Calling pitches - by the parents?

[coach james]

I expect a certain level of professionalism out of a home plate umpire. And apart from simply enforcing the game rules he/she should enforce unwritten rules like sportsmanship, hussle, and language. And a knucklehead parent in the stands picking signs or pitches is not only unsportsman like, its uncalled for and I wouldn't accept it. I'm amazed as to how many people don't live by the "Golden Rule"...

 

[Hit by the Pitch]

I have learned that the more the parents get involved during a game the worse their players are going to perform. Have at it as far as I am concerned, just not DD’s Team.

 

[Comp]

If you expect professionalism out of an umpire, then you should expect them to enforce the rules as written. Any umpire that attempts to enforce "unwritten" rules will most likely end up with a protest on their hands. There is no rule support for an umpire to enforce any of these supposed infractions.

 

[ms244]

So any parent can say or do anything they want without any impact in their team just because it isn't in the rules? Good luck with that one. I have seen many of parents ejected from games for saying the wrong thing to opposing coaches, parents and of course the umpire. Like stated before this NOT the reason we lost the game, nor am I making excuses like some others have stated. I am simply bringing up a part of the game that should be brought under control. Let the players play and the parents watch.

 

[SoftSocDad]

So any parent can say or do anything they want without any impact in their team just because it isn't in the rules? Good luck with that one. I have seen many of parents ejected from games for saying the wrong thing to opposing coaches, parents and of course the umpire. Like stated before this NOT the reason we lost the game, nor am I making excuses like some others have stated. I am simply bringing up a part of the game that should be brought under control. Let the players play and the parents watch.

What is it that you want from the group of readers here? The umpires are telling you that they have no authority to control a non-coach parent. If local leagues or tournament directors give their umpires that authority - which is what you're saying you've seen in the past - please understand that this still has nothing to do with the rules of softball.

You can choose to confront people because of their bad behavior, but you cannot control them.

 

[ms244]

I don't "want" anything from the group here except to engage in a friendly discussion about something that happened at a recent game. Instead I get accused of having excuses about why we lost

I do expect parents to behave better than a 10yo kid and an umpire to keep control.

 

[MTR]

I don't "want" anything from the group here except to engage in a friendly discussion about something that happened at a recent game. Instead I get accused of having excuses about why we lost

I do expect parents to behave better than a 10yo kid and an umpire to keep control.

IOW, you want the response you want to hear. Any umpire, EVEN IN THE NCAA, only carry the authority provided them by the sanctioning body or the local leagues. In the NCAA and most HS games, it isn't the umpire which admonishes those outside the fences, it is the appointed administrator which is NOT a game official. Umpires do not, nor should they, interact with those not directly involved with the game.

 

[MandM]

A&E... a good umpire would shut that down.

The problem is that - at least for the ASA rule book that I have- there is no discussion of spectator behavior. Coaches, players, others in the dugout, yes. But not the parents. The best I could find with regard to a rule is the following- (which is USSSA-tournament based):

"All players and coaches will be expected to behave in a sportsman like manner at all times. Any player, coach or parent / fan whose conduct is unbecoming or abusive will at a minimum be warned and may be removed from the playing field or stands at the discretion of the Tournament Officials or the Umpires."

There is significant lee-way here. I have been at tournaments where the HP umpire will not allow fans to sit behind home plate. At many of the tournament fields, there are screens anyway, to prevent this sort of thing. WHile I think it is poor form and annoying for a parent to call the apparent location of in-coming pitches, it may not be deemed unbecoming or abusive. I have also had the experience of having my DD subjected to derision by opposing team parents standing behind HP and questioning every call the ump made for my DD- this was in 14U; I wrote an email to the tournament director, and also, followed up with the head umpire that evening as it occurred at an off-site field. They kept a very tight leash on that team the next day, so voicing my concern, and making them aware, made a difference in the long run to what was tolerated. I think they also counseled the HP umpire of my DD's game about letting the behavior get out of hand.

IMO, the best course of action is to make sure your players are counseled. Additionally, you could find out ahead of time whether this is a type of spectator behavior that a tournament will tolerate. I think that pitch-calling is really annoying behavior, poor form, etc. but not necessarily unbecoming or abusive- which is usually where the line is drawn

 

[fastpitchdad8]

Umpires do not, nor should they, interact with those not directly involved with the game.

I would say that a parent picking signs, seated about 12 ft from home plate, has 'directly involved themself with the game".

I for one despise fields that allow fans to set up camp behind the backstop

 

[Umpire]

Have the catcher set up outside. Then, throw one up and in. That will put an end to it.