6U Coach gone wild
 

I had an off and decided to go watch a 6u game to evaluate the youth umpires. While I was there the BU called the BR out out 1st and all of a sudden the OC come running across the field and starts yell at her. Telling her how bad she was, so on, and so forth (the young blue was only 15, the coach had to be in his late 20's). I could tell she was in horror she looked at me and I gave the eject signal. She did it and then start to walk away. The PU was also 15 and had no idea what to do so I ran onto the field stated to the coach I was the UIC and told him he had to come with me. He told me that he was not going to leave the game because his wife wasn't there and he would not leave his daughter. I told him that I respect that so I would give him time to pack up his daughter's gear and leave with her. He said nope so very politely I said you have two options. (1) Leave the park with your daughter, you are both done for the day, or (2) I will forfeit the game and your entire team can leave (elimination game). He took option 1, and the team took 2nd in the All Star Tourney.

Today I am teaching the YU how to write a report so this guy never coaches an ASA team again.

6U All Stars = WHY? :mad::confused::o:(

My thoughts, also... (but maybe a somewhat broader context than you meant... maybe...)

On a more general issue, the young ages are the absolutely worst place (IMO) to place young umpires, and especially teenagers, because the AA's involved in these games have a much higher percentage of complete boneheads than older teams. These AA's use shameless intimidation, and the teenage umpires do not realize (or are not comfortable with) the fact that THEY are the authority figure, not the adult coach. Leads to a very high attrition rate.

I understand the reluctance to place young new umpires on higher level games, but casting them to the wolves is no solution, either. Good for you for stepping in and teaching your new umpires something. But, what about all the other games you were not able to be there for?

1. Why is there a 6U division with any type of rules?
2. Why are there umpires at this INSTRUCTIONAL level of play?
3. Why is ANYONE allowed to come out of the dugout to argue with anyone?

You wouldn't see me at such an event, even as a fan. And, IMO, this is NOT a good platform on which to train new umpires if you are going to let the coaches question anything other than how many innings a player gets to participate.

I think 3 of our local association have 6U All-Star games at their tournament. The YU are part of the league not our local ASA association. I went to evaluate at the YU request, she wants to get better. I started when I was 15 and no one ever helped me. I wish some one had.

That is even worse if the league allows coaches to go after youth umpires.

Hey, they have to start somewhere. Like these umpires, I started at 15, and I had little to no guidance. It sounds like these umpires are just getting their start, and I commend them for giving it their best shot.

He wasn't, and he got tossed for it. :D

So... How are kids to learn the game? What's wrong with going to a game as a fan?

I agree, the coaches need to lighten up, and it sounds like there will be some follow-through on the coach regarding his attitude.

Most umpires I know agree that, at least as a general rule, the higher the level, the easier it is to officiate.

The semipro baseball I used to do was much easier than youth ball. College and high-level travel softball is far easier to work than rec league ball.

I can't even imagine umpiring 6-year-olds. The whole idea that kids that age can create any semblance of a real ball game is absurd. They need instruction and tightly controlled scrimmages, not sham competition.

And how do you evaluate an umpire who does 6-year-olds? Consistent strike zone? Mechanics? Rules knowledge?

Couldn't agree more with this damn yankee.

I was lucky to the point that I got some help from the two adults working the same baseball league when I was 14. But that was only suggestions on mechanics, nothing on how to deal with the a@@holes.

I find it amusing when umpires proudly state "I don't do anything below (enter level here)". Grey is absolutely correct, the higher the level, the easier the game. All the crap about the "big boys" in SP being the whiners and criers is, IMO, just that, crap. Yeah, you may hear a little bit, but when it is over, it's over. I hear more inane BS at the local league level in one game than I have heard in all the nationals I have worked.

I'm not putting lesser experienced umpires at the lower levels. The 10U is where you need an umpire who can think and understand that if there is anyplace to employ common sense, this is it. I don't make any secret that if I ask an umpire to work 10U, it isn't due to lack of trust, but the confidence I have in the umpire.

6U & 8U should not be competitive ball. Of course, you have places in the softball world where people are still falling for the "scholarship" scam and go looking for a hitting/pitching coach right after their DD gets accepted to the local up-scale day care center.:D

Because you are using umpires when they should be calling their own games. That is not a sport and does not need officials to yell at.

Wow.....two umpires officiating a 6U game!

Yep... and this team was from one of the upper-middle class to upper class towns playing in a lower middle class to poor community.

We do the same thing for our 10uRec.. not because of the play, but because we are using youth umpires and the way the coaches at times behave.

Exactly!

Tonight I have three women's 23U games - solo. I would love to have a partner that needs work on the bases.

23U?

I'm on my way!

unlike 6U.. definately some sport at 23U. :cool:

Oh I'm SO not touching that one!

I got my start doing 8U coach pitch at 17, which was also the same summer I got asked to work some adult men's beer league games. The 8U games were harder, because I had to keep track of when a batter had 10 pitches from the coach before we brought out the tee, in addition to calling the plays on the bases. The beer league guys...well, let's just say there was an additional illicit game fee in my truck after the game. :D

On another note, I've seen 12 year olds work soccer for the kids around the age of 5 and 6, so hearing that there's two 15 year olds doing 6U ball isn't too surprising to me. Although, I'm SHOCKED there were two umpires for 6U. I did basically anything 12U and under in my hometown, baseball and softball, by myself a strong majority of the time.

I'm not too terribly shocked that there are two umpires for this league. When I was a kid playing in the local softball league (from 4th grade to 8th grade), we actually had two fields going at the same time. It was about 50/50 as to whether we had one or two umpires on each field, and they were all volunteers.

Granted, these were not the best-trained umpires in the world; no real training was provided, no clinics, no evals, nothing. However, there were people willing to step up and accept the challenge. I was one of them. That's how I got my start.

So when I hear about a 6U league using 2 fresh umpires, I don't really question it so much. After all, we all have to get our start somewhere, and if the expectation is clearly set and maintained in the league that coaches should not treat the games as life or death, I see no harm in it.

I agree with you...as long as the coaches AND the parents don't treat it as life and death. You should see some of the helicopter parents out there. My ex-wife is already becoming one...should have seen her with our oldest at his swimming lessons last week. Sheesh.

Well, parental encouragement is an important part of growing up. Frankly, I have no problems with parents who cheer positively for their child. Unfortunately, we all know that this is all too often not the case, and while the problematic parents are usually in the minority, it's that minority that completely detracts from the program.

Maybe someone ought to videotape the parents and make them watch themselves a third of the way through the season. You'd be surprised how many of them have NO idea how badly they come across.

We have 6U Teams at our local Softball League and we have had more problems with the 6U coaches than any other age group. I was completely amazed by the attitudes of the coaches at this level. I would like to see the girls play ball and have fun, instead of seeing their parents/coaches make themselves look like fools. Some of these coaches were beyond out of control. We had one that cursed and threatened to physically assault a fellow Umpire over a force cal at first. I agree that a new or youth Umpire would be better off learning to Umpire by calling at least 10U games with a Senior Umpire.

It's difficult for the associations in this area to field two umpires for a high school JV game. The assignor's could have a heart attack if they had to put two umpires on a 6U game.

Sadly, the only physical confrontation I've ever had to witness was in the first league I ever called - at age 15. I believe I've mentioned this before, but two coaches (yes, the coaches) almost went at it. One of the coaches was my former coach, and the other coach was a real piece of trash that shouldn't ever be placed in charge of children. The players (ages 9 through 13) were the ones to hold them back.

Just sickening to see things degrade to that point.

I'm waiting for the day people start demanding 2U leagues. :p

But seriously, I agree with you on the instruction nature of U6/U8 ball. My grade school started a 2nd & 3rd grade instructional intramural league and I officiated for 2 seasons (only because my rules knowedge was regarded as better than anyone elses). I was told to pretty much ignore the occasional travel, double dribble, etc, but to make sure nothing major happened. In season two, I was also told that the kids were being taught not to reach in, so I should call any reach-in foul so to reinforce what they were learning.

To expect kids at that level to play as well as higher levels is just not goin to happen.

I hope you didn't call any reach-in fouls!
 

This is one of the myths of basketball. There is no such foul in basketball as a reach-in, no matter what you hear from fans or commentators. They can reach in all day long. If they make contact with the ball or the hand on the ball, don't blow your whistle. If they hit the arm from the wrist up or have to push through the player to get to the ball, then we have a foul. But it is not a reach in foul. It is either illegal use of the hands or a push.