Coin toss or coin flip?

[Big Slick]

Originally Posted by Andy

When I flip at a softball game, I ask the player to call it while the coin is in the air....Is that a standard practice?

Not for me. I assign a side to each team. I'll usually hold it up, with me looking at the edge, and say: "you are the side you see" and flip it with my thumb and index finger (not just my thumb). If a team gets to the plate meeting first (and it's a youth tournament), I may ask which side she would like.

Pet Peeve with a funny story: why do people have to say "heads" or "tails"? My state flipping coin has a flag on one side and the ASA umpire logo on the other. When I allow a player to choose a side, I'll ask: "would you like the flag or the umpire" (while showing both sides). I make a joke in clinics - "strangely enough, all women players say 'flag'". It gets the usual mix of groans and laughter. I repeated that story to a women's SP team waiting to play (we switch fields due to time, and I was called into service as the UIC). The team thought it was a funny story; when it was time for the actual flip, I look at the dugout and said: "what do you want?" and they all said "the umpire!" I think they lost the flip.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by Big Slick

Not for me. I assign a side to each team. I'll usually hold it up, with me looking at the edge, and say: "you are the side you see" and flip it with my thumb and index finger (not just my thumb). If a team gets to the plate meeting first (and it's a youth tournament), I may ask which side she would like.

Pet Peeve with a funny story: why do people have to say "heads" or "tails"? My state flipping coin has a flag on one side and the ASA umpire logo on the other. When I allow a player to choose a side, I'll ask: "would you like the flag or the umpire" (while showing both sides). I make a joke in clinics - "strangely enough, all women players say 'flag'". It gets the usual mix of groans and laughter. I repeated that story to a women's SP team waiting to play (we switch fields due to time, and I was called into service as the UIC). The team thought it was a funny story; when it was time for the actual flip, I look at the dugout and said: "what do you want?" and they all said "the umpire!" I think they lost the flip.

I always assign, as well. My normal coins says "Heads" and "Tails"; 3rd base dugout (my left) is heads, 1st base (my right) is tails.

Same issue as to pet peeve; "The flag is heads, the skyline of Atlanta is tails", who freaking cares? Coin flips do not require translation to heads or tails, just two distinct sides. If I'm using THAT coin, "You're (3rd base) the flag, you're (1st base) the skyline. I hear the former, and a HUGE number of times it's followed by (after the toss) "Which side was heads?"

Anyone else remember when ASA felt the need to state that the flag on their coin is NEVER the tails??

[Insane Blue]

Originally Posted by Big Slick

Not for me. I assign a side to each team. I'll usually hold it up, with me looking at the edge, and say: "you are the side you see" and flip it

I have an old ASA coin with the old ASA logo on one side and the back side of a JACKA$$ on the other side that I keep in my bag and will at times bring it out and tell the coaches you are what you see.

Sometime it's my real feeling of that coach and on occasion it's for laughs

Additionally I have edged 3 coin tosses in my career.

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by Big Slick

Not for me. I assign a side to each team. I'll usually hold it up, with me looking at the edge, and say: "you are the side you see" and flip it with my thumb and index finger (not just my thumb). If a team gets to the plate meeting first (and it's a youth tournament), I may ask which side she would like.

Pet Peeve with a funny story: why do people have to say "heads" or "tails"? My state flipping coin has a flag on one side and the ASA umpire logo on the other. When I allow a player to choose a side, I'll ask: "would you like the flag or the umpire" (while showing both sides). I make a joke in clinics - "strangely enough, all women players say 'flag'". It gets the usual mix of groans and laughter. I repeated that story to a women's SP team waiting to play (we switch fields due to time, and I was called into service as the UIC). The team thought it was a funny story; when it was time for the actual flip, I look at the dugout and said: "what do you want?" and they all said "the umpire!" I think they lost the flip.

I have rarely ever had to do a coin flip for softball (Rec League championship game once), but I do coin flips for other sports regularly.

Yes, I've had lots of instances where I have had to re-flip. I generally say prior to the coin flip, if I drop it, or it fails to flip, we will do it over.

For Rec League Volleyball I assign the captain on my left side heads and my right side tails. Everyone knows which they are looking for. I do this for flag football as well. This avoids the situations where a team doesn't know who is calling, or I hear a mumbled call.

For HS VB, where we have a designated calling team, I have the team call the toss prior to me flipping it. I have the other team repeat what she called, so everyone knows what was called, then I flip the coin.

I've learned from mistakes how to eliminate many of them.