When did they change the balk rule?

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by UMP25

I have no reservations about what I said to him. Yes, I'm a veteran umpire, and yes, occasionally I may use some sarcasm in my responses to head coaches in order to get my point across.

If you say the stuff you said to him, then you baited him into it, and it's not professional. Everyone has a job to do, and when a coach overdoes his, it's bad for the game. The same is true when one of us overdoes our job. It's not an acceptable practice. It was way too much talking even if it was appropriate. But it was inappropriate.

I have a few things in my game that I am proud of, and my zero coach ejections is one of them. All of my ejections are of players and they were for malicious contact (6), or unsportsmanlike conduct (2). It's that way, because nothing I say or do while emotions are running high makes the situation get worse. I let the blood cool, and then we have a conversation, and I win and the coach goes away and the game goes on. I am as sarcastic or as blunt as most, but not when I assume the role of umpire. When I assume that role, for the good of the game, I compromise my personality in favor of a game that features the players, and not the coaches or the umpires.