I am working the Monterey, Ca Bronco regular season leage quite a bit this season. they host the PONY"BRONCO" world series for the next 5 or so years. 8 teams, first place manager gets the "A" team all-stars( automatic birth into series as Host Team). These managers are nuts! I had a DH today, first on the dish. V manager tells before game at plate meeting, "my second pitcher is a little herky-jerky still learing. I explain that if he has intent to decieve, we'll bang him. If he does not come to a stop in the set, we'll bang him. INTENT was gone over twice at meeting.No probs first 3( all the league allows is 3 innings per day/pitcher)Then "the herky-j" comes in. Kid can throw strikes:0, mechanics from stretch to set need work, but he SETS. Has a bit of problem taking signs off the rubber, but he engages-strech-sets. NO biggie here.Parent starts barking,"he's gotta take signs on the rubber", I hear it three times, call time and pull off mask....I say" these are 11-12's still learning, I'll talk to coach later". DEAD silence from tose folks threafter.


Next inning, I nail F1 for not stopping. Skippy comes to me asking why I warned them for balking and not him. I sez, "what balk", he sez, "taking signs off the rubber" NICE! 1;50 game over....6-4 kids played great.
Next game on the bags, first to third fakey game, F1 literally stomps the ground with non-pivot, wheels and fakes. All kinda crap, I'm like, "uh duh??" Then I got a Shoulder yank called by PU with R1 only. R1 rounds second and F1 throws for out, D coach wants an out, tells me " the ball is alive after he round the base awarded" OK. He was set straight. I got 20 more of theier games next month, they'll learn. Read the comments in shaded text after 8.05...

Why did you address the crowd outside the fence? Biggest mistake you could have made!! Now they'll be all over you all season ("Hey Margaret, that's the umpire that listen's to the fans. Let's start yelling at him!")

Good luck, sounds like it's gonna be a long season.