Malicious Contact

[Rich]

I won't go back through the archives to see whether you are a rat or not

I think you handled this well, personally. I know a lot of coaches that would've eaten this new guy's lunch, but you didn't. And while I am lucky to work with a select handful of experienced partners, new people need to start somewhere.

U1 probably could've been more diplomatic, but there comes a point where the only thing that doesn't throw a partner (who's gone back for seconds with the pooch) under a bus is complete silence.

A handful of college coaches around here coach first. While unusual, it's no big deal.

[harmbu]

Thanks for your comments RichMSN. I do my best to coach my kids and teach them discipline without getting into the realm of umpiring because I know how difficult the job can be. Unfortunately, there are a select few umpires who for some reason decide to make things even more difficult on themselves by being confrontational and unapproachable. I always try to deal with these with silence, as difficult as that sometimes is. I addressed this situation with this young umpire and moved on for two reasons. One, my player was only shaken up and not seriously injured. Secondly, because I could see that this guy was in over his head and that he would probably learn from the situation.

[mbyron]

harmbu, let me tell you a story about a coach that happened when I was in my first year of FED umpiring and fairly green.

He had a runner on 3B and was up a lot late in the game. His batter fouled one deep down the RF line, and the opposing F9 made the catch and carried the ball into DBT. I was PU, and failed to make the "catch and carry" call and award.

He asked for time, walked down toward the plate a few steps, and asked me whether that shouldn't be a one base award. Then he said: "Never mind, I don't need that run. I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm sorry." And he returned to the coaching box without another word.

Now I think you can interpret this situation in several ways, but my preferred interpretation is that he wanted to point out my error without showing me up. Of course, he was winning, and the situation might have gone differently if he hadn't been.

I guess my point is that silence is sometimes a good strategy for a hot-headed coach, but I'm not sure this young umpire would have learned from the situation if the coach hadn't said something to alert me that I had blown a call. If you're sure that you know the rule, it might be worth it to ask calmly, bring in the partner, and see whether the umpiring team can't get it right.

Better be sure you know the rule, though.

[harmbu]

Thanks mbyron. I have had similar situations with young umpires. When things like this occur, I usually try to wait until the inning is over and ask them about the play. I will usually try to phrase my question so that he thinks that I am just getting clarification. Then if he shows me that he obviously doesn't know the rule, I will say something like, "I thought it was this way. I will look it up and see." This usually helps the ones who want to learn stand out. They will often ask if I found it and what the rulebook says.

[jdmara]

Originally Posted by mbyron

harmbu, let me tell you a story about a coach that happened when I was in my first year of FED umpiring and fairly green.

He had a runner on 3B and was up a lot late in the game. His batter fouled one deep down the RF line, and the opposing F9 made the catch and carried the ball into DBT. I was PU, and failed to make the "catch and carry" call and award.

He asked for time, walked down toward the plate a few steps, and asked me whether that shouldn't be a one base award. Then he said: "Never mind, I don't need that run. I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm sorry." And he returned to the coaching box without another word.

Now I think you can interpret this situation in several ways, but my preferred interpretation is that he wanted to point out my error without showing me up. Of course, he was winning, and the situation might have gone differently if he hadn't been.

I guess my point is that silence is sometimes a good strategy for a hot-headed coach, but I'm not sure this young umpire would have learned from the situation if the coach hadn't said something to alert me that I had blown a call. If you're sure that you know the rule, it might be worth it to ask calmly, bring in the partner, and see whether the umpiring team can't get it right.

Better be sure you know the rule, though.

Good situation to share with everyone. I know I have appreciated coaches over the years that take this stance with issues and most umpires will accept it as constructive. It's always nice to have a coach that not only practices what he should be preaching but his players and fans usually exhibit the same mentality as well.

[Rich]

Bob, what was the edit to my post? While I don't know what I posted word for word, it appears nothing has changed.

[bob jenkins]

A post that you quoted was deleted, so I deleted the quote.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

A post that you quoted was deleted, so I deleted the quote.

Thanks for the reply. Like I said, I couldn't really figure it out.