Umpire Etiquette

Video Transcript

"Now in this clip I am going to go over some umpire etiquette. The most important thing for an umpire to do is to keep his cool at all times. Stay grounded; no matter how much the parents are yelling and screaming at you, you never talk to the spectators ever ever, never the parents. You keep it fair, no matter how much the other manager is giving you a hard time you never get biased. You keep a straight and level head. If it's a strike, it's a strike, if it's a ball; it's a ball no matter what team you are calling it on. Never ever lose your temper. You hold your ground and you tell them exactly what happened and what you saw and there are times that an umpire gets blocked out and you can tell the manager looked today I got blocked out. Did that ball hit him? I don't have X-ray vision, I can't see through the guy. Just tell him the manager that and he understands it most of the time unless he is losing by a run and he gets mad and then you give him a warning, I like to give him a warning maybe even two warnings if he is really losing his temper, if he curses he is out and if any other player curses they're out but you always give them the benefit of the doubt and let them speak their peace and get it off their chest and hopefully go right back to playing ball and you call a good game. Another thing on etiquette is that it is the umpire's responsibility to keep everybody in check. If they start yelling at each other, the ball is played and they start yelling at each other, it's okay to root for your own team, Come on Bill, but once you start yelling at the other guy, that's against the rules it is not allowed you've got to put a stop to that just right away. I had a game just recently where they were yelling at each other and I put a stop to it and I told the managers control your players, control your players I'm not going to put up with it anymore and that is the way you avoid a fight during the game or after the game. You have to step up, you have to be tough and make sure they are doing the right thing at all times. Alright so sometimes when the players get out of control and they start heckling each other you have got to nip it in the bud catch it early stop it right away and don't let it go on. Remember you are the boss; you have got to keep it in control you have got to keep everybody on a level playing field and just play a good clean fair game."