18U - Aggresive Teams - Short Backstop = Trouble!

[Gulf Coast Blue]

2nd game tonight...........2 very aggresive 18U teams......short backstop and 4-5 passed balls with runners on third........BAAAAD combination.

All clean plays at the plate........all runners sliding.....all defensive players (mainly pitchers) only blocking after the ball was on the way or in their possession.

Of the 5 plays.......only 1 runner was safe......and that was because the ball took a funky bounce off of a verticle fence pole...........(I wanted to bonk some of these coaches on the head.........when I coached.....I almost NEVER sent anyone on this field because of its close backstop.......it's almost always a NO-WIN situation)

1st inning.........very first passed ball took a great bounce and the runner attempting from 3rd was caught dead to right by a very good catcher.........she slid and was out at least 3 feet before the plate.......on her way back to the dugout.......she commented ......"She was blocking the F****** Plate"......(Visitor's Team)

I called time and went and had a chat with the Manager.......told him that if I heard anymore language like that from any of his players........they would be gone! He only had 9, so 1 gone by ejection would result in forfeit.........between innings, told my partner that the Visitors had already had an unsportmanlike warning......

Between a very hard fought 3rd inning......my rookie partner (a 17yo HS boy......who has the makings of a good umpire) told me that he could not believe the language he was hearing from the Visiting Team............

I took some advice from SteveM..........and instructed him (in front of the Visitors Catcher).........

"You have to stop this.....I have already warned them....let them know.....that the next bad word you hear......their gone....."

I then explained that if a team went short because of an ejection......they would forfeit the game.......

The catcher of the visitors team asked "I thought we could play with 8?"........I told her that was because of injury or illness........if a player were ejected because of unsportsmanlike behavior.......playing short was a forfeit........she got a look of "believing" and said she had learned something new.........

she must have passed the word along, because my partner said he never heard another word in the field.

HS ball is over except for the top 2 teams in District.......so we will be seeing a lot of the more aggressive HS players.........I guess I better get ready.

Joel

Question........would any of you eject on the 1st bad word......or give a stern warning?





[Edited by Gulf Coast Blue on Apr 16th, 2001 at 11:35 PM]

[oppool]

Joel

You are a better man than me, If I had heard that coming out of a 18yr old girl she would if been gone enough players to continue or not

I have to say in my adult leagues I sometimes will ignore or gave a warning when only grown adults are around but at 18U I would have very low tolerence and if she used the F-word loud enough for me to hear she would be gone maybe next time she wont be so quick to say something so dumb

JMHO

Don

[mick]

Originally posted by Gulf Coast Blue

Question........would any of you eject on the 1st bad word......or give a stern warning?

Joel,
I would warn, generally.
It's sad that such a decision of forfeiting a game because of an ejected player has to be a consideration for an umpire, but it often is a responsibility we sometimes have to assume.
If we give too many warnings (according to the other Coach), then they "was robbed", if they lose.
Another case of why we make the big bucks.
mick

[SamNVa]

At 18U or older, especially with a forfeit looming, 1 warning for language, at 16U no warnings, violater gone on 1st offense.

[Roger Greene]

I think it depends on how it is directed. If it is toward the opposing team or umpire that is one thing. If its the expletitive after popping a ball up with runners in scoring position, or the "oh sh--" after seeing the third strike catch the corner of the plate, I don't say anything unless the team still has "team mothers" in the dugout helping the children get their helmets on.

I guess we could make the break like they do in baseball...If the players shave, then...(but we might be talking about a different part of the anatomy!!!)

Roger Greene,
Member UT

[Steve M]

I agree with Roger, but I don't wanna know/chek to see about shaving. Definitely depends on where it's directed and who might have heard. If it's just loud enough to hear within 5 feet of the speaker, I might unofficially warn. If the dead are rising because the vigor of the pronunciation woke them, no warning, just gone. Something in between, I'll formally warn. 'Course, directed at me or my partner or prefaced by YOU, gone without any warning regardless of how loud.

[whiskers_ump]

[B]

Originally posted by Gulf Coast Blue

Question........would any of you eject on the 1st bad word......or give a stern warning?

Worked two 18U Nationals (AFA) in past three years. Our UIC
has always given us a list of choice words that result in
immediate ejection, and the F work coming out of the mouth
of one of the young "LADIES" was a bye bye. A lot of the
players on 18U are in the Under catagory we have experienced
expecially when you have over 100 teams in the tournament.