Game Management
What type of official are you? Are you "The Boss" or are you a solid professional who keeps the game moving. Chances are, you're a little of both.

Dictator type umpires tend to want things to unfold at their pace, as opposed to the natural flow of the game which comes from the players. They refuse to treat coaches and players with respect. Their sense of authority crosses the line into authoritarianism. They are often poor communicators - they rarely listen to any input from their partners or the coaches. They tend to believe all their calls are right. When they make a mistake, they refuse to admit it. They enjoy the boos - that is when they are receiving as much attention as the athletes.

On the other hand, you have the Relationship Umpire. You can sum up his/her qualities in two words: management and communication. A good umpire knows how to keep coaches and players in check and also how to keep the lines of communication open. They are active listeners. Not only do they hear what is being said, they absorb and understand the information that is given. They ask questions. They don't intervene unless they have to. They treat everyone involved in the game with respect. They value constructive criticism because it helps them to evaluate what is being offered and then incorporate it to sharpen their skill sets.. They prefer remaining in the background.

Conflicts are inevitable in baseball. Coaches and fans very often see what they want to see. As a professional official at the amateur level, you are trained to see things with an unbiased, impartial eye. As you gain experience, you will see thousands of whackers, steals and pick-offs. You will be in the best position possible to make those calls and you will get the call right. Unfortunately, one of the managers may not see it that way. Out he comes all piss and vinegar, spewing hellfire. What do you do?

Plan for conflict. Be prepared. Accept that conflicts will occur. Be armed with the tools necessary to defuse and resolve them. People perceive things differently. That is the key point to understand.

Recognize conflict. Keep an eye out for potential conflicts before they blow up. This is just good game management skills tactics. Conflicts that are allowed to escalate without prior resolution do three things: they degrade your professional integrity; they result in further clashes (everyone can see that you are not interested in managing the conflict, only in winning it); they interfere with successful game management.

Here are five questions that can help to arrive at resolutions to conflicts.

What's the problem? That's the first thing you need to know. Let the coach have his say. Don't interrupt him. Let him talk himself out. The more he talks, the less angry he becomes. When you think you have the crux of the beef, repeat it back to him in your own words. You need to define the conflict in concrete terms.

Whose problem is it? You are absolutely certain about a call you made, but out comes an angry coach. You might be tempted to say, he's the one with the problem, not me. In reality, part of the answer to the question, "Who's problem is it?" should be, "mine." It's your problem one way or another, and you need to address it.

Are emotions overruling reason? Once you understand the problem and recognize that you have to deal with it, you must realize that the coach is experiencing intense feelings and may not be expressing them. People who speak emotionally are not necessarily speaking rationally. It is also important to listen to what you are saying and how you are saying it. You have the power to inflame or diffuse this situation.

What could possibly help the situation? Examine solutions that are specific, realistic and balanced. Telling a coach to "sit down and shut up" is certainly specific and realistic, but it is by no means balanced. Hard as it is sometimes, you must leave your personal feelings out of this. Don't expect a win-lose situation. That just shows everybody how much of your ego is involved. The bigger the ego, the bigger the conflict.

Is it working? Once a possible resolution is reached, it can be as simple as saying, "Coach, I didn't see a balk on that play, but I'll keep my eye on it." Other times, the coach just may not be listening to you. After he tells you what he saw, or how he thinks a rule should be interpreted, and you explain to him that you were on it, and that you got the call right, he may choose to extend the conflict. What he will probably do is repeat himself, or ask you to go to your partner for help. At this point, just tell him, "Coach we've already discussed this. There's no reason to go to my partner. I'm responsible for the call, that's what I saw, and that's my call. Let's play ball." Turn, walk away and get the game going again.

These points may help you to take some of the stress out of conflicts. Talk plainly and get to the point. For example, if a coach questions you about the location of pitches, it may seem like no big deal to tell him, "That was outside." However, it will cause you a lot of grief in the long run. You may also find yourself giving location of pitches by indicating with your hands: high, low, outside, inside. While this may seem an effective way to quiet the peanut gallery, don't do it! It is a poor mechanic and not at all professional. When a coach asks me the location of a pitch, I normally will let it go once. The next time it happens I will tell him "Coach, we are not going to discuss balls and strikes." That effectively ends it. When you tell that coach that he cannot argue balls and strikes, don't raise your voice. Avoid any "pained" or angry facial expressions.

It isn't easy to maintain your poise when the heat gets turned up in a conflict. Understand where the coach is coming from. Coaches often want to win so badly that it blinds them to reason or even reality. Do not personalize their attack. They are not attacking you; they are attacking your call. (Sometimes coaches do cross this line. As a rule of thumb, if they say, "That's a terrible call" ignore it. If they direct it at you and say, "You're terrible" - then they're done.) Stay focused on the message you are trying to get across. If they are emotion driven, don't engage them. Just repeat your message again. It should help to diffuse the situation.

Things are going to be said from the dugouts and the stands during a game. While it's easier said than done, pull in the "rabbit ears." Comments from the stands should be disregarded completely, unless the spectator becomes abusive. If that situation arises, involve an on-site official (league/board member, tournament official, etc.) If there are no officials available, involve the managers. Tell them it is their responsibility to control the sportsmanship of their fans. This, and peer pressure from other spectators, will usually do the trick.

Since we do games at many different skills levels during the season, we also encounter experienced and inexperienced coaches. Many have obtained their rules knowledge and strategies by watching baseball on television. Many of these coaches are amiable. Some are not. Recognize their ability and try not to be condescending. You will also encounter coaches who put in the work. They will take the time to read the rulebook, try to understand it and may use the opportunity to ask you questions to clarify situations that confuse them. They will stress fundamentals and work to instill their love of the game in their players. At the higher levels, you will begin to encounter coaches with years of professional experience. They are very good at what they do, and they expect you to be very good at what you do.

In order to understand how to deal with coaches during times of disagreement, it is helpful to understand where they are coming from and what they are trying to accomplish. Some coaches believe that officials can be influenced and intimidated. They believe that yelling, cajoling or begging will subtly sway an umpire to think twice the next time around. It is gospel in many coaching circles that the reason you yell at an umpire is to work on the next call. They can usually spot umpires who are moving up in level or umpires who are just starting out. There may be times when they feel that they can manipulate you to their advantage. Stand your ground. Use some of the techniques discussed in this article. Exude confidence. Above all you have a responsibility to the game itself and the players and coaches once you step on to the field. Stay in control.

As I said at the beginning, you have probably heard much of this before. Then again, maybe you learned something new. If there are points that I raised that you don't agree with - that's okay. If you are comfortable with the way you are working your games, and the mechanics that you are using are getting the results you expect, stay with them. If you want to change a mechanic or work on things that will tweak your game up a notch, Fall ball season is coming up. This is a perfect time to start working on things that you may want to change. The games are usually instructive in nature and not as competitive as tournament season,- so you don't have to worry about looking a little confused and out of sync if you want to try something new. It takes about a month to build muscle memory, so don't get discouraged if some things take longer to master than others. Keep at it, and remember what Bob always says, "We're all works in progress."

---

Any member of the AFU that would be interested in writing an article about umpiring and would like to have them published on our web site please contact Dave Mekelburg AFU#9 at: info@americanfederationofumpires.com