EJ #1 in '05

[lawump]

I'll just post my ejection report that I sent to the proper authorities. This is from earlier in the season. All school, team and umpire names have been changed here. The report is below the dashed line I have inserted in this post.

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Specific matter being reported: This is a report of the ejection of a Team x assistant coach. Team x appeared to have two assistant coaches: one who coached first base, and one who appeared to be a bench coach. The assistant coach ejected was the bench coach (I do not know his name).

Events Prior to the Ejection: During the course of the game this bench coach mostly sat on a fold-out chair located at the end of the dugout furthest from home plate. I had noticed that several times during the game prior to this incident this bench coach had stood up and argued several calls that either my partner or I had made.

In the top of the sixth inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, the visiting team batter swung on the next pitch. The ball got past the catcher and went to the backstop. The catcher and team x head coach immediately argued that the ball had been fouled off. My partner, John Smith (the home plate umpire), adjudged that the batter had swung and missed the ball completely. The catcher stood at the plate and continued to argue, and did not retrieve the ball, allowing the batter to reach first base and two visiting team runners to score.

After the play, the team x head coach went to the home plate area to talk to Mr. Smith. I remained near my original position (on the third base side of the infield, halfway between the back of the pitcher’s mound and edge of the infield grass). Shortly thereafter, Mr. Smith began to walk toward me. I immediately knew Mr. Smith was coming to ask me if I had seen the play differently than he had. I walked toward the plate area so that he could hear me (we had a large and loud crowd).

Stopping near the pitcher’s mound I told Mr. Smith, “there is no way I could tell from where I was standing. It’s your call.”

Events resulting in the ejection: Upon talking to Mr. Smith, I turned and started to return to my position. Upon turning, I noticed that the bench coach had left the dugout, come onto the field (well onto the grass in foul territory down by the home plate end of the dugout), had removed his hat from his head and was yelling in the direction of the home plate area while waving his hat. I immediately started to listen to hear what the bench coach was saying as Mr. Smith's attention was occupied by the head coach who was arguing with Mr. Smith at the plate. I quickly determined that the bench coach had entered the playing field to argue with the home plate umpire (despite the fact, as mentioned above, that the head coach was already discussing the play on behalf of Team x with Mr. Smith at home plate).

I heard the bench coach yell, “that terrible! There’s two of you out here. Get it right!”

I ejected the bench coach for entering live ball territory to argue a judgment call.

Events after the Ejection: It was immediately clear to me that the bench coach did not realize he had been ejected as he was facing the home plate area when I had ejected him from the infield. He also could not hear me over the yell of the crowd. He returned to the dugout not knowing he had been ejected. When he reached the dugout, I moved over toward the third base foul line and gave the ejection mechanic again to inform him that he had been ejected. He saw this mechanic and asked, “are you ejecting me?”

I responded, “yes”.

The bench coach then charged me, running out of the dugout, yelling “Why are you ejecting me? Why are you ejecting me?”

The bench coach did not stop until we were face-to-face, and he continued to scream in my face, “Why are you ejecting me?”

I said sternly, “You are ejected from coming onto the field to argue.”

He then continued to yell at me. At one point during the course of the argument he brought his arms and hands in front of his person making contact with me.

I immediately said loudly and sternly, “Get off of me!”

He said, “I didn’t touch you! I didn’t touch you!”

At this point I could see that the Team x head coach and other assistant coach had begun to leave the home plate area and were heading toward us. While the bench coach continued to scream in my face, I turned to the other coaches who were walking toward us and said, “Get him off me!”

The bench coach yelled again, “Why are you ejecting me?”

I said, “Any time an assistant coach comes onto the field, removes his cap and argues a call he is going to be ejected.”

While I was saying this, the other team x assistant coach came up to us and said “step back,” to the bench coach. However, I instead stepped back allowing both the assistant coach and the head coach to come between me and the bench coach. I turned and walked back to my position while the other team x coaches escorted the bench coach to the dugout.

Events after the ejection: The bench coach continued to yell at me while walking to the dugout. Once in the dugout, he paced several times up and down in the dugout yelling, “you’re terrible!” “People didn’t come here to see you!”

The bench coach left the dugout before the next pitch. For the remainder of the game he stood well down the left field line, about 50-60 behind the fence surrounding the field.

[SocalBlue1]

Where do I start?

1. Poor mechanics by the crew. You stated that TWO coaches and F2 were arguing with your partner. You should have been peeling folks off to make it one on one (Head coach & your partner).

2. Once the bench coach approached and you confirmed the ejection TURN AROUND AND WALK AWAY!. It's now up to your partner to remove him from the field.

3. If you can't help with the call you can't help, though the crew should go away from the players and confer in private. To do otherwise is throwing your partner under the bus.

4. You should have been with your partner in the plate area during he entire incident. If you had, you would have had eye contact with the bench coach - no question as to when or why he was ejected.

There is a very good article on this site (Sections area, Situations link) about handling situations such as this. I suggest that you read the article - it's full of of good advise.

[DP]

Sounds like a typical game in my neighborhood. (LOL)

[SalGiaco]

I had noticed that several times during the game prior to this incident this bench coach had stood up and argued several calls that either my partner or I had made.

This is where it all started - you can NOT let a bench coach do this at all. The first time he stands up and argues loud enough too where you and your partner notice it, you need to put a STOP to it immediately.

This is the biggest problem that umpires don't address enough. The head coach or manager has more room to pop off but the assistants do not. Nip it in the bud early and chances are, things won't escalate later in the game.

[lawump]

Where do I start?

1. Poor mechanics by the crew. You stated that TWO coaches and F2 were arguing with your partner. You should have been peeling folks off to make it one on one (Head coach & your partner).

2. Once the bench coach approached and you confirmed the ejection TURN AROUND AND WALK AWAY!. It's now up to your partner to remove him from the field.

3. If you can't help with the call you can't help, though the crew should go away from the players and confer in private. To do otherwise is throwing your partner under the bus.

4. You should have been with your partner in the plate area during he entire incident. If you had, you would have had eye contact with the bench coach - no question as to when or why he was ejected.

There is a very good article on this site (Sections area, Situations link) about handling situations such as this. I suggest that you read the article - it's full of of good advise.
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Responding to each point:

1. First, I re-read my ejection report...I don't read where it says two coaches and F2 were arguing with my partner. F2 did argue...but while the ball was still alive. Furthermore, while the ball was still alive, the head coach and other assistant coach did start coming out of the dugout yelling "it's foul, it's foul". But I can't start moving toward home plate to help my partner...because the ball was still alive.

As I said in my report, "After the play, the team x head coach went to the home plate area to talk to Mr. Smith."

The assistant coach whom I ejected never reached the home plate area, as I stated in my report, he moved from his seat at the end of the dugout furtherest from home plate, to the end of the dugout closest to home plate. He was 35-feet away from home plate, and about 20-feet out in front of that end of the dugout. He was arguing out in front of the home plate end of his dugout, NOT at home plate.

During the argument between my partner and head coach (which was one-on-one) F2 went and stood by the other assistant coach about 15 to 20 feet away from the home plate dirt. They weren't saying anything toward my partner. They were doing exactly what they should do: let the head coach handle it.

In my report I said, that while the bench coach was yelling at me (after being ejected) I could see the head coach and other assistant coach coming toward us from the plate area. Obviously, the head coach had to leave the dirt of the plate area (where he was arguing with my partner) to come toward us. The other assistant coach simply walked from his spot (15 to 20 feet away from the plate dirt), which when standing up the third base line (where I was) could reasonably be called leaving the general home plate area.

There were poor mechanics used by us in this situation. My partner gave me an apology after the game and told me he should have never come to me for help on the original play. That was his call. In my pre-game conference I always make sure that the mechanic is: if the base umpire sees something at the plate (ball hit the runner, etc.) he'll call "dead ball". If he says nothing, then he saw nothing, and the plate umpire should tell any coach who argues for the plate umpire to get help from the base umpire "that he (the base umpire) would have called it if he saw it." The plate umpire screwed up and apologized at length after the game, before I even brought it up in our post-game.

I also think my plate umpire should have been getting between us at least at the same time as the team's other coaches were.

2. Disagree. I am not going to walk away from a coach who is sprinting at me. (And make no mistake, he sprinted at me). I am going to stand and hold my ground. Please note I did not walk toward him (while he was running at me) which could be construed as being confrontational, but I am not going to turn my back on a coach sprinting at me and look "afraid" either.

I was taught at umpire school (Brinkman-Froemming) not to turn and walk away from a coach running after you. I will never turn and walk away from a coach sprinting after me. I will not go after him, I won't meet him halfway, and I won't start screaming at him. Rather, I will stand there and wait for him (usually with my hands by my side or on my waist...as I did here) and then hear what he has to say and respond accordingly. When he gets there, I usually keep my mouth shut and just listen...to see if there is going to be an honest-to-god question, or whenther he's just going to yell.

In this case, it was unusual that the coach had been ejected before even coming to where I was. So, my partner should be moving in more quickly than normal. But I am not going to walk away when he's sprinting after me (and my partner was way too far away to intercept him). I am going to hold my ground.

Also, if when told of the ejection he just started yelling from the dugout (and remained there) I would have walked back to my position, but not when he's running onto the field after me.

When a coach has been ejected, if he doesn't leave after a reasonable period of time I expect the umpire not involved, to step in. When he does, I'll walk away and let my partner assist the coach off the field. In this case the other coaches stepped in, and when they did, I walked away and let the assistant coaches assist him off the field.

3. As mentioned in #1, my partner had the mechanic screw-up and apologized after the game. There is absolutely no need in a two-man crew for a home plate umpire to ask for help on this play, when the mechanic has been covered over-and-over by me (and others) (as teachers) in our association's classes and before each game I work.

And yes, I felt I was thrown under a school bus and I was peaved. There are certain plays that are each umpire's call and his alone. (And yes I'm well aware that pro umpires and us college umpires are moving towards "getting it right" and I'm all for it.) But when this situation is covered over-and-over in classes and in the pre-game conference, and the plate umpire knows that if the base umpire doesn't come up with "dead ball", then the base umpire didn't see anything, then the plate umpire needs to take control of the situation (argument) and not let the base umpire even get involved in the argument itself.

Many, many times I have said, "Coach I'm not asking him for help because if he had seen it different, he would have called the ball dead immediately." That usually takes care of it.


4. Possibly. I have thought about this the most. However, as stated above, the bench coach never got to the plate area. He was on the grass, out in front of the end of his dugout closest to home plate. He was probably 35 feet away from home plate, and about 20 feet out in front of his dugout. The other assistant coach had walked toward home plate, but he stopped 20 feet short of the plate area when the head coach got there. The catcher went and stood off to the side and stopped arguing when the head coach got there. Thus, the initial argument was what it should have been: one-on-one...and I made sure.

After asking for help from me, the argument between the plate and head coach remained one-on-one.

However, I probably could have remained nearer the mound ready to jump in if anyone moved toward the plate area. But, when I moved back after being asked for help, I did keep my eye on everyone else as evident by the fact that when the bench coach went over the line, I ejected him.

The bench coach was facing the home plate umpire when yelling, but he was 35-feet away, and my partner had no idea the bench coach was even on the field or yelling as he was totally absorbed by his "conversation" with the head coach. The ejected coach was directing his tirade toward home plate...but he was NO WHERE near home plate. He was taking long-distance cheap shots. (Maybe I should have made that clearer in the report?)

So in the end, the argument at the plate was one-on-one. I watched everyone else, to make sure (1) everyone else stayed away (which they did) and (2) no one started lobbing "cheap shots" (which one coach did, which is why he got tossed).

[lawump]

I had noticed that several times during the game prior to this incident this bench coach had stood up and argued several calls that either my partner or I had made.

This is where it all started - you can NOT let a bench coach do this at all. The first time he stands up and argues loud enough too where you and your partner notice it, you need to put a STOP to it immediately.

This is the biggest problem that umpires don't address enough. The head coach or manager has more room to pop off but the assistants do not. Nip it in the bud early and chances are, things won't escalate later in the game.

First, you are right.

My defense (and it is weak) is that this was a game with major playoff implications played between arch-rivals (this town's only two high schools). I went into the game with a lot more patience than normal, and as it turned out a lot more than I should have had. In fact, I told the assignor that my only regret is that I did not eject earlier.

My second (weak) defense is that after leaving pro ball (where I was a red-ass) and returning to amateur ball, I have tried to tone it down. One cannot go around ejecting people for looking at you funny in high school baseball as they can in pro ball. After this game, I'm actually wondering if I've toned it down too much.

My third (weak) defense, is that I gave a loud warning to the other assistant coach on this team the prior inning. The other assistant coach on a trip to visit his pitcher started arguing about a check swing that I adjudged on appeal not to be a swing. I actually said loud enough for everyone in both dugouts to hear, "that's enough! I'm not going to listen to assistant coach argue." (That was my actual line). He immediately shut up. I mean he didn't say even another word. Silly me, I actually thought the other coaches would catch on. They (or at least one of them) didn't, as evident by my prior post.

I will add that after the ejection, we had another incident at the plate (I don't even remember what it was...nothing too major) and the head coach wanted to go and argue, but the assistant coach stopped him and actually told him not to go out. I guess the ejection got the point across...which only makes me wish I had done it earlier (as you so correctly pointed out).

[SalGiaco]

:(

Shame on you LawUmp - You should have known the "Traffic Cop" rule from your time in the game ;)

[lawump]

:(

Shame on you LawUmp - You should have known the "Traffic Cop" rule from your time in the game ;)

You're right. (Although I've never heard anyone say the "traffic cop rule". If you are referring to not taking crap from assistant coaches, then you're right).

As I hinted at above...since coming "back down", I've tried to work at not being a red-ass (I had 10 ejections my first year in pro-ball and that was in the short season New York/Penn League). When I first starting doing high school and college after pro, I had way too many ejections on the high school level. I mean I didn't tolerate anything. I think I had 4 or 5 ejections in high school my first year back and three the next year.

This ejection was my first in 3 years in high school. Again...maybe I've toned it down too much. Time for Mr. red-ass to reappear! :evil:

Just joking. But maybe a little more assertive.

(As an aside, if you mean by the "traffic cop rule" that I should make sure my partner's argument remains one-on-one...as I stated in my second post on this topic, it did. The only time more than one person was arguing was when the head coach started onto the field and the catcher was yelling, while the ball was still alive. I can't go anywhere, because I might have had a play on the bases.

Once it became dead, the catcher moved away (he was probably called away by the other assistant coach) and let the head coach handle the situation. Only the head coach and my partner were "talking" at the plate. I was sitting back watching the scene and making sure it stayed that way. When someone started hurling cheap shots, he was tossed. The ejected coach was never any closer at anytime than 35-feet from the plate).

[SalGiaco]

The traffic cop rule is that assistant coaches basically are traffic cops.... meaning their job on the field is to tell their players when to stop and when to go..... not to make comments/argue with umpires or players/coaches of the other team.

Keep in mind, we still treat them with respect and answer a question from them if within reason, but that's as far as it goes. Don't give them any slack or they will abuse it like your situation.

Our job is tough enough dealing with the head coach/manager let alone assistants/bench/base/pitching coaches. Remember, nip it in the bud early and hopefully you won't have problems later!

[lawump]

The traffic cop rule is that assistant coaches basically are traffic cops.... meaning their job on the field is to tell their players when to stop and when to go..... not to make comments/argue with umpires or players/coaches of the other team.

Keep in mind, we still treat them with respect and answer a question from them if within reason, but that's as far as it goes. Don't give them any slack or they will abuse it like your situation.

Our job is tough enough dealing with the head coach/manager let alone assistants/bench/base/pitching coaches. Remember, nip it in the bud early and hopefully you won't have problems later!

Absolutely! I agree with you and teach this to my association's members as chief instructor for my association. I just never heard it called the "traffic cop rule".

Although, once on the field (in a pro game) I heard a fellow umpire tell the first base coach, "That's enough! Your only job is to stand there and tell your runners to turn left!" Hence, maybe "traffic cop rule" is entirely appropriate.

I nearly wet my pants.