Was I a jerk?

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

I know that NONE of you would ever try to position a player... but do you think "I'll coach, you umpire" crossed a line? Do you think me telling my player to do the opposite of what I was instructed to do crossed a line?

I try to treat blue better than I expect to be treated in blue... but sometimes they make it very difficult.

Aside from the distance,

Did that one line and player instruction cross the line? No.

Could/should you have said it in a less confrontational manner? Remembering this is 8U rec league, and it is an 8U rec umpire, not an ASA Qualifier. Absolutely.

As a leader in that umpiring community, there were a number of better ways to handle it. The fact that you were wearing a different hat at that moment shouldn't change that. That you ask the question means you already know that, and hope we will let you off the hook.