malicious contact
 

Boys JV game. Home school is very small and uses both mid school boys AND girls on the team. Their catcher is a 7th grader that weighs about 95 pounds with equipment. Visiting team is bigger high school boys.

6th inning started becasue there was less than the 10 run rule. Visitors score 6 more runs to make the score 20 to6.

Now the play.

Overthrow at third visitor R( about 5"9" and 160) runs to home at full speed. Catcher get ball about a second or more before runner arrives and brases for tag. runner dives head first into the catchers chest, extending his arms into the chest area to further the collision. Catcher drops ball and lays motionless on the field for at least 10 to 15 seconds.

I throw the runner out of the game. head coach (in the third base box during the play), challenges me that his player was attempting to slide and merely extended his arms to protect himself.

why would a coach of a team that is ahead by double digits, allow this type of activity. His best player could have been the one hurt and the game was basically decided at that point anyways.

I stand by my call but i am disapointed that this would ever happen in a game such as this.

Do all of the experienced umps out there feel somewhat down after such an occurance?

Sounds like MC, runner out and ejected. Textbook.

This is irrelevant.

They always say that. "That's textbook malicious contact, coach. Slides begin on the ground, not an opponent's chest."

I gave up a long time ago trying to understand why some players and coaches are even allowed around other human beings let alone why they do the things they do. Don't feel down feel proud trhat you are doing your job and thank you. As an experienced umpire I appreciate when you do your job according to the rules, no matter what the circumstances because, when I do that team next time they are going to get the same type of officiating. By the rules and fair. Maybe sooner or latter they will get it, maybe not but if they get tossed enough times, sooner or latter someone will pay attention.

Good Call

Ohio is encouraging them to get it by fining coaches $100 for every ejection. :cool:

Really no reason to preface this with the size, age or sex of the players. Good dump on the MC. There are idiots everywhere; get used to it.

With not much effort I think I could get the coach too.

MC, no question about it.

And DG has a good point. If the coach wants to defend this action, he's on the bus too!

In this case, the call was easy to make. the one ultimately responsible is the coach, as he told the runner on third to go home on an overthrow, when the game was a blowout.

that is what is upsetting. why would a coach risk injury to either player when the game is over ( 20 to 6). I have officiated many other games with scores like that and the good coaches stop letting players steal or move on overthrows. They want the game over!!!

that is why it was upsetting to me, and why i wondered if other umpires get bummed out over this type of play calling.

You said

Boys JV game

from my experience most HS coaches are also teachers.

Hopefully you wrote up a report and sent it to

1. Your assignor
2. AD of the school in which this coach resides.

Hopefully if the AD has any kind of back-bone this coach might lose his job.

Pete Booth

Here we are required to notify the state after any ejections. Player will be out for the rest of the day plus the next contest. (i.e. if it's the first game of a DH he will mis the second game and the first game of the next DH)