Spiked Helmet - auto EJ?

[ExCop]

Dumped a kid last night for spiking his helmet after getting called out at first. Good 9 foot toss into the fence on his way back to the dugout; bloody thing even bounced right back to the foul line!

Coach seemed genuinely shocked though that this would warrant an EJ. I have always understood that this type of unsportsmanlike conduct to show up an umpire's judgement call was an auto EJ.

Am I wrong? I saw it as a fairly routine EJ....

[Richard_Siegel]

Dumped a kid last night for spiking his helmet after getting called out at first. Good 9 foot toss into the fence on his way back to the dugout; bloody thing even bounced right back to the foul line!

Coach seemed genuinely shocked though that this would warrant an EJ. I have always understood that this type of unsportsmanlike conduct to show up an umpire's judgement call was an auto EJ.

Am I wrong? I saw it as a fairly routine EJ....

If you are sure the helmet was spike because the runner believed you calling him out was wrong then he should be tossed.

However, many players who have just grounded out for the 8th time in row are so fruatrated by this additional failure to get on base will vent their frustrations and spiking their helmets too. If you can determine that the spike was his own frustion at his own failure (ie. he was thrown out by 12 feet) then you might just let it go with a stern warning to him and his team.

In any case don't let it go with saying something and giving a warning, otherwise when the next does it as a form of protest to your call you will have already set a precedent to allow it.

Maybe if you didn't kick the call at 1B the kid wouldn't have tossed his helmet.

[ExCop]

If you are sure the helmet was spike because the runner believed you calling him out was wrong then he should be tossed.

...

Maybe if you didn't kick the call at 1B the kid wouldn't have tossed his helmet.

1. Yes, positive. Player made that much clear.

2. I was PU, so the out call was made by my partner, not me. And it was a solid call. His back was turned jogging back to foul territory, so I did the toss. We spoke after, and he thanked me for getting his back.

[OzUmp]

I seem to recall the Kaiser's troops wore a spiked helmet in WWI. I notice they (pommies, frogs, and the tardy ones) did not have a lot of luck ejecting them.

[Richard_Siegel]

I seem to recall the Kaiser's troops wore a spiked helmet in WWI. I notice they (pommies, frogs, and the tardy ones) did not have a lot of luck ejecting them.

Ken Kaiser never wore no spiked helment.

[umpjmb]

I know some bikers who wear spiked helmets... I don't think they play baseball, though... JB

[3appleshigh]

I once spiked a punch, but never spiked a helmet.

[Will]

[quote=Richard_Siegel]2. I was PU, so the out call was made by my partner, not me. And it was a solid call. His back was turned jogging back to foul territory, so I did the toss. We spoke after, and he thanked me for getting his back.

That a' boy! Good ejection!

[JBowling]

If it's FED rules, it would fall under carelessy thrown equipment. OBR and NCAA, it needs to be an obvious protest to the call.

I had a player, under NCAA rules, do a similar thing yesterday except his helmet went about 20 ft. down the right field line and he was also out by five steps. There was no way he was protesting the call. Just frustrated by hitting a weak grounder to short on a hangin' curve for about the third time today.

[MSPChris]

I had two spiked helmets yesterday, in two separate games. 1st was a warning, 2d was an EJ. Interesting because both helmets were spiked the same way, straight down onto the floor of the dugout, HARD.

1st game, player struck out and was really pissed off at himself (and he should have been, because the pitcher made him look absolutely helpless). He got to the dugout, and bam! I called time, called the MGR in from the 3B coach's box, and said: "I know your hitter's pissed, and he didn't say anything to me, and I know that helmet wasn't directed towards anyone but himself. THERE IS NO WAY HE CAN DO THAT. (I didn't shout it but i did raise my voice loud enough to be heard from the dugout.) You need to tell him that right now -- I thought about tossing him, but I'm not."

Coach went to the dugout right then and benched him. The spike could have easily been an EJ -- I'm going to claim a HTBT for warning the player because it was honestly a humiliating AB for the kid.

2d game (different teams, different venue), runner picked off at 1b, wanted a balk. No balk. He was pissed, got to the dugout, and SLAM. Insta-gone. Assistant coach claims that the kid didn't say anything (his own kid). Asst. actually makes manager come out to talk to me. Mgr and I were on the same page. Game continued without incident.

I read the above posts, thought my experience was worth passing along. Two games, two pretty identical spikes. Different circumstances, different targets (of the anger), different results.

[ShoNuff]

I'm still trying to picture the spiked helmet. Were the cleats pointed down or up and where were they attached?
:wink:

[lpd63]

Sorry to revive this old thread, but I happened to come across "All Quiet on the Western Front" on cable last night...All the soldiers had spiked helmets :lol: :lol: