When did they change the balk rule?

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

I have always thought it was something to be proud of to keep my cool in public settings. Apparently, there are those who lack that skill or willingness or patience or thick skin in their role as umpire.

In 32 years I've never "lost my cool," and my ejection last weekend of the head coach was another example of an ejection where I didn't lose my cool. He swore at me; I ejected him. He went chest-to-chest with me yelling and screaming, but I didn't return the favor. I simply wrote down on my lineup card the information needed in my report to be submitted later that day.

If ejecting someone is "losing your cool," then I feel sorry for you as an umpire, because your lack of reality is shocking.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by UMP25

In 32 years I've never "lost my cool," and my ejection last weekend of the head coach was another example of an ejection where I didn't lose my cool. He swore at me; I ejected him. He went chest-to-chest with me yelling and screaming, but I didn't return the favor. I simply wrote down on my lineup card the information needed in my report to be submitted later that day.

If ejecting someone is "losing your cool," then I feel sorry for you as an umpire, because your lack of reality is shocking.

You didn't lose your cool that time. You were admittedly baiting him by being sarcastic and verbose on that particular occasion. I am referring to a general climate that is worsened by certain umpires who are thin skinned or temperamental.

Shocking lack of reality ...

You are a very amusing small-town veteran. Keep up with the baiting and the sarcasm; I'll keep up with the decorum and control. I like my results better.

[UMP25]

Small town??? Son, the fact that you believe the Chicago Metropolitan area is a small-town environment only serves to prove your lack of understanding reality.

Oh, and simply asking a head coach when I should call a balk is not being verbose. He told me I couldn't call a balk. I asked him under which situations it is acceptable to call one. He then swore at me. I appropriately ejected him.

You just can't accept the fact that I am still successful as a college umpire, despite having a few ejections per year.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by UMP25

Small town??? Son, the fact that you believe the Chicago Metropolitan area is a small-town environment only serves to prove your lack of understanding reality.

Oh, and simply asking a head coach when I should call a balk is not being verbose. He told me I couldn't call a balk. I asked him under which situations it is acceptable to call one. He then swore at me. I appropriately ejected him.

You just can't accept the fact that I am still successful as a college umpire, despite having a few ejections per year.

The post you made describing exactly what you said detailed an encounter in which you were verbose.

I couldn't care less about your "success." You unprofessionally baited a coach and then ejected him. Then you posted it and bragged about it. That puts you in your place and you did it yourself. You can defend your lack of restraint and professionalism all you like, it's still not the way most umpires choose to operate, and your results demonstrate why.

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

You unprofessionally baited a coach and then ejected him. Then you posted it and bragged about it.

Perhaps you ought to look up the definition of the word "brag," because I certainly did not "brag." My purpose of the thread was to simply have a laugh at a change in the balk rule insofar as when one should or should not be called.

I'd bet five bucks your sense of humor is also virtually nonexistent, especially off the field.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by UMP25

Perhaps you ought to look up the definition of the word "brag," because I certainly did not "brag." My purpose of the thread was to simply have a laugh at a change in the balk rule insofar as when one should or should not be called.

I'd bet five bucks your sense of humor is also virtually nonexistent, especially off the field.

Based on the level of acumen you have displayed here, you must lose a lot of five-dollar bets.

You baited the coach; you bragged about it; then you changed your story to make the encounter seem justified. That's fine; you already openly and fully displayed that you play a lot of games. Maybe you should wonder why so many coaches swear at you, and not what less-than-clever routine you're going to throw out there when they do.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Based on the level of acumen you have displayed here, you must lose a lot of five-dollar bets.

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

You are not qualified to judge me as a baseball man, given your tendencies.

Just soak in the hypocrisy, folks.

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Based on the level of acumen you have displayed here, you must lose a lot of five-dollar bets.

You'd be wrong, but that's nothing new.

Maybe you should wonder why so many coaches swear at you...

"So many"? Who knew that a mere two (and both coaches this year just happened to be coaches who were very frustrated with their teams' performances, each coming off lengthy losing streaks*) in the last 4+ years would be "a lot"? I see mathematics wasn't your strong suit either.

*Of course, this playing a part is something you wouldn't understand, I'm sure.

[HokieUmp]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Then you posted it and bragged about it.

Uhm, to be fair, I'd have to say I don't think he bragged about it. It was a story, and it ended up being a story with multiple themes, it turns out. And one of those themes was how coaches want certain things called differently depending on game situation.

(Interesting how a coach will b!tch that your zone is changing as the game goes on, but yet pull a gem like the OP?

"How can you call that NOW???"

"Easily, actually.")

Anyway, I just disagree with UMP25 about what led to EJ, because I don't think I would have done it the same way. The more games I get, I just might, because I have a sarcastic bent to begin with, and I figure one day that beast will get released. And I just wanted to point out that the lesser knowns would have copped a bigger spray than he did - just one of them things.

But I don't think the intent was to show us the scalp he took.

[Kevin Finnerty]

You know, Hokie, you have a fair-mindedness about you that is refreshing at the very least and wholly worth emulating at the very most.

What I saw as bragging or boasting may well have been an honest and generous attempt at making us all avoid becoming coach-baiters.

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by HokieUmp

Anyway, I just disagree with UMP25 about what led to EJ, because I don't think I would have done it the same way.

And I can respect that statement, because I'm not saying one should take a specific course of action. As I said earlier, the point of this whole thread was NOT to recommend a course of action when trying to figure out when to eject a head coach; rather, it was to laugh here, in this officials' forum, over what I (and many of my peers) found to be a humorous contention by said head coach.

Now, Hokie, an umpire faced with a coach who's screaming, "You can't call a balk in a big game like this," or "You can't call a balk in this situation," or similar statements is left with a variety of options on how to respond--if at all.

If I ignore said coach, Kevin would probably claim I was being smug and indignant. If I would've replied inquisitively, "Then when can I call a balk, Joe (not the coach's real name)?" or "Why not, Joe?" or something similar, Kevin would have scolded me still, claiming that I was baiting the coach.

I never intended to bait the coach; I merely wanted HIM to tell ME when, based on his claims, I COULD call a balk. There was no reason for him to swear at me and make it personal; I would not have ejected him had he said the call was brutal, or that it stunk, or that I call too many balks, etc.

I just happened to be the umpire who, in less than two weeks time, had on his schedule teams that had run up losing streaks, which, as most of us know, tend to cause head coaches to get closer to that breaking point. In fact, the head coach whom I ejected a couple weeks ago, was rumored to "have lost it," "gone off his rocker," "facing mutiny from his players," "went nuts,"--all comments that his fellow head coaches in the area had said about him. But I digress.