My 1st Ejection
 

Gentlemen,

On Saturday, while working my 68th game of the season, I had my first ejection. Below is the text of the ejection report I sent to the league.

(Addressed to the League President),

My name is John Muller and I umpired the xxx game earlier today between (Home Team) and (Visiting Team).

During the bottom of the 5th inning, I ejected the (Visitor) head coach following a controversial play.

With one out and the bases loaded, the (Home Team) batter hit a fly ball to RCF that the (Visitor) F8 and F9 both went after. The (Visitor) F8 got his glove on the ball and then had a near immediate and rather violent collision with the F9. I was unable to see the ball after the collision so I ran out towards RF to get an angle. When my angle of vision had cleared the fielder lying on the ground, I saw the ball lying on the ground and the fielder reaching to pick it up with his bare hand. I immediately ruled "NO CATCH, NO CATCH!" while signalling SAFE.

After action had relaxed, I called time, allowed the coaches to tend the injured player and had a discussion with the (Visitor) head coach. I let him have his say and then asked him if he'd like to know what I saw. I explained what I had seen and told him that my ruling was "No Catch" per OBR Rule 2.0 Catch, because, in my judgement the fielder's release of the ball was neither voluntary nor intentional.

At this point, the coach started making derogatory comments about my competency as an umpire. I told him, "That's enough, Coach". He persisted, and I ejected him.

After he left the immediate premises, the game resumed and was completed without further incident.

If you have any questions for me regarding this incident, you may feel free to contact me at this e-mail or on my cell phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Sincerely,

John Muller

Comments or critique?

JM

"started making derogatory comments about my competency as an umpire"

Lose this. Put exactly what the coach called you or said about you.

Always put the exact words in the report. If the coach called you a "Stupid Mother F@@ker" than put those exact words in the report. It helps emphasize the context of the comments and might bring further action. For all you know this coach might have had other incidents and this gives the league more opportunity to deal with the behavior appropriately. Also the words you used might be anything to the reader. You do not want the people assume you were just being overly sensitive or that the words were tamer than they actually were.

Peace

UmpJM,

I'm not a wordsmith. I'm more the Jack Webb, Dragnet "just the facts, ma'am", style.

I try to keep my reports to 50 words or less, though I used 61 to report my six ejection game.

JMHO

Agreed that you need the specific words both initially and where you said "He persisted."

Here's what my report would have said:


[I](Addressed to the League President),

My name is Don Mueller and I umpired the xxx game earlier today between (Home Team) and (Visiting Team).

During the bottom of the 5th inning, I ejected the (Visitor) head coach.

After a catch/no catch judgement call in the 5th inning XXX head coach asked for an explanation on my call. After my explanation (coach) replied "You're incompetent" I said "that's enough coach" he replied "you're still incompetent" I ejected him.

After he left the immediate premises, the game resumed and was completed without further incident.

If you have any questions for me regarding this incident, you may feel free to contact me at this e-mail or on my cell phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Sincerely,

Don Mueller


Personally I feel no compulsion to justify my judgement call in the ejection report. Nor do I refer to any rules or interps in an ejection report, I only need to do that if there is a protest which is a totally separate matter.

Ejections are for unsportsmanlike behavior and I try to limit my report to as little detail as possible aside from that behavior.
The decisions made from my report need to be based on the behavior of the coach irregardless of game conditions.
If more detail is needed or wanted they know how to contact me.

I'm not suggesting your report is good /bad or indifferent, only commenting on how I do it and why.

edited
Many new umpires feel the ejection report, in part if not in total, is a report to justify the ejection. WRONG
The ejection report is to advise league personnel of the unsportsmanlike behavior of the coach or player and help enable the league to take further action if needed, also to have a written record in the file in case of future issues.
When an umpire feels no need to justify the ejection the reports usually become very brief and to the point.

Others have commented on including the exact words used, which I agree with. I probably would have ejected as soon as the coach started making comments about my competency as an umpire. I'd use the warning if he was continuing to discuss the play after my explanation.

First: As Pauley said in Goodfellas, "Hey, you popped a cherry!" Congrats.

Second: If the coach called you a $&^%* then put that he called you a $&^%*.

Third: I wouldn't say "controversal play". To me that makes it sould like there is a possibility that you screwed up...even though it appears that you didn't from your further description. I would eliminate that language.

Good job!

My version:

(Addressed to the League President),

During the fifth inning of the game between xxx and yyy earlier today xxx head coach asked for an explanation of a "catch/no catch" call. After my explanation (coach) stated "You're incompetent." I said "that's enough coach" and he replied "you're still incompetent." He was immediately ejected.

He left the immediate premises and the game was completed without further incident.

Sincerely,

Umpire's name
email address and phone number.

Original Version: 296 words/ 19.5 words per sentence
New Version: 64 words/ 12.2 words per sentence

I agree with the others. Put in the EXACT words that the coach said to you.

RE: Some leagues in addition to having an automatic 1 game suspension also have fines in place for use of profanity. The president of one of the leagues we service in addition to the reason why someone got Ej'd ALSO wants to know if profanity was used. In other words to keep control in the league a "double whammy".

Also, as Garth Put it, simply put in words the inning / incident that the coach was Ej'd. You have too much detail

NOTE: All of this advice could be moot if this is the way your association wants it. We had a recent thread on this lately. The explanations given to you are what is done in most associations. No-one likes reading a thesis and for possible disciplinary actions the exact wording needs to be included.

In other words, the type of report you gave us might be the type of report that is required where you work.

Pete Booth

Gentlemen,

Thanks to all for your helpful advice - especially the concise "rewrites" of my first attempt at an ejection report. Most helpful.

I honestly don't/didn't remember exactly what the coach said. I just distinctly remember the comments going from focusing on the call to commenting on my umpiring. Next time I'll make it a point to remember exactly what was said. (The coach never used anything approaching profanity - not even a "Damn" or "Bull$hit").

There hadn't been a peep from him or anyone on his team the whole game prior to that, nor was there anything after he left.

When the game ended, the only way back to the parking lot was down the Visitor's side of the field. I braced myself to "walk the gauntlet" back to my car. I didn't hear a single comment until I was almost off the field when one of the visitor's Dad's said, "I thought you called a good game". I said "Thanks" and kept walking.

Kind of weird.

JM

You really need to know what the coach said. If all you say is something general, the coach will be able to say they said no such thing. Even if you did not hear everything, you have to know why you ejected them. It just adds to your credibility to the league or whomever that you have to deal with.

Peace

I assuming you were in a two man system. What were you doing running out to rightfield? You never get out of the grass and cross the dirt if in B and C. If you were in A on ball hit to right centerfield you should have been coming in and pivoting with the runner.

Since you have the bases loaded, you were hopefully in C. Who is going to make the calls on the bases if you're in rightfield?

I would have tossed him after the first "incompetent" call, and included exactly what he said to me in the report. He he said something personal (ie incompetent) or profane the report would be very short.

Congrats there for the 1st one! We had a pool going at the DC to see how long it would take. Most went to <5 games ... enough said.

As a note: I keep a 3x5 card + a Honigs bullet pencil handy when working the bases. Makes it easy to jot down comments, quotes, etc (Esp when you get old & gray like me). Amazing how concise an EJ report can be when one spends 30 seconds on notes. At the plate we have lineup cards, so that's a no brainer.