Taking your partner's ejection
 

Yesterday I had a Double header (HS age), 2nd game crazieness ensues ending with my partner (BU in C position) calling a 3rd out at 3rd (a close call tag, but looked good from my vantage at home).
After my partner called it he stood up and started walking back to A for the next inning. As he is doing this I see the recently thrown out player get up and start taking strong steps toward the umpire while his back is turned, before I can say or do anything the 3rd base coach runs to get between the player and the BU and kindly deflects him to the dugout.
My question is should I have informed the BU about this? I say this because apparently the whole next half inning the player (who was the 1st baseman) was jawing at the Ump. I come up to him after the 1/2 inning and he says the player had been jawin' the whole time and anything else he would of dumped him, I then mention the half charge that he did while BU back was turned, he then said he would have probably thrown him out if he knew about that.

So do you tell Him? if so when? Ejection?

Why didn't you eject him?

Well the main reason I didn't eject him, is because I couldn't hear if he cursed at my partner, or if he said anything. It looked bad when he started taking a couple of steps toward my partner, but the coach coraled him before any of us could do anything.

Of course a few years ago the coach may have sat the kid out for at least an inning to cool off, or possibly even the whole game. Nothing at all for this kid, which is kind of sad and a sign of the times.

What age group?

He indicated HS age.

I had almost the exact same situation, but with a 3b coach. My partner from C calls a runner out at 3b, coach jaws at him awhile. My partner turns to return to A and the coach flips him off and throws his hat.

I give him the heave ho!! I would have done the same thing to the kid in your sitch in a heartbeat. Ever heard of the 'third team' out there?

You say the player "half charged" but it seems to have been enough for the coach to "corral" the player. These are HS kids as you said and they have no right to charge (half or full) anyone! Never mind the excuses, you should have dumped the player!

While I would never take an ejection away from a partner who saw the offense happen, I would never hesitate to dump someone who did something behind my partner's back. See ya!

It reminds me of the fastest game I ever had. While I never got the chance to dump a manager during the pre-game plate conference, I did manage to toss the first batter of the game.

I was working the bases, the kid takes strike three called, PU turns to the right to pull the chain, meanwhile kid flings bat as hard as he can toward his dugout (third base side). He nearly decapitates the on-deck hitter, and the bat hits the fence and rebounds toward the foul line. All this happened while my partner was doing his slo-mo Dutch Rennert style call. He had no idea what happened, as it happened so quickly.

I ran the kid all the way from A, with gusto and flourish.

As it happened, the ejection took his team down to eight players, and cost his team the game by forfeit.

Game time: about 1 minute 30 seconds.

I'm with Steve and the "R's". It's one thing to take your partner's ejection. But this was behind his back and, IMHO directed to all blue on the field. I'm all about letting a coach chit-chat for a bit, listen, then tell him "OK, (insert name) I let you talk about it, now it's over." But this is an overt act trying to show up ALL of us. Can't be permitted.

What is the difference between "strong steps" and "half charge". Was it two steps, three or halfway across the field. It matters. I can't tell from this description.

But to answer your question, and assuming he was left in the game, I would advise the HC that his player's position is borderline and any future display will not be tolerated. If he wasn't left in the game you would have considered this more severe than it sounded in your post and I would fully expect you to toss him and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Critical to this analysis is that my partner does not know what happened behind him, thus I am assuming it was minor in nature, because I can't imagine me not knowing what a player who I have just called out is doing. You don't call 'em out and run.

It's an emotional game at times.

Well, you also don't stick around to kibitz with the player either. It didn't sound as if the player got up immediately and went after the umpire. It sounded like he must have stared at the ump, and then thought he would be a hero and took off after him.

This was the third out, and when it is the third out, I turn a smart about-face and jog on out to short right field. I don't stick around to entertain any argument. If I call him out, he's gonna stay out, and no arguing is going to change my call anyway.

I would appreciate it if my partner had my back if some little peckerhead started to charge after me, too.:)

Steve -

If you call him out he's going to stay out - UNLESS you're working a Cleveland/Baltimore game!

Good point. In that game, he would have been reinstated 3 innings later.

Great story! I would have loved to see the "gusto and flourish!"

That's a game where you go straight to the bank with the check and cash it.

Steve - you double booked yourself, didn't you? ;)