"Rules question for you..."

[mbyron]

Runner on second. Pitcher was a larger kid with a slight potbelly. From the stretch he came set with hands at his stomach. He took a deep breath before the delivery and his hands, which are against his stomach, move slightly. Third base coach screamed that’s a balk as the pitch is delivered. He started to argue the call with my partner on the field. He told them it’s not, and twice had to tell him to get back in the coaches box. After the inning the coach came to me behind the plate to question the ruling. He explained to me what he thought the problem was. I told him that I did not think it was a balk. The kid just breathed, it was not an exaggerated movement and there was no intent to deceive, so no balk. The coaches’ response was “so you are not going to enforce the rules”. I warned him that was not the path he wanted to take. I had asked him what he had, I told him what my ruling was, and that we needed to continue the game. Twice more he repeated his statement that I was not going to enforce the rules and twice more I warned him not to continue. He repeated it again a forth time as he tuned and walk away, and I ejected him from the game.

Good call on the no-balk.

Bad regarding ejection. Depending on the overall game situation, I might have restricted him to the dugout for the part in red -- screaming during a pitch is outrageous.

In general, I follow the procedure others have mentioned:
1. Listen to his view/comment/question
2. Give him my ruling
3. Stop him when he begins to argue
4. Restrict him to the dugout if he continues
5. Eject if he persists beyond that.

I really like FED's intermediate penalty of restriction: sends approximately the same message as an ejection but without the paperwork!