Fan distracting players
 

In a high school game, a parent sitting behind the backstop is calling out to each batter where the catcher is setting up for each pitch. Fans from the opposing team start yelling at this person to stop. Should the umpire stop the game and address this situation?

If you consider it coaching from out of dugout, yes.
If it is affecting the players/game, probably.
If it is inflammatory, yes.

Go to the head coach of the offensive team and tell him his "coach" needs to be in the dugout or stop.

Handle these by involving game management to intervene with the fans.

I do not care! Is the fan threatening you, your partner, or any participant in the game with violence? No. Forget it and keep the game moving.

MTD, Sr.

Except that it's illegal for a coach to be coaching from there.

" Fans from the opposing team start yelling at this person to stop"
Do you really want to umpire and think the game will keep moving properly with that going on? :eek:

What rule do you use to support this? They aren't team personnel. Only team personnel have to stay in the dugout no?

I'll preface my remarks by saying that I do a lot more ASA games than I do NFHS games.

That said, I think it would be easier to address on the HS level because of the game managers that are typically on site. My first conversation would be with the coach of the offending team.

The rules don't allow for players or coaches to be behind the backstop. If a parent/fan is being obnoxious, I'd ask the coach to address the behavior.

I understand that there's likely to be a split of opinion about what umpires should or should not do in these instances.

A well coached team could find ways around this. Of course all of this assumes that a pitcher can actually hit the target that the catcher is calling for. I know you've all done games where the pitcher isn't in the same zip code. In any case, a few faux outside targets that result in a bit of chin music will quickly put the parent's calls of pitch location in question. Again, assuming the pitcher actually has that kind of control.

I'll say I've had more issues w/ ASA games than HS games. I've only tried addressing issues on the other side of the fence a few times. One time my partner and I were discussing potential strategies between innings. The catcher must have overheard part of the conversation because on the next close pitch, our heckler started in again only to have the catcher turn toward the fence and yell out "Dad! Shut UP!" Now there's a catcher that knows how to call a game! ;)

If you consider it coaching

Since when is a fan (in this case a parent) a coach. Do not go looking for problems that do not exist.

MTD, Sr.

Had this exact issue in a HS game last year. I just turned to the parent and asked them to stop. They did. No issue.

If your State Association does not recognize that person as a coach, you don't have the authority to make their comments "coaching".

In my state, that person is not allowed in the team area, nor on the field. That makes him a fan, not a coach, and not subject to coaching restrictions. :(

Gotcha.

Does your area have any kind of 'game management' present? Around here, schools are supposed to have some kind of personnel present to help out in situations like this. Here, I would go to the coach and them to get that person(s), and have them that those people need to follow the NYS Sportsmanship Rule - which includes spectators as well as players and coaches. If they persist, we then can have the game management to remove those people.

I actually had something like that twice this last volleyball season. Was working junior high level ball, when the visiting coaches came to me during the warm ups, and said a group of boys were making remarks to her players. Since we were in warm ups, I went right to the local game management - one an asst. principal, one an AD, and things got settled REAL quick. :p

The point is that it is not your job to enforce things like that, but the host school. If they do NOT provide that proper and sporting setting, then as an official have the ultimate option of not playing if you think it is not conducive for fair play. But it will never go that far - hopefully, especially not in this game.

And in mine they don\'t want any coaching going on from behind the catcher - from either team.