Hbp?

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by harmbu

A pitch is inside and in the dirt. The batter immediately drops his bat and starts to first base. PU yells down to the BU (in A) and says, "I didn't see it hit him. Did you?" BU shrugs his shoulders. PU tells the batter to come back. I ask for time and approach PU. I ask what is going on and he puts his mask in my face and says, "I don't know if it hit him or not!" I ask, "What are we going to do about it?'' He leans in even closer and repeats, "I don't know if it hit him or not!" I turn and walk back to my third base coaching box. When I get there, I see that PU is still "glaring" at me. I shrug and wait for play to resume. Could I have handled this differently?

1.) PU should have only said, "Did it hit him?" He shouldn't have said, "I didn't see it him. Did you?" This is poor form. It's almost like the old, "He didn't go, did he?" on a checked swing.

2.) BU is incompetent for ever shrugging his shoulders in place of making a real call. He should have emphatically given a safe signal, accompanied by "no, it didn't hit him!" or signaling Time, accompanied by "Time. The ball hit the batter." The "search me" mechanic cannot be found in any umpiring manual on the planet.

3.) You must have gotten close enough to the umpire for him to "put his mask in your face." Don't ever invade the umpire's personal space. You did not have to go far out your coaches box to get an answer. The answer was already provided to you before you left your box. The umpires ruled (however badly they did it) that the batter didn't get hit. You unnecessarily went out of your way to confront the umpire. You invited the trouble.

4.) As others have said, WE aren't going to do anything about it. You are a coach, and therefore have absolutely no input as to decisions concerning baseball rules. Your job is to coach the players. If you want to umpire, become an umpire.

Here is the summary of my advice to coaches for dealing with umpire decisions:

1.) Head coaches/managers

Request time
Speak with respect
Don't get smart
Accept the ruling with grace
Return to your position promptly as to not further delay the game

2.) Assistant coaches

Do not try to argue with officials. It's not your job
Say "atta boy" to players and direct their paths on the bases
At end of game, say "good game, Mr. Umpire!"