Another thing I have noticed the last 10 years or so is the extraordinary number of players who have taken it upon themselves to engage an umpire on a bad call, respond to some ragging by the other team, etc...And the worst part is that the parents don't seem to want to police this themselves (and some seem to encourage it).

In 1998, my team was playing in an 18U AAU Tournament at Disney. We were in a quarterfinal game, so we had been playing well for the previous six days. One of my players, after an inside pitch to him was called a strike (strike one by the way), took it upon himself to draw a line in the dirt to "show the umpire where the pitch was". I was coaching 3B. As soon as I saw it, I screamed at the player and told him to have a seat on the bench. I was ejecting him. I knew the umpire would eject him, so I beat the ump to the punch. The tournament was playing Federation rules, so any ejected player would miss the next game as well. By taking him out, I preserved him for the next game. The ump even told me it was a good thing I did what I did, cause he was two seconds from ejecting him from the game.

The player's parents were incredulous with me. They felt that I embarrassed their baby and didn't understand why I made such a big deal about it. The ump overheard them blasting me, and to his credit, walked up and explained to them I saved his butt for the next day. They didn't care (or didn't want to hear it). To them, I showed their baby up. I tried getting through to them, but ultimately told them if they didn't like it, they could head on back home with junior...and I'd collect his uniform later.

I just can't believe the looks and comments I have been seeing players and parents make to umpires. Just ridiculous!

LT

Great story and good for you.

I was at a Stanford game at Sunken diamond many years ago can't remember who they were playing. Third inning visting team is up to bat. The batter is the visiting teams first baseman. He hits a easy grounder to SS and gets thrown out for the third out of the inning. As he is running up first base line he let's fly the loudest F bomb. Tons of small kids at the game. As he is returning to the bench to get his equipment the Head Coach meets him half way and starts a animated discussion with him as his replacement heads to first base. That coach impressed me that day by removing him from the game.

You did the correct thing. Always respect the game. The losers are the kids parents that did not see that you were saving their son even more grief and embarassment. Would love to see more coaches like you and that college coach.

There's a nine year old in our league that (on more than one ocassion) has turned and given the ump a dirty look on called strike. He'll then face the pitcher and shake his head, then get ready for the next pitch. I'm just waiting for the day an umpire will call him on it.

I was at a fall ball game a few years ago and an 8 year old who had been watching way too much ESPN got himself ejected by arguing an out call when he was caught stealing. Jumped up from his slide, said that's BS, and then kicked dirt on the ump. Parents had to be blocked from going onto the field.

Still one of the worst scenes I have ever seen.

quote:

Originally posted by 08Dad:
I was at a fall ball game a few years ago and an 8 year old who had been watching way too much ESPN got himself ejected by arguing an out call when he was caught stealing. Jumped up from his slide, said that's BS, and then kicked dirt on the ump. Parents had to be blocked from going onto the field.

Still one of the worst scenes I have ever seen.

Were the parents wanting to go on the field to back up their baby, or to bust him in the butt for doing what he did?

quote:

Originally posted by always_late:
There's a nine year old in our league that (on more than one ocassion) has turned and given the ump a dirty look on called strike. He'll then face the pitcher and shake his head, then get ready to pitch. I'm just waiting for the day an umpire will call him on it.

quote:

I was at a fall ball game a few years ago and an 8 year old who had been watching way too much ESPN got himself ejected by arguing an out call when he was caught stealing. Jumped up from his slide, said that's BS, and then kicked dirt on the ump. Parents had to be blocked from going onto the field.

These two need to be Sports Illustrated's Sign of the Apocalypse in their magazine.

No let's not have any kind of classes on how to raise children or even what causes people to have children. Everyone will be great parents and do a wonderful job because it's natural.

We have always had a parent's meeting. In that meeting I outline what is going to happen to a player the instant they talk to an ump. I then reference the first player to break that rule. That rule has not been breached since. I also outline parents behavior with regardst to umpires and how they can really hurt our chances of winning. Consistency is a must when dealing with this situation.

In tournaments, as a parent, I always inform the umps that from my seat I have a better view than he does when it comes to balls and strikes.

Most laugh, some ignore. Would this get my son kicked off of a team?

We played a 16U/17U tournament last weekend. A batter on our team exclaimed that the strike (#2) called was BS (he phrased it a little more colorfully), the umpire asked him what he said, the player stepped out of the batters box looked the Ump straight in the face and repeated his comment. He was promptly ejected.

Now comes the part that really troubles me- the parents of the boy and a couple of other parents on the team were mad at the ump for not issuing him a warning before ejecting & they were getting loud about it. I said you joking right? He is old enough to drive, he is way old enough to know never to argue a call with the ump and be so disrespectful. It got so chilly in the stands after that I almost had to go sit in the car.

I guess some parents never quit coddling.

With our travel team our kids are told that the only voices the umps shall hear shall be those of the coaches and if anyone gets tossed it is usually me because I just keep the book--I am non essential to running the team on the field--I am dispensable-- and the kids love watching me get tossed because there is usually a message in it when it happens--like my handing the ump my glasses as a going away gift--message delivered

Oh they were headed out on the field to argue with the ump and berate him for throwing out their kid... Cost them a one month ban from the park - and their kid a 3 game suspension...

Wish I had a video of it - there was a video of the game but it was taping the hitters on a tripod and no one thought to swing it around towards second

I have gotten to the point that when parents start in on the umps @ baseball or the refs @ basketball that I say to the parents if you keep yelling at these guys all the time they will just quit umping our kids games. Yes, they are paid, but you can't pay someone enough to take the verbal abuse (and more) that some parents dish out. In our area, they are always looking for high school officials so we better start treating them better.

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I have gotten to the point that when parents start in on the umps @ baseball

why worry less time the parents will be on the coach blame the ump for a toigh loss

Will
That's the way to go. Blame the ump the sun and the alignment of the moon and stars! I understand you're just kidding. We had a 14U game last night against a tough team and our pitcher and theirs were battling. They walked the lead off guy in a late inning 1 run game. We ran a series fake bunts to get the infield moving and to get at the pitcher who was having control trouble. After ball three a fan from the other team yells "if he does that again hit him." It was in spanish which I don't speak but our head coach does and he comes unglued. I question sometimes if these parents are actually sane?

Jimnev, what I have found over the years is there are parents and just people that you aren't going to agree with. The thing is as a coach you have to not even hear that kind of stuff and focus on what is important your kids on the field or dugout. If you let those kind of things bug you, then sometimes it seems you might be questioning yourself as a coach. I know this because I have done that in the past. Parents(moms and dads) have yelled much worse than that at asome of my games. The way you handle it is talk to them away from the games. If you have umppires worth a darn they will deal with it there at the games. Now if I know the parents well and we have a relationship then that might be a little different story. I have had to make eye contact or talk to parents in beteen innings before or after games. The thing is, it is going to happen and will always happen. I don't agree with it, but it will happen.

Coach W

quote:

Originally posted by CaBB:
I have gotten to the point that when parents start in on the umps @ baseball or the refs @ basketball that I say to the parents if you keep yelling at these guys all the time they will just quit umping our kids games. Yes, they are paid, but you can't pay someone enough to take the verbal abuse (and more) that some parents dish out. In our area, they are always looking for high school officials so we better start treating them better.

As an officer in a number of umpire associations, I am often asked by a number of youth leagues we service why they cant get or keep quality officials... the above statement is by far the best account of why that is so....

There is a shortage of umpires at most every level, and with that being said, umpires will gravitate towards the better level of play with the least unwarrented grief.....

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The player's parents were incredulous with me. They felt that I embarrassed their baby and didn't understand why I made such a big deal about it. The ump overheard them blasting me, and to his credit, walked up and explained to them I saved his butt for the next day. They didn't care (or didn't want to hear it). To them, I showed their baby up. I tried getting through to them, but ultimately told them if they didn't like it, they could head on back home with junior...and I'd collect his uniform later.

who wants to put up with that. and they wonder why coaches dont want to coach.

quote:

There is a shortage of umpires at most every level, and with that being said, umpires will gravitate towards the better level of play with the least unwarrented grief.....

PIAA couldn't have said it any better than that. Whether umpiring or coaching, it seems that the older and more skilled the players, the less grief you have to put up with. Both the players and their parents seem to have a greater understanding of the game, and appreciation for the people who work at those games to make it possible for their boys to play.