Handling Coaches
 

Being new to umpiring, I'm curious to how you all handle a coach that comes out to argue a call with you? What do you say to him? Is there an automatic ejection point (besides arguing balls/strikes) based on what he might say to you, or when he tries to show you up? Any advice or some common phrases to say to the coach?

Coming into my second year, I'm trying to get a better feel for game management.

Thanks in advance for the help!

The great thing about baseball is you can say a lot of things in the middle of the field that no one can hear.

I just usually am straight forward with coaches and tell them what I saw or what point I want to get across. I tend to talk an octave lower than the coach so they will lower their voice. I rarely have to eject coaches because if you appeal to their professionalism and sometimes manhood (the way they treat you), you can squelch most major confrontations. I do not think I ejected a single coach last year. Then again there is an art to what I told you. It took some time to know how to be calm in these situations.

Peace

assuming its high school ball.....

if he walks to you with his mouth shut.. manuever (sp) so your standing side-by-side and you say "whats your question coach?"
if he walks at you already talking... I make him repeat himself once I get him along side me. if it isnt a question I ask "whats your question coach?"
if he is coming at you any faster than a fast walk.. he gets a whoa sign and if he is still coming he gets the go sit in the parking lot mechanic.
if he says "you suck" he's gone but if he adds "but, you are consistent" i might let him stay. ;)
there is no such thing as a "automatic ejection" IMHO, just things that earn a quick ejection.. such a profanity, talking bad about my partner, and not pointing out the hot mommies to me ;)

arguing balls and strikes is not an automatic EJ. leaving your position to argue balls and strikes is a different story...

I picked up something similar to this at my JUCO rules meeting a couple weeks ago. He said that you should try everything you can to avoid being face to face/body to body with a manager because it's a confrontational pose.

The example given is if you're out having a beer and talking, you don't stand like that; one guy's at 90 degrees or so.

Conversational vs confrontational. Then again, you'll get coaches that won't give a rat's *** (sic) and will get in your grill no matter what you do.

blindofficial,

I make it a point to never handle coaches. I mean, you don't know where they've been, who they've been hanging out with, when was the last time they bathed, etc. You could catch something. Plus, they're not supposed to touch you, so it's only fair that you don't touch them either.

As little as possible - without being "rude", of course.

If he calls you a cock$ucker, it's an automatic.

Be courteous, impartial and firm.

A colleague of mine is quite fond of "GTFOMF", but he's fairly experienced, so that may be an "advanced technique".

Game management is an excellent area to focus on improving.

JM

It's a learned art. Good advice given so far. I like what coach, eh-hem, sorry, umpjm said, let them talk. Once they start repeating themsleves, end it.

I had a coach admit to me that he was testing me (after the game). I knew it when he did it and told him so. I passed that test. The next time I had him, he ran over me about balls and strikes. I failed that test.

Stay calm, as polite as possible, and don't yell back at him - talk to him (when you say anything). Nothing pissses of someone more than yelling at someone else and not getting a reaction.

Last but not least, learn something from every situation. You can't be taught game management IMHO, you have to learn it.

Until it gets personal, there is no immediate ejection - even that's not immediate every time.

The first thing that you have to do is not give them a reason to come out! Be in position, get the right angle, pause-read-wait for it-react. Always give 110% even when you only have 40% left in you.

Of course, even doing all this, coaches will find it necessary to discuss calls. I got a chuckle out of the post that CajunNewBlue made and it is pretty close to reality. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with coaches in the middle of the infield. Everything from "Are you really sure he tagged my guy" to "I really can't stand it here anymore. Can you get me out of here?".

But before you try to employ some of the techniques that you read, you will need to get some experience under your belt. Coaches are a funny group. What they take from me will put you on their $hit list very quickly. It takes a long time to be able to "have your way" with coaches.

Other than balls and strikes. The 5 Ps will earn ejection.

Past- "That's the second one today, Blue!"
Personal- "You're the worst I have even seen!"
Profane- "That's F**in' bulls**t!"
Prolonged- Going on and on after a warning.
Preformance- Acting out what happend, showing you up.

disagree with the bold as "blanket" ejections. again, balls and strikes doesn't do it, leaving their position to argue balls and strikes does it. as for the profanity, at some levels it's auto, at others it's not even a warning. personal profanity, however, is the same different story as the balls and strikes from my earlier post.

I agree, but I would add the "volume" of the profanity. If the cussing was during an argument where only you two heard the profanity, then it's nothing. If it's shouted from the dugout, then yes, that's ejectable IMO.

Again, it depends on the level.

blindofficial,

Lot of great advise here. I would recommend you check out the ABUA web site and review the Ejection Forum. You will find a lot of game situations discussed and the best ways to handle them. Many by the same officials who post here. http://www.umpire.org/

Why do you have a redundant screen name? Aren't we all blind? At least in the eyes of the fans and coaches?:)

Spit out my coffee--Thanks!!

The best piece of advice that i could offer is know and understand your role as an umpire. You are there to manage the game and enforce the rules and conference guidelines/expectations. This means that you will have to communicate with the coaches effectively and talking to them in this context is not something that you should FEAR.

I say fear because a lot of officials go through the stage where they fear having to talk to coaches; it is natural and part of our development as officials. The fear can come from several sources, not knowing the rules well, not wanting to rock the boat, and just being new and unsure.

Think back to situations that you had and reflect on ones that come up this season, is there fear or apprehension involved in them? If so identify the source and work on the source. Because simply explaining what you have and understanding that while a coach may be entitled to an explanation, he is not entitled to say what ever he likes to or about you. If you keep that in mind you begin to realize that talking to a coach is ok. It is not knowing what you are talking about that can be scary.

Also, it is also ok to say things like: please, thank you, I don’t like that rule either, I understand that you …….. but this is how I saw it or the rule says ….

Good luck this season all!

Reminds me of something that was supposedly said by a famous college basketball coach.

Coach: can you eject me for what I'm thinking?
Official: no
Coach: good because I'm thinking you suck

Banter like that makes you immediately think of Frank Layden ... one of the genuinely funniest men in sports history:

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/516/886170ta6.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Layden

Welcome to the fraternity
 

You have received a ton of good solid advice from everyone..esp. from JRut and Durham. There's really an art to it...understanding when you have to do it and, probably more important, when you shouldn't do it. We don't have a the luxury in baseball of controlling bad behavior by coaches (and players for that matter) through penalties like football and basketball officials do. But that's what I think makes baseball special. We have the unwritten codes. You don't show-up the umps, conversely umps shouldn't show-up the coach or players; while it's in the book that you don't argue balls&strikes..as several of the posters have pointed out...it's not an absolute. You need to set your own level of what you're going to listen to or tolerate. When we decide enough is enough they're done. It's not 15 yards or two foul shots and the other team get the ball.
The thing is though, you'll never develop a rep as a strong umpire if you let whining and *****ing about balls&strikes. You can't let coaches try to manipulate or intimidate you. As JRut pointed out to you...a lot can be said between a coach&ump of the diamond that nobody hears. So as many of the guys have said...communicate. Do it professionally..in a conversational, matter of fact, non confrontational manner. Many times it just nips things in the bud.
Years ago I read a piece on MLB ump Bruce Fromming (as big a red *** as there was when he broke in) and what he said about arguments was this..."there's a right way and a wrong way for a coach/manager/player to argue. If they come at me they better do it the right way or they're gone."
Be confident, look and act professional, be approachable, work on being a communicator, but don't ever be afraid to toss somebody when it's warranted.
Good luck with your career...and welcome to the club.

concerning mind games...
I think that most coaches believe that there is going to only be a few close judgement calls in a game. By comming out and questioning the first judgement play, they hope to get the next call or the majority of calls.

Last year HSJV,(my first) I had a bang, bang play at second, non force. The coach came out to question where the tag was on his guy(player was sliding). he tried to convince me that because the glove swipe was at the belt, his player MIGHT have been safe.


Being new, he made me start thinking about that. I believe that was his goal in the first place.

I realize that coaches try this, but it really makes no sense to me ( besides blah blah coachspeak)...Think about it--you call a bang bang play, and during it, you're actually going to think who should get the call/what coach said what--all in the milliseconds before the play? I dont think so....

Though I am constantly trying to improve my game, its usually after a close play that I than realize which team gained or lost by the call, not that I care.. ...

Isn't he on "The Price is Right" now??

There was a coach who said one of the unspeakable things to me, but I didn't run him because it was an LA City Section game, and if you toss a coach, the game's over. I umpire high school so that kids can have games. I'm not going to let some semi-professional blowhard coach make everyone go home because he can't control his idiocy in a public setting.

So I make him sit in the dugout like a child and stew until the game reaches its natural conclusion, giving every youngster on his team the chance to look like a bigger man than Mr. Coach. Once you put a guy through that, they are never a problem when you see them again. It works out better than tossing them.

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local...090000411.html

You have to learn what to say and when to say it. Can't tell you how to do it just do lots of games and you'll figure it out.

That reminds me of this HS coach that used to come up to me between innings on the foul line and tell me, "hey, I think you're doing a helluva job back there, but your partner over there (pointing at him)...he thinks you're horsesh*t!" Fortunately, I had known this guy for years, and I knew he was just giving me some good-natured grief! He actually owns a local sporting goods store that carries some good umpire equipment.

Discuss with veterans all the situations you had on the field, whether or not there was an ejection. Find out ways you might have been able to handle it differently. Get as much feedback as possible, and use whatever game management strategies work best for you.

Excellent advice!

Take your life skills with people to your game management. If you're a fair, decent person, then follow your instincts as you develop your specific coach-relating skills.

When you see a coach coming just say "Coach SYAD"

Being new to umpiring, it will take lots of games and situations; however, the best advice I like to give is to be patient.

You're new, coaches are going to test you. They will say things to you that they might not say to a veteran. So you have to learn to take it.
You don't want to get a poor reputation by looking for things to eject a coach for.

Have your guidelines as to what you will not take from a coach:
1)any suggestion you are cheating
2)cursing directed directly at you
3) .... depends of course on your personality.

Others have given good advice, but you have to find what works for you. Finally pay a lot of attention (if you can) to the veteran officials in your area to see how they handle coaches/players etc.

Good luck!

Thanks
DAvid

Great advice from all the previous posts. The only thing I want to add is about what the coach is trying to accomplish. If he is protecting one of his players by coming out and asking about a call, you may want to hear him out. At that point, be firm and state clearly what you saw and ask him to go back to the dugout. There are coaches who will draw the line. I disagree that as a newbie you need to be more tolerant. What if you are a transplant from a different Assoc? Or better yet, someone working down a division? It is important to listen, but by no means do you allow a coach any leniency due to your seniority. Fastest way to lose respect among coaches is to allow them to bully you. The hand up in a stop sign as he comes out works well. Let him know, "Coach, I am not letting you come out on every close call you don't like." Be firm and fair. You will get respect.