Run Ahead Rule

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Okay, but so what? Let them go and complain however they please. Cannot file a protest if you will not accept it prior to continuing play.

Coach: Hey, are you the UIC?
UIC: Yes, sir. How can I help you?
Coach: I want to file a protest.
UIC: What game on what field?
Coach: We finished on Field #3 ten minutes ago.
UIC: You will have to file an eligibilty protest with the TD.
Coach: No, I want to file a protest against that umpire.
UIC: Did you announce your intentions at the time of the call?
Coach: Sure did!
UIC: How did the umpire respond?
Coach: He told me I couldn't protest because it did not involve the interpretation of a rule.
UIC: Well, that is true other than a player eligibility issue.
Coach: But he sucked! He threw out my player and coach.
UIC: Have a good day!

Well, if we're talking league play and they have a complaint against me, I say, "fine, go right ahead. There's the field supervisor. I won't stop you." The coach usually responds, "oh, I will," but they never do.

Shaddup, coach.

If a coach has a legitimate beef with one of my rule interpretations, I more than welcome a protest. It's their right, and it's possible that I may have pooched a rule. It happens. But if a coach thinks they're going to waste my time, the scorekeeper's time and my UIC's time because they just don't like me or how I call my games, they've got another thing coming.

[wadeintothem]

Had a pretty good protest this weekend...

Before pregame Coach refuses to play because the pitchers dig a hole in the circle and he wanted the fields fixed so the pitchers couldnt dig a hole, before he would allow his team to play.

I know the TD fairly well and I was pretty sure how this protest was going to go, so I confirmed he wanted me to go get the TD to protest the field before start of play.

So I track down the TD and thus commenced a pretty one sided protest .. which consisted of the TD walking on the field and asking him in no uncertain terms if he was forfeiting "no I'm not forfeiting"
"Well its my understanding you are refusing to play so thats a forfeit"
stammer stammer..
So after a little berating, the TD has the ground crew push some dirt around and stomp around the pitchers plate, and he tells the coach to get the pregame done right now then to get his team on the field or he was done 7-0. He doesnt have his line up done so hes all dicked up fumbling around and rushing, I do my part in helping rush him.. and of course, since it was very hot, I was nice enough to make sure during the pregame that he really wanted to play and not forfeit - which unfortunately he had a change of heart so we played...

Had a manager try to protest a run-rule on me once, during a slow-pitch tournament. I called the game on the 15-run rule (this was before USSSA went to flip-flop) after his team gave up the runs that caused it (home team won it). Conversation went like this:

Manager: You have to give us an opportunity to make up the difference so we can play more.
Me: No, home team just made it a 15-run differential, therefore game is over.
Manager: You're a load of s**t, you're wrong! (at this point, I'm walking off the field as he's yapping in my ear)
Me: I'm heading over to the TD to report the score. You're more than welcome to talk to him about your concern.
Manager: CONCERN???? It's a f**king PROTEST!

By this point, we arrived at the picnic table that was serving as the TD's base during the tournament, and I reported the score. The manager starts yelling at the TD and the UIC that I was wrong for stopping the game when I did. Somewhere in that rant was the accusation that another umpire didn't stop the game when they had a 15-run lead and they ended up losing the game. After the manager rants for about 2 or 3 minutes, the TD and UIC looked at me and asked what I had. I said, home team took a 15-run lead in the bottom of the 3rd, game over. The TD and UIC asked the manager for his scorebook.

After about 5 minutes of reviewing, they had determined: 1) I was right in my game; and 2) the other umpire was right in his game. The situation was reversed in that game because the whining manager's team was actually the visiting team and the home team had yet to bat in the bottom of the 3rd. The TD sternly told the manager another load of crap like this would cause the manager to be watching the tournament from some other location than the complex itself. Kid didn't have another peep the rest of the tournament.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

Manager: You're a load of s**t, you're wrong! (at this point, I'm walking off the field as he's yapping in my ear)

Right here! This is the point where you should have ejected the manager. And I don't care the game was complete, you need to document this behavior and are not doing anyone any favors by not doing so.

[Steve M]

"But if a coach thinks they're going to waste my time, the scorekeeper's time and my UIC's time because they just don't like me or how I call my games, they've got another thing coming. "

Mike may remember the bozo I sent to him in a tournament. He didn't like a lot of things in that game - all mainly due to him bringing a recreational team to an A tournament AND that he had to improve to be a recreational level coach. Anyway, he threathened to speak to the uic about me - my response was OK, go do that now.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by Steve M

"But if a coach thinks they're going to waste my time, the scorekeeper's time and my UIC's time because they just don't like me or how I call my games, they've got another thing coming. "

Mike may remember the bozo I sent to him in a tournament. He didn't like a lot of things in that game - all mainly due to him bringing a recreational team to an A tournament AND that he had to improve to be a recreational level coach. Anyway, he threathened to speak to the uic about me - my response was OK, go do that now.

Exactly. A lot of these coaches are blow-hards who love to toss out empty threats, thinking that we'll back down when they threaten to "tattle" on us.

I love their reactions when I don't.

When it comes to opinions about my umpiring, I only care about the ones from four people: my own, my assignor's, my State UIC's, and my tournament UIC's. We work in priorities, and those are mine.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Right here! This is the point where you should have ejected the manager. And I don't care the game was complete, you need to document this behavior and are not doing anyone any favors by not doing so.

I thought about reporting him as ejected as soon as I got to the table, but knew he'd be right back in the next game because there would be no penalty for being ejected during the tournament. Plus, the TD was an older guy who's been around the game ever since it was invented (or so it would seem) and was known for really reaming players out for abusing umpires. I think the threat of spending the rest of the tournament outside of the complex really hit the kid. Besides, the TD was also the state director so there would have been some potential for the kid to have more problems down the road.

Added note: we never had problems with the kid ever since, because he was told if he ever acted like that again, he'd be done in USSSA softball.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

I thought about reporting him as ejected as soon as I got to the table, but knew he'd be right back in the next game because there would be no penalty for being ejected during the tournament. Plus, the TD was an older guy who's been around the game ever since it was invented (or so it would seem) and was known for really reaming players out for abusing umpires. I think the threat of spending the rest of the tournament outside of the complex really hit the kid. Besides, the TD was also the state director so there would have been some potential for the kid to have more problems down the road.

Added note: we never had problems with the kid ever since, because he was told if he ever acted like that again, he'd be done in USSSA softball.

Gonna be awfully hard for him to be back in the next game if there are no umpires to work it.

Okay, maybe not that extreme, but there is more to it than just dumping him. It should show the others that such actions will not be tolerated.

[Steve M]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

I thought about reporting him as ejected as soon as I got to the table, but knew he'd be right back in the next game because there would be no penalty for being ejected during the tournament. Plus, the TD was an older guy who's been around the game ever since it was invented (or so it would seem) and was known for really reaming players out for abusing umpires. I think the threat of spending the rest of the tournament outside of the complex really hit the kid. Besides, the TD was also the state director so there would have been some potential for the kid to have more problems down the road.

Added note: we never had problems with the kid ever since, because he was told if he ever acted like that again, he'd be done in USSSA softball.

I'm of the opinion that you just left a mess - potentially with every player and coach present - when you failed to eject someone who earned an ejection. That mess will get larger and will need to be cleaned up by another umpire at a future time - and maybe even in a situation a bit more escalated than your's was. Thanks - greatly appreciated.

Originally Posted by Steve M

Thanks - greatly appreciated.

Unnecessary comment. You apparently can't read, because I clarified that the state director was blunt with the kid that he would be done for if he did cause any more problems. Matter of fact, the state director ripped this kid so bad in front of all the other managers and players in the tournament that the kid knew he couldn't pull any more s**t. Besides, I wish those who are dumping this BS on me would carefully read my first posting about this sitch. I was walking off the field, with one foot out of the gate and the other heading through it. Do you think I was going to aggravate this little snot of a manager by turning around and ejecting him at that point? NO! Instead I decided to report his puny little butt to the TD/State Director and he handled it beautifully. At this point, I won't even bother with reading anyone else's post about my posting because you guys were not there and therefore can't speak for me. Thank you.