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[Rich Ives]

Tee wrote: "Carl, there is no difference, ALL coaches simply want to manipulate umpires."

Actually, that's only a very small part of our job. ;-)

It IS part of our job because our job is to get our team into the best possible position to win the game. As we can sometimes succeed, we shall continue to do so.

Most of the job is manipulating the game and the players. Plus, depending on the level, we also have to deal with the parents, ADs, alumni, etc. And, dear sir, dealing with "Mom" is a LOT more stressful than dealing with you.

The "need" to attempt to manipulate an umpire arises SIGNIFICANTLY less often than the need to deal with the others. That's because most of the time you are doing your job well. Just as we make coaching mistakes, unmpires make mistakes too. You need to own up to it.





BTW Tee, I'm curious. A strongly held position such as yours usually comes from either one significant event or a series of small events. Which is the source of your position, and would you care to relate any of the story?