Varsity Partner Help...

[PAT THE REF]

Hey Everyone,

I was very excited to be moved from a mid-level freshman game (base job) to a High-Level Varsity Game (plate job) here in NJ today. I have a few questions that I would like everyone’s opinion on the following situations. My biggest downfall is game management and I would like to become better at it, so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Sit 1) Top of the 1st, Questionable strikes at the low point of the knee and the catcher is dropping his glove. Every pitch then is scraped on the ground or dropped… I ball pitches and the coach starts getting on my case… Stuff like… Hey Billy (catcher) where was that one? Looking good? Aww. Come on. Hey Blue! Where was that one? All from the dugout.

Sit 2) My partner on the 3rd base side of the diamond with a R1, double play ball hit to shortstop… Runs over the bag – three feet prior to the runner getting there. Legal slide, no popup but the Shortstop trips over the legs of the runner. NO interference – totally legal slide and just a “trip”. Base umpire calls runner safe due to shortstop never reaching the bag. Then coach goes out to him to argue… From the bench and the stands (they are behind one another)… “that was a rule change! Four years ago! That should have been two! Your are the worst f*cking umpires I have ever seen! We should all just go home!”. Coach returns and we have R1 and R2 now…

Sit 3) Catcher still dropping pitches & missing pitches… From the dugout in the 4th inning… “Call it both ways! Come on now”… Lets Go!....

Sit 4) Catcher in the 5th Inning starts signaling his coach where pitches are and now he holds the glove for a good second on pitches that I have balled. We are talking two balls off the inside corner… Now when the coach asks his catcher… He just shrugs his shoulders…

Sit 5) Check Swing on a Bunt… Batter attempts and moves towards the pitcher – similar to a drag bunt… But at the last second swings the bat along the ground and moves 2-3 feet out of the box… I give a strong – yes he went! And all heck breaks loose… The coach now is screaming that the call was horrible and that I need to get some help… Called strike – no help is EVER given, but I honestly thought he went… Then my partner says, well you cant appeal a bunt… and throws me under the bus.

As you can see, I don’t like to have “rabbit ears”. I know Evans teaches the “four stages” of warning and such but I just don’t like looking for trouble. When it finds me – in my face, words directed at me directly then I can handle it… But about “pot shots” from the dugout… A little help?

Thanks,

Pat