Tired of listening to HS coaches
 

I have had it with HS coaches. I get so tired of arguing strikes/balls, coaches coming out to dispute calls (we are not in the majors, fellas), etc., etc. I am thinking of switching to softball. Many of my friends have switched and absolutely love it! They claim the spirit in softball is so much higher than baseball!

Walter D. Robinson
Walter Duane Robinson

Overall, the problems that arise in baseball arise in softball as well. It's an issue of game management. Arguing balls and strikes are never an issue. Argue once, you are warned. Argue twice, you are gone. I think that poor game management has led to more and more softball coaches coming out onto the field to question calls. It certainly happens more in softball than in baseball in my experience. It's a matter of keeping the coaches in the dugout and not inviting them during the ground rules to come out and question every call, provided they do it politely :eek:

It takes two to argue, so don't. Thank them for their input and send them back to the dugout.

Of course, that only happens once on balls and strikes, if that.

I work both high school baseball and softball and would have to agree that, on the whole, the baseball coaches are a bigger pain in the you-know-what. That's not to suggest that there aren't some painful softball coaches out there, but the baseball guys can take being a tool to another level.

And then there is travel/tournament softball where the coaches can make the high school baseball coaches look downright mellow.

You already got your answer: Don't put up with constant arguing. A certain amount of chirping can be expected in any game. Game management dictates that you draw the line somewhere, address it when you have to and then do what you need to do to shut it down. If that means that somebody has to go...then somebody has to go.

I made the switch about eight years ago after watching my son play high school ball and seeing how much of a jerk he and his teammates were toward umpires. They questioned virtually every called strike, made obvious gestures of frustration when a call didn't go their way, and had to have a word or two as they walked back to the dugout. That, and the fact that baseball games always seemed to take forever to play a full seven innings, compelled me to move over to softball rather than sign up with the local baseball umpire association and work higher level baseball (I was strictly a LL baseball umpire at the time).

In my experience, softball coaches tend to be a little more forgiving than baseball coaches (but they still cause problems on occasion). But the players show way better sportsmanship than the boys do. Softball batters don't stand there in the box after a called third, and then slowly walk away mumbling about the pitch. Softball pitchers don't raise their arms and roll their eyes when a close pitch doesn't go their way. Softball runners don't jump up after being called out on a tag play and complain loudly that they got their hand on the bag. I'm not saying they are perfect little angels; there are times that they lose their composure a bit. But certainly not as often, and not as complete, as their male counterparts.

Oh, yeah, and it's always nice to walk back to the parking lot after a full seven, and look over to the baseball field and see they're still in the fourth inning. :)

"Oh, yeah, and it's always nice to walk back to the parking lot after a full seven, and look over to the baseball field and see they're still in the fourth inning."
I laughed.
True story: I was working bases on a baseball game in the sticks. Had two pitchers that couldn't break a pane of glass. There was a softball game being played in the complex across the field. All of a sudden I see everyone at the softball game leaving. We were still in the 3rd inning of our game. I'm thinking that the umpires for the softball game would be home eating dinner while I was still there. Pay differential was $5 then. It was good bye baseball after that. I only work FHSAA softball here. Much more laid back/low stress atmosphere for sure.

A very rare problem as far as I'm concerned, especially HS. A couple exceptions, one HS coach that I blocked briefly to skip the whining; and one travel ball coach & pitcher this year.

It's simple... in either baseball or softball, they are not allowed to argue balls and strikes. Eject. It will stop. Because you haven't ejected, they know they can eat you alive. Switching to softball won't help. Eject. It will stop. I promise.

I work HS baseball and softball and NCAA softball.

Once they figure out you are not going to put up with their foolishness, the garbage ceases. I really never need to eject but I think the coaches believe I will if necessary.

It is all about game management.

Hopefully you waved goodbye, as we sometimes do...

And our latest contract is structured so that in a couple of years, we will have pay parity with the baseball people :)

The advice given thus far might be correct, that it is not a strictly baseball issue. But the game management issues might be more subtle. First thing that is the most obvious is to shut down any discussion of balls and strikes. But also consider things less obvious.

Are you working solo or in a crew for most of your games? Sometimes, its not just the coaches initiating the arguing. Sometimes it could be your own body language telling it, such as a poker tell on close or missed pitches. It could be timing, a movement, or checking your indicator or demeanor between innings. On close pitches, glance over at your partner, see what your partner is doing. See if the coach is looking to him for a read. If your partner is also putting out body language signals or looks about the pitch, that is far worse than what the coaches are doing.

Everyone has days where zones meander. Constant questioning of it can erode your confidence. But if that questioning of your zone is invited by your own nonverbal signals, or even worse from partners, you have issues to transcend that are beyond your zone. It can have a snowball effect on your game that just shutting down the arguing won't fix.

Very good post, this is very true.