I allow whichever coach or captain is the first to arrive at the plate for the pregame conference to call heads or tails (after both are in my presence), and whoever wins the toss gets the choice whether they're home or visitors. I'm a football guy too, so allowing the choice is habit for me.

Scott,

I will see you in Allen this weekend. Has Rickey called with your schedule yet?

Haven't gotten release from my assignor for the NRH event yet. Lot's of tourneys that weekend. I'll have to wait and see.

Gary

No. And I am surprised. I usually know by Thursday night what I am going to be working. Look for me there.

Right now I am keeping a close eye on the weather to make sure that we get this one in!

I have actually seen this done at a tournament before.

Instead of a coin flip, the PU will take both of the balls provided before the game and hand one each to the captains of each team. While standing in opposite batter's boxes, the captains will do a little curling/bocce and try to make it as close as they can to the pitching plate. The BU determines who won.

Sounds like a time waster, but innovative nonetheless.

I have done some magic in the past. Once at the plate, with one team there and us waiting on the other team, I did the old trick where the coin disappears and reappears behind someone's ear. After that, they didn't trust my coin nor the honesty of my coin flip. I had to let my partner flip his coin.

Now, no more tricks. Just one flip.

If kids on just one team come to plate, I ask which one of them wants to call it.

If kids on both teams come to the plate (which seems to be the norm) I ask who came the furtherest to be at the tournament and let them call.

If no kids come to the plate, I will just ask, "so who's going to call it?" I've never had a problem getting an almost immediate answer.

Hey Gary:

Once again it was nice to meet you. Too bad that I didn't have a little more free time to visit....

Depending on the age group and the importance of the game, I like to add a little to my coin toss. Like most on the board, whomever is at the plate first generally gets to call. I look at the girl who is going to call it and say, "Call it in the air. I will catch it flat. If I drop it, the other team wins (instead of we'll flip again)" Amazing that out of all the times I've done this (about 15), only two girls have caught what I said, and they were both 10 year olds!! Go figure!!

Coin Flip
 

In a very serious voice while showing the coaches the coin I'll say "Ok, let's save some time today, I turn to one coach while saying heads...you win....turn to the other coach and say tails....you win."

For the real deal, I only flip once.

Michael

Time to visit? You wouldn't come off the field!!

Actually, Scott had to do five in a row Saturday due to an umpire shortage. The new "Iron Man in Blue".

Great to finally meet you. Looking forward to working with you in the future.

Gary

You know, it wasn't so much the five in a row that got me. It was more the fact that everyone of those five ended in ITB with the exception of one!

Scott,

Do we need to send you to a class on Game Management? I guess that explains why my last game was 1:15 late in starting.

Blame it on the one who left. He cursed the field, I tell ya...cursed it!!! :D

Rock, paper, scissors! Get science involved for crying out loud.

Kidding, for our tourneys it's usually the farthest traveler gets to call the flip. All things being equal I decide that 3rd base side is heads and 1st base side is tails on the flip.

One manager challenged the other to rock, paper, scissors at last tourney and the girls got a kick out of it.

I must admit, I did too!