me in my last high school game:

Head Coach (who has come out of the dugout): "What do you mean 'no step'?"
Umpire: "He didn't step toward first."
Head Coach: "He doesn't have to step toward first."
Umpire: "The rules require that he does, and he didn't."
Head Coach: "I've never heard that one before, huh."

The head coach left and we resumed the game. He came out between innings and I just said, "the rules require he step toward first, when throwing to first. You pitcher stepped toward home and threw across his body to first that's why it was a balk."

He said, "o.k., I got you." and left.

(edited for spelling error)