Time to Eliminate the Seat Belt Rule?

[Dad]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

Again, there are consequences to selecting such an AC. If you don't want to sit, don't hire ACs who cannot control themselves in an adult manner.

In the real world, the vast majority of people just spazz out sometimes. The consequence is 2 FTs and the ball to the other team. I see no benefit to the game for telling the coach he has to sit. I do it, and I don't mind doing it, but I think it's rather pointless.

[deecee]

Originally Posted by Dad

In the real world, the vast majority of people just spazz out sometimes. The consequence is 2 FTs and the ball to the other team. I see no benefit to the game for telling the coach he has to sit. I do it, and I don't mind doing it, but I think it's rather pointless.

Agree. Glad NY State (or at least in my area) there is no seatbelt rule. The coach has already been punished. Sitting down doesn't change anything, especially future behavior.

[LRZ]

I don't know if it is the technical itself or the sitting down, but around here, things generally get much calmer and quieter after a [edited: first] T. The more tools I have for game management, the better.

I don't umpire school baseball, but didn't NFHS implement some kind of similar rule, restricting a warned coach to the dugout?

[Dad]

Originally Posted by LRZ

I don't know if it is the technical itself or the sitting down, but around here, things generally get much calmer and quieter after a T. The more tools I have for game management, the better.

I don't umpire school baseball, but didn't NFHS implement some kind of similar rule, restricting a warned coach to the dugout?

I thought your only option in baseball was to eject.

[LRZ]

Originally Posted by Dad

I thought your only option in baseball was to eject.

I think, in school ball, there is a 3-step process (warn, restrict, eject), but you can skip steps 1 and 2 for particularly egregious actions. But, again, I don't umpire NFHS, so I may have the procedures wrong.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Dad

I thought your only option in baseball was to eject.

Nope. Restriction to the dugout and a written warning for minor offenses. Pretty much required now for NFHS games unless the offense is considered major.

[BlueDevilRef]

Originally Posted by Rich

Nope. Restriction to the dugout and a written warning for minor offenses. Pretty much required now for NFHS games unless the offense is considered major.

I don't agree that putting a coach in the dugout is required before ejection. It's not a linear process where one must occur before the other. And while I do fast pitch softball, I work with a lot of guys who do both and have never heard of a written warning but maybe that is a state by state thing. I approach the dugout vs ejection thing just like basketball i.e. Answer questions, ignore comments, penalize unsporting behavior. I have used the dugout restriction a lot more recently but that I have attributed to working basketball and likening it to the first T.

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by BlueDevilRef

I don't agree that putting a coach in the dugout is required before ejection.

It is required in NFHS this year unless it is a major offense. Rule change.

[jTheUmp]

NFHS baseball allows official warnings and/or restriction to the dugout in some situations (I won't list them all here), but as far as I'm aware that's not the case in other baseball rulesets.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

NFHS baseball allows official warnings and/or restriction to the dugout in some situations (I won't list them all here), but as far as I'm aware that's not the case in other baseball rulesets.

NCAA also wants an "official warning" for many items before ejecting.

[Adam]

The question for me is not whether behavior after the T is different with or without the seatbelt. At this point, the penalty for the next T is the same either way.

The question is whether the seatbelt provides sufficient incentive for proper behavior prior the first T. In other words, is there a noticeable benefit to the way coaches behave before getting their first T in a game. The only measurable way to determine would be to count first Ts, not second Ts.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by Dad

In the real world, the vast majority of people just spazz out sometimes.

They do? The vast majority of people? What world are you living in where the vast majority of people behave that way? I like the seatbelt rule - as long as the coaching box is considered a privilege, taking it away is a fair consequence of behaving like a jackass. I would be in favor of limiting the seatbelt to unsporting behavior T's only and not things like pregame dunking and uniform issues.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by smitty

they do? The vast majority of people? What world are you living in where the vast majority of people behave that way? I like the seatbelt rule - as long as the coaching box is considered a privilege, taking it away is a fair consequence of behaving like a jackass. I would be in favor of limiting the seatbelt to unsporting behavior t's only and not things like pregame dunking and uniform issues.

+1

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Dad

In the real world, the vast majority of people just spazz out sometimes. The consequence is 2 FTs and the ball to the other team. I see no benefit to the game for telling the coach he has to sit. I do it, and I don't mind doing it, but I think it's rather pointless.

In the real world, people are expected to behave professionally. If I spazz out in a meeting and embarrass my boss, he's going to have more to worry about than two free throws and a seat belt.

I still don't understand why we can't expect adults to behave like adults, especially when they're teaching our children how to behave like adults.

[SNIPERBBB]

I wouldnt want to see it goes, A because things calm back down and B)its mildly comical to watch the coach try to find a chair to sit on because they use half the school on the roster.