What to cover in pre-game conference with coaches?
 

This quote from another thread (about how much time to you allow before invoking the LBR) and a situation at a recent game raised this question: Do you have a standard list of things you go over with the coaches before the game? I expect it will depend some on the age and level of play, but is this something you would typically discuss? Anything else?

(Just tangential, but the game situation I refer to is an ASA 14U rec league game in which the visiting coach started Pitcher 1, went to Pitcher 2 in second inning, back to starting pitcher in third inning, and put Pitcher 2 back on the mound in the 4th inning. "Time, please, Blue!" At the ensuing discussion with the ump, she said that they did this all the time when playing other cities and that if we were not going to allow her to do it we should have discussed it at the pre-game conference. Our approach is that you would assume compliance with ASA rules unless otherwise aggreed upon before the game and there would have been no reason to discuss it unless she brought it up).

First, what you describe regarding the pitchers was legal per standard ASA rules except we don't play on no stinkin' mound!

Second, I don't give a rules clinic at pre-game, even at 10U. There will be introductions & greetings, a review of each team's lineup card, a little speech regarding sportsmanship, a reminder to the coaches and we are willing to discuss but not argue about calls, a question regarding players being properly and safely equipped, a brief reminder of any local or tournament rules, a question to the home coach regarding ground rules and a discussion of anything unique about the playing field, a coin flip for home team (if necessary), a good luck and a request for the home team to take the field.

If there were notable rule changes in the off-season, these will be briefly mentioned in the first few games of the season.

Local league - At the beginning of the year, I mention any local rules relevant to the age group, especially when the visitor is from out of town. (Especially time limit or run limit per inning), remind the age groups who have added rules (like 12U - D3k and IFF) of those new rules, and then what Dakota says.

At tourney, I always add at the beginning, "Strict ASA rules, no additions" which sometimes spurs a question about something they are not sure is local or ASA.

That's about it.

In my other job, I hate meetings, some days all I do is go from meeting to meeting. So when I am the host of the meeting, if anyone drifts from my agenda I shut them up and quickly move back onto the topic on hand. I am known for having some of the quickest to-the-point meetings in my company. I think this also works for me at the plate meeting. When I am doing fast pitch, my meetings are very quick and professional.

Typical Fast pitch meeting:
"Hi, I am Bob, this is Pete."
Reminder about sportsmanship and safety.
Quickly cover unique tournament rules like time limits, and run ahead rules.
Review line up cards (if applicable). Start with the team to my left. "You are batting nine with three subs? Is this the way you want it? Okay that is
"Coaches are your Players properly equipped?" "Then why is this one wearing ear rings?"
"Home Coach please take us around your ground rules" (if applicable). During Tournament play I will deliver the ground rules.
"Are there any questions?"
Flip for home (double flip) "You are heads (the team to my left, I show them the head side), and you are tales (The team to my right, I show them the tales side)." Flip, let the coin hit the ground, "It is a head. Please call it in the air. I heard tales ... it is a head. What do you want home or away? Take the field. The game time starts now." (I know and you know that game time starts with the first pitch, but if the teams think we are on the clock they move just a little faster.)

. That is it, short to the point no fooling around. No comments on the rules, they better know them, because I do. However if they do ask a question I will do my best to quickly answer, but I will not provide a clinic. I will also not rehash past games or questions about what another umpire did or didn't do. While typing this took about an hour, that actual meeting usually last less than two minutes.

Bottom line plate meetings are important, they may be the first contact you have with a team as a team, it is important to show you are in charge, you know what you are doing, but you are also approachable if there is a question or problem. One thing I WILL NOT cover is, "If you have a question on a call, wait for time...." I hate that when other umpires do it, so I will not do it my self. Also joking with the players and coaches at this time is highly inappropriate and is something I will avoid.

Bugg

You ask them to call the coin after announcing what it is? :) (Also, it's TAILS. Tales are stories.) :)

1) Are you saying substututions or position changes?
2) If subs, so far you have one re-entry each.
3) Your stated approach is fine.

Ok.. so um..

WHAT??

Just standard stuff.. nothing fancy.. ASA Tourney:

Name/Partner name.. intros ..
Line Ups
Equipment Confirm
Tourney Rules
Ground Rules
any questions?

Coin flip.. nothing fancy.. regular ole flip it in the air I'll repeat after you.. normally I pick a girl, whoever got there first, or who came farthest if both have girls out there to call it.

No:
-Rules Clinic
-Sportsmanship Review

Sometimes I will talk about how to come to the umps.. just depends and usually not.

Usually it is my expectation they know what they are doing.. if they dont, that is their problem, because they will be held accountable.


Few minutes and we are playing ball.

I think Bob was talking about a double flip. Team A, you are heads, Team B, you are tails. flip the coin, comes up heads. Team A, it's heads. Who is going to call it? Please call it in the air. It's tails. Team B, what is your choice? Home? fine. Please take the field.

We follow the football mechanic, Call it now, I repeat and partner repeats call. In NSA or PONY, clock starts on "Any questions? Good Luck ladies!"

I have often wondered why umpires leave this in their pregame. To me, it is wordy, unecessary, and puts coach in the mindset of questioning every call that doesn't go their way. JMHO.

My pregame is much along the same lines as Wades:

Name/Partner name.. intros ..
Line Ups
Equipment Confirm
Tourney Rules
Ground Rules
any questions?

Coin flip, one flip only. None of this "I am going to flip the coin to see who calls it," then flipping it again stuff. Just another time waster IMO. The way I do it is whoever got to the plate meeting first is heads. I have never had a problem with this.

It' so easy a caveman can do it!

There is no need for a lot of conversation.

I will introduce myself, and crew, take line-ups, home team first ( this is baseball, but a habit I carry to the real game also), review line-ups, give back to coaches and ask "is this how you want to play?". Then cover ground rules, (allow home coach to do this if on his field). Ask both coaches if his players are "properly and legally equipped". I do ask if either has any questions, a few do and I will answer as needed. Then I will say, "put 'em on the field."

For HS play, because it is required by GHSA, I must ask the home coach to point out his "game manager". This is to be a school administrator not affiliated with the team. (I will already have this knowledge, but the visiting coach should know this also.) I ask also if a lightning detector is on site. I am also directed to stress good sportsmanship is expected. In HS only, I will ask the coaches to please have players remove all jewelry. This is NOT a warning, just a reminder that jewelry is not allowed in the hopes I don't have to issue any warnings during the game.

Anything more, and I feel you are just preaching to the choir.

For all of you who think such things as this or such things as sportsmanship reminders are not required, unnecessary, or otherwise beneath them, one of our former state UICs for ASA used to insist on both of these (wanted us to appear approachable) and our state high school league insists on the sportsmanship reminder. I actually find it helpful, especially with inexperienced coaches. It takes about 15 seconds to say. I guess you COULD consider that wordy and a waste of time, but not many words, not much time. I have never had a coach use it as permission to question everything, or even a lot of things. They seem to understand perfectly what it means.

I think that you can appear approachable without issuing an engraved invitation. :D

IMHO you're either approachable or you isn't. 15 seconds of a plate meeting isn't going to change the attitude of either a coach or an umpire.

In about three hours I will be working (PU) with two teams I have had three times each in the last two weeks - my pre-game meeting will be about 30 seconds long -just long enough to point out dead ball lines and wish the girls good luck!

Unless both teams have bought entirely new sets of bats and hats in the last 48 hours, THOSE checks will be EXTREMELY brief...

My guess is we will be started at 3:45 instead of 4....


In all the PONY tournaments we do, we always have the team who traveled the farthest call the toss, we remind them of the time limit, and get them started!

At that level, IMO, jewelry and sportsmanship should be a given! We do gently remind the coaches while checking bats and hats, but never at the pregame..

Most teams also know enough that its 5 pitches the 1st innings, and 3 thereafter...

Introduction of crew
Check line up cards and confirm with coach
Ground rules for this field
Ask for questions
Coin flip.

Takes 3-4 minutes. If it takes more than four minutes, somebody asked a dumb question.

Asking about equipment is a waste of time, effort and creates a false sense of security.

No warnings, no personal quirks, no rules clinics, no anything, just give me a defense in position and a batter in the box. Play ball.

They did WHAT?
 

The main reason I do a double flip almost always (sometimes I don't...if the UIC says one flip, it's one flip) is a throwback to the honor of the old original Knickerbocker Rules. rule 3 says, among other things (and this is a paraphrase) that the two teams will toss to determine who calls it, and then there is a second toss.

Not trying to be an elitist...just my little quirkish deference to the roots of the game.

Of course if I wanted to get to the REAL roots of softball, I could use the rule from the 1890s that allowed the leadoff batter to run the bases either clockwise or counter-clockwise. :eek:

Now, that would be worth a few sheckles to see!!

Sort of like touching one base and sitting down on a HR. Either you are running or you're not.

If you are going to designate the heads/tails, just go with that flip. Why bother with a second?

My team use to walk to the pre-game and ask the other team if they wanted the hammer. Usually stunned, but most said yes. No flip necessary. We figured that if we couldn't outscore them in 7 innings, being first or last was irrelevant as if we didn't succeed, we didn't deserve to win the game.

I almost always (unless I forget) ask, "Does anyone wanna be visitors?" Had a situation where I had to flip anyway in a recent tournament -- both teams wanted first ups. But if I get a taker, no flip, let's go, play ball, another 1:20 closer to relazing with an ice cold Diet Pepsi (the Strawberries and Cream is ok, but this new Caramel Cream deal doesn't sit well with me...but if we're lucky this weekend we get FREE RED BULL).

Oh, did I fail to mention that in most tournaments we played, home team was required to supply two new balls?

We don't need no stinkin' balls! That leaves more money for beer.

One of my favorite tournaments from back in my olden days in TX was a slowpitch tournament where each team had to supply two balls for each game.

Each ball was carefully marked, and the TD would require the team to either pitch what they brought OR hit what they brought...but they would never know for sure which they would get to do until the plate conference. There were minimal requirements...blue dots, black dots, various COR and stuff...made for a very interesting and fun weekend.

Hate those type of tournament rules. AFA I'm concerned, the ball that comes out of my bag is the ball with which we are playing. Don't like the ball, hit it out of play (especially if it's a 1-pitch tournament :D )

Why do folks flip the coin twice? From whence did that particular occurrence evolve?

Probably from someone who didn't have the nerve to designate someone to make the initial call, yet that is done when they flip twice.:rolleyes:

As mentioned just above, Knickerbocker Rules #3 called for two tosses, one toss to determine who called the toss, and another to determine who was in and who was out.

I doubt they were the first ones, but that's where it comes from for these games we play.

From an NFHS mind, not always in this order:
Intro umps
Lineups verified
Dead ball limits & app if odd
Sportsmanship required
Coaches certify equip.
Quick reminder about jewelry & helmets
Coin flip if needed
Partner's comments
"Rule one is have fun, take the field please".
Don't care if it takes 3.41 or 4.5 minutes.

If a coin flip is necessary, it should always be the last thing an umpire does. Once you conduct the flip, those in the meeting will not paying attention and anything said will fall on deaf ears assuming they are still standing there after the flip.

Agree, that's why it's at the end. Revised:
Partner's comments
Coin flip if needed