Pre-Game Captains Meeting

[Rich]

I'm a baseball guy and baseball is a first name sport at the higher levels. There's an implied lack of respect or a lack of a clue when a coach calls you "Blue" or "Ump" or anything but your first name. Likewise, I always get and use first names of the coaches/managers. This is from the lower levels through the college level.

I get that there are mixed opinions about doing the same in football and basketball, but I've always, ALWAYS used first names in those sports and I haven't once seen a coach taken aback by it. And I'm happy when they remember and use my first name. To me it doesn't imply familiarity -- it implies they either did their homework (found out who we were) or paid attention when I introduced myself.

Of course a lot of this is generational and/or cultural.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by Rich

I'm a baseball guy and baseball is a first name sport at the higher levels. There's an implied lack of respect or a lack of a clue when a coach calls you "Blue" or "Ump" or anything but your first name. Likewise, I always get and use first names of the coaches/managers. This is from the lower levels through the college level.

I do this in baseball, too. Even at the lower levels. I even do the same with the catchers if I'm working the dish because I don't mind being a little friendlier with the guy who is supposed to keep me from being a backstop.

Every other sport it is coach for me. That just seems to be more the standard where I've been. No biggie to me and I don't mind a coach calling me by my first name. In fact when I'm working a wing, I tell the HC to use my first name when asking for a timeout because I'll recognize it quicker.

And to throw my two cents in, my wife and I are raising our kids to address adults as Mr. / Ms. with a first name and to use sir and ma'am. That's one of those things that grew on us while living in Texas and I find I miss hearing out in California. So now you've heard it from BNR and myself and we don't look much alike (he's a hell of a lot taller than I am).