Handling Ejections

Hi Guys,

I guess I assumed we all understood but I probably never really went over this officially. So let’s talk about what to do on ejections.

Once an umpire ejects a coach or player, that umpire should not have to deal with the ejected person again. Absolutely no good can come of it. The ejected person is already gone so he/she has nothing to lose. He/she can get personal, be mean, loud and foul mouthed. He/she is definitely not going to listen or be reasonable.

Therefore when one umpire ejects someone the other umpire should step in and clean it up. This entails getting physically between the ejecting umpire and the ejected person The ejecting umpire needs to do his part and get away and not attempt to respond any more. Anything you would say only adds fuel to the fire. You want to send the message that there is no further discussion.

The partner should be talking calmly and almost continually (so as not to give the pretense of listening to the ejected person’s gripe). Say things like: “Come on. Let’s go. I know. I know but you gotta get outta here. Come on. We can talk later. You gotta go now. Come on. Let’s go.”

While doing this the partner should be herding (don’t use your hands) the ejected person with his/her body towards their dugout. A good tactic is to enlist to aid of the assistant coach or some manager-type in the dugout. “Hey, Joe, you want to handle this? You know he’s gotta go or it could hurt the game. We need him gone—in the parking lot (outfield fence) right away. Come on Joe, give me hand here. We can’t play til he’s gone.”

The final thing is do not resume the game until the ejected person is where they are supposed to be. Just wait. It will be apparent who is holding things up. Don’t mention forfeit unless you absolutely have to. Everyone knows a game can be forfeited if an ejected person refuses to leave so don’t threaten. Keep insisting they must leave and leave now. Don’t mention a time limit. Most ejections go well over the one minute. Mentioning time forces your hand (when you really don’t want to forfeit) or appears a meaningless threat if you don’t forfeit within the time mentioned.

If you have ejected someone and your partner doesn’t know it and then the ejected person starts giving you trouble, call your partner in. Tell him you ejected the guy and for him to get rid of him. That sends the message “I’m done with you. It’s over.” Don’t give the ejected person the courtesy of more time. If you want to talk/deal/explain/discuss more with him then you should not have ejected him so soon. Always let your partner know when you have ejected someone. It is hard to support each other if we don’t know what’s going on. And we can’t help each other if we are acting independently.

Always be aware when your partner is having an altercation. Pay attention. Move in a little. Hover. Don’t spend the time talking to a ball player. Be alert and ready to help. We must always present a united front.

You are a great group of guys and exceptional umpires. I always enjoy coming down and being a part of the group. Too bad this had to happen—and it did have to, Mike [Bartling] had no choice—but maybe we can all learn and grow from it.

Emily

P.S.: Will someone please share with Rob. Thanks.

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