Local rule...
 

We have new ejection rules this year in Rec softball and baseball. If any coach is ejected for arguing judgment calls, or acting in an unsportman like manner, his or her case will be evaluated to determine if he or she must miss more than one game. If a coach is ejected twice any time during the year he can NEVER again coach for any Rec team. Last year there were several first time umpires (high school kids) that some coaches aggressively tried to intimidate on every close call. :eek: No coaches were ejected and many, many complaints came to the board about the way some adult coaches were jumping all over the young umps. This year those young umpires are gone and new teenage umpires have taken their places. So my question to the park board would be this... If some new umpires are too timid to eject an intimidating adult coach what good will stronger ejection rules be? ... Nothin' like fun at the ole' ball park! ..Al

At least they are taking action.

Now, the rules are there.

It is now up to the UIC to make sure his umpires do what they need to do.

I think its a great rule.

I think ASA should adopt a similar rule for championship play. A few years back I had a coach who's mouth was so bad, he deserved an *** kicking, let alone the ejection he got from me... and he was happily harassing the other umpires the very next game. They let him slide.. for reasons I cannot even fathom.

If ASA would give us some teeth with our ejections, they might chill out a little.

I'm familiar with a local league where the guy in charge backs the players more than the umpires. I tossed a guy for USC, and he initially refuses to leave. He's cussing up a storm, saying every insult towards me he could think of. The field supervisor (coincidentally, another well-respected umpire in our crew) tells him, "buddy, you've gotta leave right now, or your game's a forfeit and we're calling the cops." Eventually, the moron leaves.

Another night, one of our umpires is having a conversation with someone at a low volume about an incident that happened on another night. The umpire said, "awwwe, gee... I'd've thrown his a$$ out." You had to be within 10 feet to hear it, and only a couple people heard him.

The guy in the first paragraph was told to serve a 1-game suspension (the minimum in the league for an ejection).

However, the guy in charge wanted the umpire in the second paragraph to serve a two-week suspension.

Yes, umpires are held to a higher standard than players, but it's crap like this that makes me not want to call in this municipality. When you have a guy at the helm who doesn't back you, you don't want to call there.

I've got about 20 other cases of this moron at the helm not backing us, but I'll spare everyone.

Not only would I not want to call there, I just flat out wouldn't call there.

I agree, and a lot of our umpires have started to refuse to call there. If we're not going to be backed, then we won't back him.

I would eject anyone who is deserving and not worry about what happens next.

If the same offender commits the same offense in my next game i would pitch him again. Ad infinitum. A'int my job to set league policy and I could never lose sleep over sending *******s to the parking lot.

As for the umpire who made a judgement on a situation he was not involved in, well, then, don't discuss it. Totally unprofessional.

No $hit $herlock. Two weeks is nuthin compared to some cases i know of...:eek:

Oh, I agree, and I wouldn't have said what the umpire said in that exact fashion. It's unprofessional and not befitting of an umpire.

However, the fact remains that this guy does not back us umpires, even in matters of our judgment. Isn't that what he hired us for in the first place?

No. He hired you so the teams could have someone to argue with besides themselves. :D

You need to tell him to go kick rocks.

I'll leave that to my assignor. Never bite the hand that feeds. ;)

Its been my experience that a situation told to me by someone, other than another official, is usually slanted toward the storytellers side. I'm reluctant to offer my ruling in those cases, or will maybe qualify with a "if it happened that way, maybe..."

I know, but his partner, a well-respected umpire in our crew, backed up his story.