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Lance Kenross |
Football |
2016-10-20 |
Desert Hills |
With 23 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Desert Hills leading 28-7, there was an altercation after an incomplete pass. The covering official, linesman Tim Welsh, reported that during the altercation, Desert Hills' no. 14, Lance Kenross, threw a punch at a Snow Canyon player. Tim flagged a dead-ball personal foul and said the nature of the punch was such that it merited immediate ejection. I did not see the incident; however, I trusted Tim's judgment and ejected Kenross from the game. |
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Dave Roberts |
Baseball |
2017-03-07 |
South Sevier |
With Enterprise runners on second base during the bottom of the first inning, the South Sevier second baseman repeatedly tried to hold the runners close by yelling, "Back, back!" and "Ball, ball, ball!" in their direction as he jockeyed back and forth between the bag and his position. Near the end of the inning, an Enterprise coach asked me if this was legal. I said, "Why do you ask?" and he responded, "Because I think it is verbal obstruction." I considered it and approached my partner, plate umpire John Voss, to ask his opinion. We agreed to monitor the situation.
As a courtesy, I mentioned to South Sevier first base coach Dave Roberts before the second inning began that what the second baseman was doing might be considered verbal obstruction. He asked what that meant. I said that, just as a fielder cannot deceive a baserunner by faking a tag, he also cannot verbally obstruct a runner in an attempt to create confusion or deceive the runner. He asked how this would be determined and what could happen if the player were judged to be guilty of verbal obstruction. I said that, like all such calls, it was the umpire's judgment, and that by rule a retired runner who had been obstructed verbally could be called safe or awarded bases.
At the end of the second inning, South Sevier head coach Ron Cropper asked to meet with both umpires. He argued that there was no such thing as verbal obstruction because he couldn't find it in the rule book. He thrust the rule book at me and said, "Show me the rule." I was preparing to oblige him by turning to Rule 2-22-1 [which reads, "Obstruction is an act (intentional or unintentional, as well as physical or verbal) by a fielder, any member of the defensive team or its team personnel that hinders a runner"] when Coach Cropper became accusatory, argumentative, and belligerent. At that point, I said, "We're done here, Coach," and walked away.
As I assumed Position A to begin the top of the third inning, Coach Roberts left the coaching box and continued to dispute the point. I said, "Coach, we're done here, and you need to return to the coaching box." When he continued to approach me, I raised my left hand in the typical umpire's "that's enough" gesture (with the palm vertically facing Coach Roberts) and said, "You and I are done here, Coach. You need to get back in the coaching box."
Coach Roberts walked up to me and continued to argue, even though I repeated the same words to him at least three more times: "Coach, we're done here. Get back in the coaching box." When he refused to go back to the coaching box and continued to argue, I said, "Coach, you are restricted to the dugout for the balance of the game." Coach Roberts responded, "I'd rather leave than stay here and listen to this crap!" I ejected him and restricted Coach Cropper to the dugout for the balance of the game. |
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Chris Kelly |
Baseball |
2017-05-05 |
Snow Canyon |
In the top of the fifth inning, Coach Kelly was in the third-base coaching box with a runner on first base and no outs. The batter-runner hit into a double play. The backside of the double play was a "banger." I called the runner out, and I am confident in that call, but I concede that it was a close play. Coach Kelly charged across the infield to dispute the call. He argued that the batter-runner beat the throw. I did not respond, but merely listened. Experience has taught me that responding to Coach Kelly does nothing more than escalate the dispute, so I allowed him to vent. He asked me if I would go to the plate umpire for "help." I declined to do so because I was -- and still am -- confident that I had made a correct call. After I had allowed Coach Kelly to vent, I asked him, "Are you done?" He yelled, "No, I'm not done!" and continued to berate me, inciting the fans as he did so. After several more minutes, he began repeating himself and I said, "Okay, Coach, now you're done." He responded, "I'm done when I say I'm done!" I said, "No, you're done now if you want to stay in this game." Coach Kelly turned to walk away. As he did so, he yelled back over his shoulder, "You're horrible! You're brutal!" I felt I had given Coach Kelly plenty of latitude; there was no need to be personal by making "you" statements as he walked away. So I said, "Coach, you are now restricted to the dugout for the balance of the game." He turned back and said, "No, I'm not," and defiantly walked toward the third-base coaching box after he had been restricted to the dugout. At that point, I ejected him. Coach Kelly charged back across the infield, berating and demeaning me with additional personal comments. I turned and walked away; he followed me to the outfield and continued to yell, again inciting the fans seated outside the fence along the right-field line. Coach Kelly did not vacate the dugout for nearly five minutes after being ejected; he refused to leave the confines of the field even after being instructed to do so.
I know that an ejection carries with it a mandatory suspension, but I believe further disciplinary action is warranted in this case. Coach Kelly's behavior today was a disgrace to his school and a poor example for the young men he is supposed to be teaching as he coaches. What I find most alarming is that he seems to believe his behavior is permissible and even justified; that is, he appears to believe that his arguing and yelling, his demeaning, defiant behavior, and his attempts to intimidate officials through personal attacks are justified if a call goes against his team. Behavior like the spectacle Coach Kelly presented today is NEVER justified, and it is time that someone -- the principal, the athletic director, or the UHSAA supervisor of officials -- put a stop to it. |
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Chris Kelly |
Baseball |
2018-03-24 |
Snow Canyon |
At the plate meeting before the game began, I asked the Snow Canyon and Shadow Ridge head coaches for help with three points of emphasis: sportsmanship, pace of play, and safety. In terms of sportsmanship, I was specific about assistant coaches not yelling at the umpires, especially from the dugouts or the coaching boxes. In terms of safety, I asked that everyone not participating in the game be inside the dugout. I was specific about this. I said, "Anyone not in the coaching boxes, the on-deck circle, or on the field must be inside the dugout." To avoid confrontation, I told the head coaches that if anyone who did not fit that description was outside the dugout, I would just step back from behind the plate and wait for them to comply.
In the top of the 1st inning, one of the Snow Canyon assistant coaches was standing just outside the dugout steps. I stepped back and waited. Someone else on the coaching staff told him to get inside the dugout, and he did. We continued the game amid grumbling from the Snow Canyon bench about why I had "such a hard-on" for Snow Canyon. I let it pass.
After I swept off the plate to begin the bottom of the 1st, I looked briefly at both benches to be sure everyone was inside. Snow Canyon assistant coach Ken Burr was standing next to the fence just beyond the first-base dugout, which was Snow Canyon's side of the field. I stepped back and waited for him. When he didn't move, I said, "Coach, I need you in the dugout, please." He immediately began screaming at me that he was coaching first base and that I should mind my own business. I said, "Coach, if you're coaching first base, that's fine. Please get in the coaching box." In response, he continued to yell at me.
Rather than try to speak with him further, I went down the third-base line to head coach Reed Secrist, who was in the third-base coaching box. I told Coach Secrist that we had covered the kind of behavior of assistant coaches I was seeing from Coach Burr in the plate meeting, and I issued a warning. I said, "Coach, this is written team warning for disrespectful behavior of assistant coaches. Please control your assistants." Coach Secrist immediately began yelling at me, saying that Coach Burr had been standing outside the dugout for years and that I was just picking on him and Snow Canyon. I tried to explain that I didn't have a problem with Coach Burr being out of the dugout if I knew he had a reason to be there, and the warning had nothing to do with his being out of the dugout. It had to do with Coach Burr's disrespectful behavior by yelling abusive comments at an umpire from the bench area or coaching box, which we had covered in the plate meeting. I was unsuccessful in communicating this message because Coach Secrist was too busy yelling at me to listen, no matter how many times I tried to calm him. When I realized I was getting nowhere, I reminded Coach Secrist that I had issued a written warning, and I began to return behind the plate. As I did so, assistant coach Chris Kelly began yelling abusive, personal comments, using my first and last name. These comments were obviously calculated to incite further abuse from the Snow Canyon fans. As Snow Canyon had already received a written warning against such behavior from assistant coaches, I ejected Coach Kelly and confined Coach Secrist to the dugout for the balance of the game. Coach Secrist demanded a copy of this report; I replied that his principal and athletic director would receive a copy, and he could get it from one of them.
Coach Kelly refused to leave the immediate area of the field after being ejected. Even after being told thathe needed to vacate the immediate confines of the field, he entered the Snow Canyon team clubhouse, went to the second floor, and sat watching the game through the window for the balance of the game. Based on this and previous experiences with this individual, I am left to conclude that, in his mind, the rules that apply to everyone else do not apply to Coach Kelly. |
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Drew Ellerman |
Baseball |
2018-05-04 |
Hurricane |
In the top of the 6th inning of a game that Cedar led 8-3, Hurricane's Austin Wright (no. 26) was the lead-off batter and was hit by a pitch. On a subsequent pitch, he attempted to steal second. His slide was illegal in that both feet were off the ground and he overslid the bag. His feet made contact with the arms and upper body of the Cedar second baseman, McKrae Spencer, knocking him backward and causing him to drop the ball.
As the base umpire, I was on top of the play. I ruled that Wright was out for the illegal slide, which bordered on malicious contact. My first concern after making the call was the condition of the Cedar player, who had been spiked and knocked down with enough force to cause him to drop the ball. I called time and inquired about whether he was okay. He recovered quickly and was clearly upset at what he said was an unnecessarily rough play, given the circumstances. Based on his words and facial expression, I moved to intercept him to head off a potential physical confrontation.
As I placed myself between the two players, telling Spencer that it was over and the other player was out, I heard shouting from the third-base coaching box, where Assistant Coach Drew Ellerman was Hurricane's third-base coach. He yelled at me that he wanted to know why his player was out when the Cedar player had dropped the ball.
I have dealt with Coach Ellerman's behavior from the coaching boxes in both varsity and JV games in previous games. He seems to be unaware of his role, which is to coach players (not to yell at or otherwise attempt to verbally intimidate umpires).
On several previous occasions, I have shut him down from the outset by informing him that I declined to engage him based on his behavior. I have also told him that it is the role of the head coach, not an assistant coach, to approach umpires if there is a dispute about a judgment call.
In this case, as in others, Coach Ellerman yelled and began approaching me aggressively from the coaching box. As it was the last game of the season and the game was nearly over, I was not in the mood to be yelled at and approached in that manner. I raised my right hand in a "Stop" gesture and said, "Coach, we're done here." Coach Ellerman then charged across the field, screaming, "Don't you dare! Don't you dare! I've been holding back all season! You're going to talk to me!" I responded, "Not when you act like that." He continued to charge at me while screaming. I ejected him and walked away. Coach Ellerman followed me, yelling, "Good! Good! I'm glad!" I continued to walk away and responded, "Coach, get out of here. You've been ejected."
Coach Ellerman refused to leave the confines of the field after his ejection. He left the Hurricane dugout and went to sit in the stands for the balance of the game. Because the game lasted only two more outs, I felt it was not worth the further confrontation to insist that he leave the immediate vicinity of the baseball field. |
