Coaches don't know the rules, argue most of the time!

[init4thegirls]

I'm embarrassed by the two guys I coach with almost every game. I get the impression they didn't ever play any sort of competitive ball so they have no clue, but think they're experts. I've been wrong a time or two but some people seem to enjoy making fools of themselves every time they go to the ballpark.

 

[MTR]

Along those same lines

Ump - "When taking signs from the catcher, your pitcher has to be on the plate."

He wasn't in his first year either.

What's the problem? The rules in all sets state that the pitcher must take or simulate taking the signs while in contact with the PP? Unless s/he can read mines, there is no way the umpire could possibly know when or from whom the pitcher is receiving her pitches. So, if the pitcher abides by the rule, for as far as the umpire knows, she is on the PP taking her signs.

 

[VA Chris]

12U must slide – There is no must slide rule, stop arguing about it

We have been telling all of our girls to slide just to suffice this rule. Even had the league send an update. Last night one of our runners was called out for a non slide on a past ball, but the ball was en route to the pitcher who was standing ten feet from the plate. Should have been a non play.

Worse case - had our simpleton 3rd Base Coach been paying attention instead of day dreaming same runner would have walked across the plate on the preceding plays over throw.

 

[Greenmonsters]

We have been telling all of our girls to slide just to suffice this rule. Even had the league send an update. Last night one of our runners was called out for a non slide on a past ball, but the ball was en route to the pitcher who was standing ten feet from the plate. Should have been a non play.

Worse case - had our simpleton 3rd Base Coach been paying attention instead of day dreaming same runner would have walked across the plate on the preceding plays over throw.

No doubt that you need to find a new league for your DD.

 

[Dabears17]

Folks not understanding what constitutes being 'out of the box' and that she has to make contact with the ball outside the box for it to be an out if she is out of the box.

 

[MaverickAH]

I was the PU for a 14U game. The hitting team had a runner on 1st when the batter hit a blooper to LC. The runner from 1B made the turn at 2B & thought about going to 3B but decided she couldn't make it & returned to 2B. Meanwhile the B/R, thinking that the runner was going to 3B, motored it down to 2B & didn't realize that the runner ahead of her had returned to 2B until they both were standing on the bag. She then reversed herself safely back to 1b. The ball, which was misplayed, was just getting back into the infield.

When all play stopped, here comes the HC for the defense running towards the BU. He says, "She's out! She's out! There were two base runners on the bag at the same time!" We try to explain to him that it's not an automatic out & that it just leaves one of the runners (the correct one!) subject to being put out. After being adamant about being correct & not getting his way, he says something insulting to the both of us & I throw him out of the game.

At the end of the inning, the AC comes over to me. She shows me something that she pulled up on her smartphone that said that 2 runners cannot occupy a base at the same time. Nothing about a penalty or anything else, just the statement. By rights, I could've thrown her out of the game as well for that action but that would've resulted in a forfeit & I didn't want to penalize the young ladies. I just shook my head in disbelief & returned to my position.

Addendum to the story:

I saw the same HC about a month later & asked him, "Did you pick up a rule book & review the rule regarding 2 runners on the same base?" He brushed by me & said flippantly, "I don't need to read a rule book!"

 

[Dabears17]

At the end of the inning, the AC comes over to me. She shows me something that she pulled up on her smartphone that said that 2 runners cannot occupy a base at the same time. Nothing about a penalty or anything else, just the statement. By rights, I could've thrown her out of the game as well for that action but that would've resulted in a forfeit & I didn't want to penalize the young ladies. I just shook my head in disbelief & returned to my position.

This is the second reference in the last few weeks to an umpire wanting to throw someone out of the game for showing them a rulebook. Where is that in the rules? Just curious because our local rules state, when someone wants to protest a call, that the coach has two minutes to find the rule number and section they are referring to for their protest.

 

[DJSAN]

I had one the other night. Ball was hit to third. Third fields it, throws it to first. First trips over the bag and lands on top of the white bag. Fumbles the ball. The batter/runner stopped running assuming she was out, twice. First picks up the ball and I called her out. 3rd base coach starts yelling cause her foot wasn't on the bag. I said no coach, but her butt was. Then he yelled that she dropped the ball and I needed to learn the rules. I said coach if you would coach fundamental softball and teach your players to run through first base, she would have been safe, but instead stopped twice on the way there. Then the coach argued that it had to be the first baseman's foot that makes the tag. I shook my head and said coach she's out. Then I heard him mumble something to the fact of I had a bad angel or something. I thought about dumping him, but me and my partner was to entertained by the rules he was making up. We had him for 2 games, and both games was stuff like that. Good times.

 

[MaverickAH]

This is the second reference in the last few weeks to an umpire wanting to throw someone out of the game for showing them a rulebook. Where is that in the rules? Just curious because our local rules state, when someone wants to protest a call, that the coach has two minutes to find the rule number and section they are referring to for their protest.

A) It wasn't a rule book! It was just something she pulled up on her smartphone from Google.

B) Electronic devices, unless they are for scorekeeping, are not allowed.

C) Your local rules are just that, local. Even if I was governed by that same rule, the AC did this at the end of the inning which was most definitely not within your two minute window.

D) If the coaches wanted to officially protest the ruling, they could have done so at the point when the play occurred. The particular league that it happened in has a rule that says all ruling questions must be addressed on the field immediately. The rule was politely explained to them immediately after they questioned the play. Did they have a rule book with them? NO & it's not my job to supply them with one! The smartphone antic was an obvious attempt to show me up! maybe you think that's acceptable. I don't!

 

[Ajaywill]

This is the second reference in the last few weeks to an umpire wanting to throw someone out of the game for showing them a rulebook. Where is that in the rules? Just curious because our local rules state, when someone wants to protest a call, that the coach has two minutes to find the rule number and section they are referring to for their protest.

The umpire is not ejecting for showing him a rule book, the ejection is for attempting to show up the umpire. Someone that walks out of the dugout waving a rule book telling the umpire he's wrong should be ejected.

That is a completely different scenario from consulting the rule book to rule on a protest.