I Should have known it wasn't gonna be my night...

[ogie oglethorpe]

when during the coin toss to determine home team, the coin landed sideways and buried itself in the dirt. Sideways.

I'm a first year ASA umpire working Mens SP. This particular evening was a 40 and over league in which 90% of these guys have probably been playing against or with each other in the same town league for half their lives. And it was a tough night. And I probably could have done things a little differently.

Very first pitch of the game, I call strike, someone in the dugout yells "c'mon blue, the catcher caught that ball on a fly, it has to be deep". I fight myself as I am tempted to look into the dugout but resist and stare straight ahead waiting for the pitcher to throw the next pitch. The rest of the inning settled down and was uneventful. Home team has a routine turn at bat in the bottom of the first.

Top of the second, several more calls from the dugout about pitches being called strikes that are "deep". After the third out I hear that voice again, this time walking out of the dugout to take the field for the bottom of the second, looking in my direction saying "it's automatically deep and can't be a strike if the catcher catches the ball on the fly". Now, I probably should have just ignored this guy, but he was making it hard for me to. I approached him as he was yelling at me, with hopes of explaining that where the ball is caught by the catcher is irrelevant to wether it is a strike or not. He shouted me down with "aww you're horrible, get away from me". So I turned around to walk to the plate, and as soon as I did he said, loud enough for the whole field to hear, "You're an ***hole". I turned and tossed him, leaving his team with nine players. He was livid. "You're tossing me for that?!" Yes. Now please leave the field and make your way to your car. "Why? I can play game two"

Now I have to be honest, this is where it really started as far as my night going from bad to worse. My understanding of this leauge's rule is a player ejected from game 1 of a doubleheader can't play in game 2. But I wasn't entirely sure I was right. So until I could get one of the park supervisors to clarify the situation for me, I allowed this ejected player to remain near the field. He sat on his car, 15 feet away from the backstop, telling anyone who would listen, that the horrible umpire with "rabbit ears" had "baited" him into an ejection. I completely ignore him, and his attempt to intimidate me.

An inning or so later the park supervisor comes by who confirms for me and informs the ejected player that he is in fact ineligible for game 2. I should have seen to it that he left the premises at this point but did not. Game one ends with no more incidents, just an unhappy team forced to play with nine men, and non stop complaining about every single call. Every one.

Between games, a member of the shorthanded team approaches me and asks why I am making them play shorthended? I say I'm not, those are the rules. He then claims that the opposing manager, who also happens to be commissioner of the league, said it's ok that he play. I ask what I am needed there for then, if they have it all under control? Rule says he can't play. He can't play.

Speaking of the commisioner, my very first assignment in this league was a DH in which his team was playing. He called my assignor the next day to tell him I was the best umpire his league has seen, he wants me as much as possible blah blah. It's not true, but I have a history of being a competent umpire in this league. Whether or not I get any more assignments in this league remains to be seen. And at this point I'd rather not.

Halfway through a miserable game 2, a game in which every borderline pitch that was called a ball had the catcher and pitcher of the shorthanded team complaining, as well as the knucklehead who I allowed to remain near the field of play. Finally, the inevitable. A borderline pitch that may have been a strike, I called a ball. The pitcher exclaims "That's rediculous, that was a strike" while the catcher places the ball where it landed behind the plate and walks away. The pitcher is still yelling at me that it was a strike. I warn him that is enough and to play ball. He keeps saying I'm awful, that was a strike, this is rediculous". Once more I say that's enough. It's not. So I toss him. Game over due to forfiet. He then crushed a dugout garbage can, while the manager and the rest of the team called me everything in the book.

I really don't know if the second ejection was warranted, but at that specific point ion time I felt I needed to make a point that I wasn't going to allow these guys to intimidate me. Although it may seem exactly that, if it turns out I was way out of line.

ogie