Tough game with a lot of issues

[RPatrino]

Sounds like you have a fun afternoon!! First, I think you had been done a serious disservice by the other umpires who work these games. They have been lax and very unprofessional if they allowed the behavior that was exhibited in your game to continue unaddressed. You got into a hornets nest, and the minute you started to exert your rightful authority you were doomed.

In cases like this, your only course of action is to EJECT, early and often. You should have ejected the assistant coach during his first outburst. In my games, assistants are seen and rarely heard. They may ask questions but I have zero tolerance for outbursts or arguments. He should have been gone before the T left his lips saying bullshi.....

As far as the obstruction call, its Type B, delayed dead ball until all action and play has stopped. Call time and enforce the obstruction and any awards that are appropriate. That was pretty straight forward.

With regards to the calling of the field director, that was appropriate. My only question is, was the Manager a complete wimp or did he just not have the balls to control his coaches? At some point I probably would have dumped him too, just on principle. Were there any other adults coaches in that dugout?

[SanDiegoSteve]

"As I am doing so the assistant coach intercepts me and tells me that it is bullsh*t that I am not going to let them sit outside the dugout." (PLACE EJECTION HERE)

Is there some local rule that prohibits jewelry? If not, what's wrong with wearing jewelry?

HIM: "Why didn't you make that call at third?"

YOU: "With the bases loaded I'm at home. Not my call."

Hey, the base umpire makes the calls on the bases, hence the name. Managers, coaches, players, fans, etc. should not be allowed to give input on umpire mechanics. They see a 1st to 3rd rotation or a R2 tag up, and all of a sudden they get it in their heads that the plate umpire has 3rd all the time.

My old assignor would send me to these leagues with the instruction to clean house.

[dash_riprock]

I think you did a great job. You had a tough assignment and you were effectively working alone. If I was the assignor, I would not hesitate to put you on that game again. Nice work.

[RPatrino]

By the way, I never warn in pre-game, I never tell them where to sit in pre-game, what to wear, who I talk to. That is a given. My pre-games last 3 minutes tops. If you have to warn in pre-game then you are setting yourself up to be tested from the get-go.

[smithma]

Originally Posted by rpatrino

by the way, i never warn in pre-game, i never tell them where to sit in pre-game, what to wear, who i talk to. That is a given. My pre-games last 3 minutes tops. If you have to warn in pre-game then you are setting yourself up to be tested from the get-go.

+1

[DG]

The last time I was in a game where I was sent to be an enforcer ended up forfeited after I tossed the away coach (the only coach) and a number of players within seconds of each other over an incident that started with the coach not accepting the fact that he had made two trips and escalated when he said as he turned away from me while discussing that I am making all this money I should learn the rules. The pitcher was next to leave as he said I could not make him leave the mound, and it snow balled from there. They had a big lead at the time, which made it all the more puzzling.

My partner, a very experienced partner who was not involved in any of the discussion or ejections, called it in to assignor to tell him what he saw while I was changing clothes and assignor told him that he had been warned about the away team's behavior and especially the coach and that whomever works their next game needed to be alerted. He said he looked at who was scheduled and decided we would take care of whatever came up and did not bother to call. I would rather have been told, but it worked out the same anyway.

I agree with many of the other poster's comments, except I am not doing a pre-game warning with coaches. And, if an ejected asst coach will not leave, and the HC can not get him to leave then I am not worrying the cops with it, game over. That situation was the other forfeit in my career except it was HC who would not leave and asst could not convince him to do so.

[BestUmp]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

"As I am doing so the assistant coach intercepts me and tells me that it is bullsh*t that I am not going to let them sit outside the dugout." (PLACE EJECTION HERE)

Is there some local rule that prohibits jewelry? If not, what's wrong with wearing jewelry?

HIM: "Why didn't you make that call at third?"

YOU: "With the bases loaded I'm at home. Not my call."

Hey, the base umpire makes the calls on the bases, hence the name. Managers, coaches, players, fans, etc. should not be allowed to give input on umpire mechanics. They see a 1st to 3rd rotation or a R2 tag up, and all of a sudden they get it in their heads that the plate umpire has 3rd all the time.

My old assignor would send me to these leagues with the instruction to clean house.

I'm scared to be on the same forum as you are.

Really.

[BestUmp]

OP Friend, you were screwed, ready to be blued and ultimately assuredly tattooed. Sometimes you are faced with a no win situation.

Pre-game, no pre-game, it probably would have made no difference.

As you wander along your officiating career, hopefully, you will find a kindly Game Assignor who will take pity upon you and assign you to games being played by those whose hearts are filled with tons of joy and love instead of riddled with trash and feces.

My advice? If your Assignor will not protect you from such disgraceful baboons, then hire a honeypot, send her to his favorite bar, take videos of them after they depart...and frame him the lousy buttclown.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Is there some local rule that prohibits jewelry? If not, what's wrong with wearing jewelry?

FWIW, every youth league I've ever worked for has had a local rule prohibiting jewelry.

[Welpe]

I think most youth leagues with a national presence prohibit jewelry in their national rules.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

FWIW, every youth league I've ever worked for has had a local rule prohibiting jewelry.

Originally Posted by Welpe

I think most youth leagues with a national presence prohibit jewelry in their national rules.

Oh. The OP said "OBR" rules. That is misleading. It was "modified OBR" rules then. Thanks for clearing this up.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Oh. The OP said "OBR" rules. That is misleading. It was "modified OBR" rules then. Thanks for clearing this up.

Come on Steve. When speaking of 14U what do you think is most likely going to be the case?

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Welpe

Come on Steve. When speaking of 14U what do you think is most likely going to be the case?

I'm sorry, I forgot to put up my sarcasm sign. My bad.

It has been awhile since I worked youth leagues, but I don't recall jewelry being brought up at any plate conferences. Only in FED games, where jewelry was a major point of emphasis in my plate conferences.

[Dave Reed]

Originally Posted by RPatrino

As far as the obstruction call, its Type B, delayed dead ball until all action and play has stopped. Call time and enforce the obstruction and any awards that are appropriate. That was pretty straight forward.

In the OP, the obstructed runner was tagged out at the plate (the base to which he was protected). At that point, time should be called even if all action had not stopped. MLBUM 6.21.

[RPatrino]

Correct, in the OP, the play was handled correctly. I did not mean to imply that it had not been.