- May 29, 2015
- 3,827
- 113
This is the problem. No umpire.
You're the one that actually got cheated. It should have been dead ball when the pitcher had possession on the mound. Your runner should have been sent to the base he was closest to when that happened. The tag should not have counted.
I disagree. No umpire is the solution, not the problem.
Before delving deep into the umpiring life, I ran our local summer program. Coach pitch was always the biggest thorn in our side due to the coaches’ behaviors. We decided we would no longer provide umpires (typically a 15 or 16 year old player getting $20) for them to abuse.
When we announced this at our pre-season meeting, the coaches were outraged. One piped up and asked (and this is a direct quote) “If there is no umpire, who do I yell at when I don’t agree?”
I wanted to say “You just proved my point.” Instead I said “Why are you yelling at anybody, let alone a kid we sent out there?You will be making calls as the coaches. Our coach pitch is instructional, not competitive.”
The coach replied “I don’t have time to be watching the play, I’m busy coaching my team.”
(Insert forehead slap here.)
Now I said “You just proved my point. Why were you yelling if you aren’t even watching the plays?”
Umpires in 8u/coach pitch aren’t umpires. They are babysitters for emotionally stunted coaches. (I am NOT saying ALL coaches!)