Are unbelievable. Ok. I'm working a 14U baseball tourney this weekend. Very good ball. Good games. And great for the most part. Until today. Sunday you see folls, well that's "D" day; AKA elimination day. Soooooo...........The "great game blue", "nice job", etc, etc...Well, they go away. After all, it's elimination day. I mea WE are talking ELIMINATION DAY. THE end to all means.
So we are in semi-final #1. Two really good teams. Bot 5th. 4-3 game. 1 seed is on the ropes. Top seed jas runners at 2nd/3rd. One out. Down one. I call a balk. A coach yells, " what did he do"? Another coach says the same. As they both start to approach I ask the guy who's still yapping---"Are you the HC". He shoos me off with a wave of the arm. So I tell him, " hey don t disrespect me like that. I'm just wondering if your the HC".
Aaaaaaaaand, it's on. Oh, boy. He sprints out to me yelling--Thats horrible. So I ask, "what's horrible"? The balk he replies. So I reply, " how do you know. You don t even know what he did. So how could you know it's horrible"? His answer? "You're a piss of shit !!!!". So i respond with --Really? Over a balk? A balk that still at this point, you habe no clue to what happened? I'm giving him rope, fellas. A ton of it. As I walk away--No, I haven't ejected him yet. He now yells, " You're a piss of shit". I say--"I'm aware of that. You've already told me this ". And yes, I then eject him. And boy that really got it going. Replies of "I'm gonna knocknypir head off", tongue customary, "I'll be waiting for you". You know, the usual. So we survive that. Game ends. All is good, right? Nope.
Chapter 2: The aftermath.
As I'm leaving the dad of the pitcher I call the ball on ask me, and nicely, what his kid done. I told him. He says that's what I thought. He then apologizes for the coaches actions. Happy ending? Naaaah. Other parents see us talking and decide they want in. I decline. And it gets ugly. One verbal abuse after another. Littered with profanity. All the while, here's these 14 year old kids taking in this awesome display of parenting and sportsmanship. Just a great learning momemt.
It just amazes me. These games are more important to the parents , than the kids. And we wonder why kids today are disrespectful of others. Especially officials. They get it from their moms/dads, and coaches. A long post I know. But something I wanted to share. Honestly, it's sickening.
BTW the ball was called because pitcher was onnyhe rubber, from the wind-up. He brings his pitching hand (with ball) out of his glove. But doesn't pitch. Easy ass call. But fvck. Had I known it wouldve led to arma-fvkin-geddon.... Thing is, I called a balk vs the other team earlier. Their coaches response? He tells his pitcher--"it's the same thing you did yesterday. Learn something would you". But the other team ? Welll....not so much. They thought that should have been a "teaching moment for their kid". So I asked--"Should it have been a teaching moment also when I balked the kid from the other team"?
Crickets.
Anyways...Tgought I'd share how my Sunday went.
So we are in semi-final #1. Two really good teams. Bot 5th. 4-3 game. 1 seed is on the ropes. Top seed jas runners at 2nd/3rd. One out. Down one. I call a balk. A coach yells, " what did he do"? Another coach says the same. As they both start to approach I ask the guy who's still yapping---"Are you the HC". He shoos me off with a wave of the arm. So I tell him, " hey don t disrespect me like that. I'm just wondering if your the HC".
Aaaaaaaaand, it's on. Oh, boy. He sprints out to me yelling--Thats horrible. So I ask, "what's horrible"? The balk he replies. So I reply, " how do you know. You don t even know what he did. So how could you know it's horrible"? His answer? "You're a piss of shit !!!!". So i respond with --Really? Over a balk? A balk that still at this point, you habe no clue to what happened? I'm giving him rope, fellas. A ton of it. As I walk away--No, I haven't ejected him yet. He now yells, " You're a piss of shit". I say--"I'm aware of that. You've already told me this ". And yes, I then eject him. And boy that really got it going. Replies of "I'm gonna knocknypir head off", tongue customary, "I'll be waiting for you". You know, the usual. So we survive that. Game ends. All is good, right? Nope.
Chapter 2: The aftermath.
As I'm leaving the dad of the pitcher I call the ball on ask me, and nicely, what his kid done. I told him. He says that's what I thought. He then apologizes for the coaches actions. Happy ending? Naaaah. Other parents see us talking and decide they want in. I decline. And it gets ugly. One verbal abuse after another. Littered with profanity. All the while, here's these 14 year old kids taking in this awesome display of parenting and sportsmanship. Just a great learning momemt.
It just amazes me. These games are more important to the parents , than the kids. And we wonder why kids today are disrespectful of others. Especially officials. They get it from their moms/dads, and coaches. A long post I know. But something I wanted to share. Honestly, it's sickening.
BTW the ball was called because pitcher was onnyhe rubber, from the wind-up. He brings his pitching hand (with ball) out of his glove. But doesn't pitch. Easy ass call. But fvck. Had I known it wouldve led to arma-fvkin-geddon.... Thing is, I called a balk vs the other team earlier. Their coaches response? He tells his pitcher--"it's the same thing you did yesterday. Learn something would you". But the other team ? Welll....not so much. They thought that should have been a "teaching moment for their kid". So I asked--"Should it have been a teaching moment also when I balked the kid from the other team"?
Crickets.
Anyways...Tgought I'd share how my Sunday went.
