what's up with Div. 1 umps

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Don Mueller

If, in a Fed game, not allowing an appeal on a check swing creates a confrontation then you're in for a possible long day. If as you say the coach is a known problem this is one of many opportunities to establish yourself quickly, let the coach know you're in charge and get on with it.
And if you're lucky this may give you an early opportunity to eliminate the known problem.
If I'm certain of a call I will not go to my P for help.
If my P agrees with me then all I've done is submitted to a coaches desire and set a precedent for the day and my call stands. No advantage to me.
If my P disagrees then I either have to change my call, which I am confident is right(not good in many ways) or keep the call as is and drag my P into the mess (not good)
The only advantage is that we may placate the coach for the moment but chances are good that we've only fed the little monster and he'll be coming back for more later.

I have and will reject checked swing appeals in FED games. First of all not all of those requests are very legit or credible. Often if the batter flinches they want a request. Now if the bat is clearly out there and I do not see it, I have no problem asking for help with my partner in any position. And if I think he attempted and I see it, I will make the call myself. I have made more of these calls behind the plate on my own in the last few years. I also sell it if the call is close, but clear to me.

Once again, I do not care what a coach thinks. I am not there to appease coaches. I am assigned to do a job and that is what I am going to do. If the coach does not like me, I likely passed many schools to work this game so personally who gives a damn what a particular coach thinks. Now what I will do is hustle, get in position whenever possible and if that is not enough, I will work somewhere else. I used to try to avoid confrontation and it got me no where. Even when I would try, I would somehow get into bigger confrontations. If you have no noticed umpires and officials in different sports follow all the procedures to the letter and they still get ripped by a coach because the call did not go their way. You are never going to make these clowns happy.

Peace