Ump walks off field in Pickerington

[default]

I don't think an ump can legally make a fan leave, he can forfeit the game though. We had an ump toss a fan and the fan said, "nope I ain't going nowhere." Ump looked at the coach and said, "You got one minute to get him out of here or the game is over." Coach didn't have to do much because the other fans(parents) took care of the situation. Fan was gone in 15 secs.

 

[default]

ringer, you're like john McClain, the wrong guy at the wrong place at the wrong time....

remind me not to get tossed/cause drama/drink beer/eat brauts when you are around... :

 

[default]

I never have seen when you are trying to start the game with the coin toss where one team delays and a Ump has to warn them 3 times to come to home plate.To find out it was a coach who was the tournamnet director team.Something is not right.WOW

P.S. Hockeybuckeye: coach was making a funny!!!:}

 

[default]

Hey Ringor, How did the parents make that person leave? Being in law enforcement years ago I can honestly say that if someone even put a hand on them or mentions physical retaliation to get them to go it's grounds for an arrest and I'd hate to see what should be a fun weekend end by posting bond after Monday morning court. Team sanctions against his DD is fine though.

 

[default]

I am sure the umps will be lining up for tournaments there in the near future....

Home team or not, you have to still respect the person you, the TD put behind the plate. I remember one we hosted had a few years back and our coach was tossed before the game for smoking on the field at warmups. Blue says you go, go...or as others have stated, the police just love to be called to a park to remove moronic people at a kid's game...

I guess in the end justice was served with the loss anyway, but the warm weather brings out the worst. It was idiot week in our own leagues, with coaches berating 14 year old girl umps... Needless to say they won't be around next year.

 

[default]

HockeyeBuckeye, IHaveAir is correct. ?I was trying to post an explaination last night when the site went down for maintenence. ?FlaRays (formerly OhioRays on here and JJHuddle) and I (formerly Stingrays_Coach here and at Huddle) were formerly frequent posters on both formers before moving to different states. ?While we were on here, I was a much more reserved and respectful poster, while FlaRays did everything he could to stir the pot, and I tried to call him on it, while getting in as many jabs as I possibly could. ?Seeing as he is my father, it is the least I could do to get back at him for all the laps he made me run when he was coaching my baseball and basketball teams growing up. ?

That being said, I obviously love my dad and have a lot of respect for what he has contributed to the softball communities in Ohio and Florida. ?He was the creator and first tournament director of the Stingrays Tournament in Ohio and the founder and president opf the Central Florida Stingrays in Orlando. ?He also served as the Pickerington High School Softball Booster Club President for a couple years while my sister was on the varsity team. ?

I apologize for any offense it might have caused, but I think some of the older posters who know who we are knew it was a joke. ?I'll make sure to add some ? ?;D ? in next time. ?Go Tigers and Go Panthers!!!

 

[default]

I cracked up when I read HockeyeBuckeye response to the "miscreant FlaRay". For the newcomers to this forum it would have whistled over their heads.

Matt and his father(FlaRay) have in the past livened up this forum with some of their hilarious back and forth banter. They use to crack me up. You could tell that there was a special bond between these two. I am glad to see them back on the board.

 

[default]

Thanks Jim, it has been fun follwoing things on this board again. The main board down here in Florida isn't very fun. However, helping my dad's Stingray teams down here has been fun. You haven't seen us at our best until you have seen us coaching in a championship game in 95 degree heat together!!!

 

[default]

I witnessed an incident in Pickerton this weekend as well. Based loaded, batter hits to 3B, who makes a clean throw to the catcher for the force at home. Looked like a routine play at the plate. Ump calls the runner safe because he says the catcher was not standing on the base. The base is, of course, not visable at all because the runner made a good slide and covered it with dirt. Then blue proceeded to call time and brush off the plate - brushing off the footprint of the catcher in the center of the plate! A parent stated - very respectfully - "That's right where she was standing, sir". Blue stood up, pointed to the parent, and said, "One more comment and you are watching this game from the outfield!".

I had no real interest in this game, just watching at the end of the day before I went home, but I thought that ump needed to chill out.

 

[default]

yeah, coach, leave all the offending to the ones who do it best, me and The Ringer!



in other news...something must have been in the water in Picktown...too much hatorade?

 

[default]

Pickerington fans can get pretty rowdy - How's that for a generalization? Saw this first hand in Ashland at the OHSAA D1 final four. Not just rowdy/boisterous cheering, but downright derogatory and VERY degrading comments to opposing players regarding wieght, looks/appearance, "orientation", etc. Was sitting next to the Pick coaches/dugout photographing the game for an article, and even the coaches were rolling their eyes embarrassed (female coach: "nice fans we have huh?&quot. Sometimes rowdiness can be funny, witty, clever, obnoxious in a humorous way - this was just plain ugly & nastiness though. In all fairness, it was mostly kids in the student section that were out of school for the day for the game, but it left an "impression" - the acorn/tree concept? Not meant to be too harsh toward any certain area, as you can see this anywhere, but let's just say it is too bad been the momentum starts rolling and a large group builds and gets out of hand. Been on the participation end also, regrettably :-[. Next best thing would be to have beer available and a mob scene. ?

 

[default]

WOW!! How did this go from one coach acting like a fool, to a outright slam against pickerington. I was at the D1 final four game and I have to say that there must have been some selective hearing because both student sections were saying things. Each student section was trying to cheer on their team and no one should think for one second that either side was innocent. Some people need to get their facts straight before creating a big scene. Anytime you go to a high school sporting event, there is going to be trash talk between the two teams. Nobody would have said anything if it was a football game, or even basketball, so what is the difference?

 

[default]

Sometimes I am glad I have a hearing impairment.

 

[default]

Let's get ready to Ruuuuuuuuuumble

Ding.....Ding.....Ding

 

[default]

I too was at the final 4. I was actually hearing the hudson rich kids being
nasty to our players and heard nothing from our student section. If it would have been a football game, the student section would have been very vocal
and would have been much larger than what i saw at the softball game.

i don't know where the cameraman was, but i didn't hear anything from
pickerington kids.

Maybe the cameraman was the reporter from the pickerington papers that chose not to promote the softball team throughout their fantastic season.
Other papers in surrounding communities did a much better job on the
fantastick team when they beat their local teams.

Go Tiger Softball!!!!!!!!!!

 

[default]

my error. pickledad is from hudson!!

 

[default]

Late last night, I was posting an explanation of the rules relating to umpire control of game participants and spectators, when the system went into "maintenance mode" and my entire post was lost!

Now, if I can just remember what I wrote.... :-?

Coach T, you have posted the NSA rule that covers this. But I think that your interpretation of the rule would be a bit too liberal.

The rule clearly says that the umpire has authority of players, coaches, captains and managers (ie: game participants). You will notice that the rule specifically does not mention spectators.

Yes, the umpire does have the power to rule on any points not covered by the rules. But this point is specifically covered by the rules! The rule states exactly who the umpire has authority over (game participants) and specifically leaves spectators out of the equation!

The power to rule on points not covered is not a blanket right to modify or delete rules that are explicitly covered in black-and-white.

The ASA rule reads almost exactly as the NSA rule posted and is interpreted the same way.

If the fans are getting so obnoxious that they are embarrasing the team's coach or players, there is nothing to prevent the coach from addressing his fans and telling them to tone it down. In fact, that is a classy way to handle things.

An umpire reacting to criticism from outside the fences is a big "don't do that" taught by most sanctioning bodies. When an umpire argues with a fan it demonstrates a lack of control and things can quickly go downhill from there.

One exception is high school ball (NFHS) where the umpire is granted limited authority over spectators. This is because high school rules are written to cover games that are school functions held in an educational environment. In such an environment, all attending the game are expected to adhere to a higher level of conduct.

Pickledad, since the game you were refering to was an OHSAA contest, the umpire would be within his rights to address it. The best way to handle it would be to talk with the coach or school administrator on the site and have them deal with it.

 

[default]

Just for the record, I have officiated dozens of games for Pickerington North, Pickerington Central and Lakeview Middle School.

Never once have I had a single problem with rowdy behavior from spectators or game participants.

But those were mostly baseball games. Maybe the softball crowd is a different breed...

 

[default]

Well said Bretman. Like stated previously, I completely respect your opinion. And as I admitted, my reading of the NSA rules to incorporate this situation is rather liberal.

While I think the differing opinions of my hometown's softball community and the assigning of blame for the situation is pretty fun to debate, the most intriguing aspect of this situation is who has the ability to do what, depending on what sanctioning body is in charge.

The only rule books I have access to right now are NSA, USSSA, and NCAA. I sited the NSA rule that I think applies most, but NSA decided not to officially address sportsmanship. The NCAA book does not give the umpire the right to remove fans for inappropriate comments, but instead gives it to the Director of Athletics and the on-site administrator of the host institution. Rule 5, Section 8 does require that the following message be read prior to the first pitch: "Spectators are reminded that they are prohibited from entering the playing area or interfering with play. Profanity, racial, sexist or sexual comments, or intimidating actions, including baiting and taunting, directed at officials, student-athletes, coaches, spectators or team representatives will not be tolerated, and are grounds for removal from the site of competition."

USSSA however does specifically give the umpire the right to remove fans for inappropriate behavior.
Rule 12, Section 1:
"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. Foul or abusive language will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Cursing or throwing equipment will be an automatic ejection. This includes a team forfeiting or being removed from the tournament if necessary."

I know that different sanctioning bodies have different goals, focuses, and purposes, but things like this, EP vs. DP vs. DH, Courtesy Runners being subs, last recorded out, or last batted out makes things very difficult for coaches, let alone umpires, to keep everything straight. Oh well, this post has completely gone off topic, so I will stop now.

 

[default]

Good points on how different sanctioning bodies will have different rules and expectations on conduct.

Still, an umpire engaging a fan over something minor is a far cry from ejecting fans because their behavior is getting into the area of baiting or taunting, thus creating a possible unsafe game environment.

There's an old saying among umpires: Don't go looking for trouble because trouble will come looking for you!

I think that some umpires react too quickly to comments that are far removed from what is intended by sportsmanship rules. You have to expect a certain amount of groans and moans when a team doesn't have a call go their way. Every comment from the stands does not equal an ejectionable offense.

Until the comments become derogatory or threatening your best course of action is to simply ignore the spectators in the stands. If your ego or temperment is such that you cannot do this, maybe umpiring isn't the best hobby for you to persue!