No..But in a slightly related story..
I was operating a pitching machine..Actually sitting 2 feet behind it..It was the kind that had a rotating arm..
Some guy turned it on..I shut it down and told him.."No I am working it"
I turned it back on and the next ball fired out like a cannon out the back of the machine..Hit me in the mouth at point blank range at about 70 mph..Besides a broken lip I was unfazed..I think the fact that I wore braces on my teeth at that age helped save me..
20 years later and I bite into a big mac and that tooth that got him by the ball breaks in two..I belonged in the Big British book of smiles for a week until the dentist fixed it..-The Menace
I was operating a pitching machine..Actually sitting 2 feet behind it..It was the kind that had a rotating arm..
Some guy turned it on..I shut it down and told him.."No I am working it"
I turned it back on and the next ball fired out like a cannon out the back of the machine..Hit me in the mouth at point blank range at about 70 mph..Besides a broken lip I was unfazed..I think the fact that I wore braces on my teeth at that age helped save me..
20 years later and I bite into a big mac and that tooth that got him by the ball breaks in two..I belonged in the Big British book of smiles for a week until the dentist fixed it..-The Menace
No. There are coaches I like to work for and there are coaches that I hate. Nothing has any bearing on any calls though. And as an umpire, you learn that any chirping from the dugout means nothing. You can't doubt yourself at any moment, although there are times when you finish a game and know that it wasn't one of your better games.
My biggest ejection came in one of my best games. I didn't hear boo from anyone for 7 innings, then the coach wouldn't leave the mound while talking to his pitcher. He started bitching about balls and strikes and I had to toss him. He lit me a new asshole after that, getting his money's worth. But in reality, he was just pissed because his pitchers walked like 11 guys that game.
I haven't had to get crazy on an ump yet and hopefully never will have to but came close to losing it a few times. Felt there were times where my pitcher was getting squeezed and the ump strike zone wasn't consistent. Politely went up and stated my case and noticed a difference in the calls both times after I did it. Figured there was some type of unwritten code or something.
I think this is completely dependant on the level and umpire. I coach High School JV and some of the clowns we get are unbelievable. Can usually tell the difference early on between the idiots who are on a power trip and those who are trying but just aren't good. A good coach can finesse a few calls out of the latter.
