Do you ever!

[SC Ump]

A couple of times the fans have gotten out of hand, once a parent wanting to come on the field and another time with a parent inciting kids to fight. In those cases, I informed the management of the field (park director and school's atheletic director.)

I remember being burned once when I least expected it. There was a seventy-plus set of grandparents who had come to watch their granddaughter in a season ending championship. They were very quiet and well dressed to the point they kind of stood out for the rest of the fans. They were sitting in lawn chairs away from the bleacher area. Him in a business shirt and her in pearls.

After an inning where an infield fly was called, the husband said to the wife, I wonder why they called that one girl out when the ball was dropped. It was between innings and I was close enough to hear. I turned and explained the infield fly rule. All of a sudden grandpa went off on me about my strike zone and how I couldn't get anything right. For the rest of the game he wouldn't shut up, adding at times, "I know you can hear me."

Now I pretty much try to ignore all the fans, no matter how sweet and innocent they look.