There is a big difference between the height of the mound and coaches on the playing field. One I cannot control as I am not the groundskeeper, the other I can. From watching games that I did not officiate, half of the confrontations could have been avoided had the coaches remained in the dugout. I know of one other umpire in the league who enforces the rule that the coaches must remain in the dugout. The majority of the new guys are too intimidated to confront a coach and the majority of the veterans are waiting on the time limit to hit in order to receive their cash.

One issue that I think exists is that while each age group is within the same league, they almost operate independently. For example, 12U has their own league director and assistant league directors that are different than the 10U league director and assistant league directors. The president and vice president are the only board members that are consistent. I have spoken with the 12U league director a few times and he was a very approachable nice guy with rationale. The 10U league director was a different story.

If I had to do it all over again, I would still have enforced the fact the coaches should be in the dugout. What I think I would have done differently is when the board member came out onto the field and tried to push his weight around, I would have handed him the baseballs and walked to the dressing room. The one reason I did not do this initially was that by me doing so it almost guaranteed that a bunch of 10 year olds would not get to finish their baseball game. I think that I was in a no win situation though.

To protect the innocent, I am no longer located in West Virginia and the incident did not occur there. I am now located in Alabama where the situation occurred. I guess I need to update my demographics haha.

It's the 9-10 districts. It is not Minors.

The labels "Minor" and "Major" do not apply during Allstar tournaments. It is by age alone.

If a league doesn't have an option stated either way in their local rules on coaches being in the field, then what?

Rita

Fabulous. And, it's just a matter of time..............

http://www.photo-dictionary.com/phot.../4139ruler.jpg

Really? LL tourneys are labeled by age alone? I guess the Senior and Junior World Series (along with State and District) will have to be renamed, then.

The 9-10 (or Minors) certainly do have All Stars and they do play tournaments. And I don't see coaches out of the dugout there.

Pick off-topic and meaningless nits with someone else.

Hah.....exactly........thank you Kyle....

Joel

It really does not matter what your demographics are........"stupid is as stupid does"..........:)

While I may not agree with 100% of the way you handled things........you were 100% correct in principle.

Joel

It's only a nit to you because I have pointed out something that you said was incorrect.

The labels for tournament play are as follows: Little League, 9-10, 10-11, Junior, Senior, Big League.

There are no "Minors" in allstars, therefore no option either way of having coaches on the fields. Which is on topic.

Rita

My money is on Rita in this 'nit pick'. Group think, pick a better battle.

That's the biggest you have?;)

Did anyone suggest it was wasn't? My point was the OP said he could not pick and choose rules to enforce. I'll be he doesn't enforce that one.


What the heck are you talking about? I have, repeatedly, agreed with the OP's first post.

Why I have not, and will not agree with, is the constant, after the fact whining. This is no different than a coach being the victim of a bad call in the second inning, and then wanting to re-argue the case in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh inning.

For God's sake, let it go.

That's nice. I've been involved with LL for a long time and it, truly, is picking nits. I'm weary of it, so I'll let it go.

It's a nit that probably does not belong in this thread but you started it with your "Trust Me" post. You've been involved with LL a long time and Reg XIV and the RIM wording were new to you.

Not new -- I knew it's a league option, but unless they exercise the option the coaches belong in the dugout. The RIM is clear on that.

I love it when someone says something stupid, is called out on it, and then calls it "a nit". You were (are) wrong. Get over it.

Is that metric?