ASA - 1B Coach runs out on field during live ball to argue a call at 2B

[teebob21]

Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve

I disagree, You could have ejected, but I would not have; and certainly would not use the word "should".

TeeBob, unless your wording (and it appears carefully stated) is off, I'm going to disagree with the need to 1) have the last word as he's walking away (yes, he commented, unless rubbish is a magic word to you, let him have that last word), 2) throw up a stop sign (as he's walking away?), and 3) use his name during the walk-away. If I'm using his name (and I do), it's to defuse a situation, not to extend it; and you practically invited him to respond to that.

Dumping earlier was an option; when you had not by the walk-away point, he needs to do something bigger to justify an ejection at that point (turning back and yelling, or using a profanity).

And, no, I'm not getting "help" to appease him on this judgment call.

Steve, thanks for your input. I will try to apply it in the future. "Rubbish" isn't one of my magic words, but he'd already gotten dumped in other games for "BS" and "horrible", both of which are on my magic list. I think he was just working his way down his Totem Pole of Adjectives trying to find out which words he could use with us.

I like the IAWE process: ignore, acknowledge, warn, eject. I didn't feel like that parting shot should be ignored, as it was the same type of phrase he'd already used to end his games, and I'd already acknowledged his jab before he turned away. Could I have let it slide? Yes. Should I have? Probably. But at the moment when he said it, my gut reaction was to dump him then and there. He was walking away...the optics of the situation would have been bad. I chose to warn, a stern one at that. It was effective; I definitely got his attention and got the message across that he was toeing the line. The second stop sign was probably pure reflex, and something I will work on eliminating.

So, why didn't I eject for his final YOU comment? Because honestly, it was flat-out funny. I can't properly convey it on the forum, but it sounded like a 5th-grade playground comeback, said by a grown man. I had a hell of a time keeping a poker face out there after he said that. Maybe it's a bad habit to carry over into JO play, but it's something I picked up working men's FP. When an adult player or coach says something to make me laugh (or want to), I tend to let them live.