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Danny Christiansen |
Baseball |
4/21/2017 |
Justin Tucker |
On Friday April 21, 2017, I ejected head coach Danny Christiansen, the head coach of North Sanpete, from his game versus Carbon County. It was the first game of a double header. In seven years of umpiring high school baseball I have never ejected a coach before for baseball. Nor, have I ever thrown one from any of the college games I have officiated.
Here are the facts. Between the second and the third innings Coach Christiansen was not happy with a strike three call I made. While walking a few feet behind home plate from his position as third base coach he said this to the exiting batter, “this guy has no idea what he’s doing, he better give us that strike too.” I said I’m not going to argue balls and strikes with you today coach. He replied by saying, “I was talking to my player.” I said of course you were, that why you said it a few feet behind home plate looking directly at me. I then reiterated were not going to argue balls and strikes today. He turned and walked to the dugout.
In the third inning, there was a play at home plate. I was in position. The runner slid with the tag being a swipe tag shoulder high. The runner slid under the tag and the tag missed. It was an easy call and I signaled and said safe. I did not expect a reaction. Since it wasn’t a very close play and shoulder high tags that runners slide under usually don’t provoke much controversy.
However, this was not the case. Coach Christiansen was quick to exit the dugout and confront me. He didn’t even address the play at home initially. He said, I can’t believe you missed that call the last game, (I assume he was speaking about a game last week I umpired). I said, we are not discussing past games and if he had a question about this game to please ask it. Or go back to the dugout. He said this, “I know you don’t know what you are doing, that’s obvious, but why would you call that kid safe?”
I considered ejecting him there, but said instead. Your catcher missed the tag and the runner slid under it anyway. Then I issued him a verbal warning. I told him this. I will not tolerate any more personal insults. I will discuss a play or a rule interpretation with you, but that’s it.
He then asked his catcher if he tagged the runner. The catcher said yes. I said he missed the tag and the discussion was over. I asked the coach to return to his dugout. Coach Christiansen returned to the dugout.
In the top half of the fourth, I heard the Carbon County Coach and Mount Pleasant’s left fielder having a heated discussion. My partner Phil Jones took care of the situation. The left fielder from Mt. Pleasant had yelled an expletive at a Carbon Player and this upset the Carbon Coach. I did not hear the entire exchange so I let Phil handle it.
In the top of the 5th inning there was a play at second. The runner at first tried to steal. Phil called the runner safe. It looked like the right call from where I was standing at home. Of course, it was a judgment call and Coach Christensen didn’t like it. He came out of the dugout and approached Phil (Phil can tell you what he told you if he wants to). What I heard of it, it wasn’t nice or appropriate. They had a heated conversation followed by the coach turning around walking away. When he came near the foul line he looked at Phil and I and said this: “You two are the worst umpires I have ever seen, you both suck. You can’t get any call right. I will make sure you never work here again. Your both idiots.”
I approached the dugout and told the coach he was receiving a written warning and was restricted to the dugout. I also told him that I do not umpire games to please the head coach so he will invite me back. I officiate my games fairly. If he thinks he can influence the way I call games by threating to ban me. He was barking up the wrong tree. I told him that any more personal remarks about either umpire, any more attempts to influence our calls in an unethical manner, or any more disagreements about any judgments calls will result in his ejection. I said I had been more than fair and would not take any more.
In the bottom half of the inning he left the dugout to coach third base. I told him he was restricted and had to return. He said, “are you kidding me?” I said no and he returned to the dugout. His father, the assistant coach then approached me and said Coach Christiansen was having problems with his wife and not to take it personal. I said that wasn’t an excuse to act like this at a game.
In the top sixth inning I had two Sanpete fans tell me then were going to kick my ass after the game. I had no idea who said it since it was during live action and I was watching the play. I just pretended that I didn’t hear it.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, I called strike three on the first batter (number 8). Coach Christiansen yelled from the dugout at the top of his lungs. “This game isn’t about you.” The batter walked away saying you suck ump.. I ejected coach Christiansen at this point. He refused to leave. He walked into a storage room connected to the dugout until my partner Phil Jones told him he had to leave the facility. When Phil walked over player number 2 from Sanpete said, its ok guys we have to beat the umpires too. It was a tense situation. The fans starting yelling at this point. I ignored their comments.
Coach Christensen finally left temporarily, but did not seem to understand being ejected meant you had to leave the facility. My partner Phil had to tell him at least three times to leave the field. He would leave and come back, then leave and come back. At one point during the following game, he went into the opposing team’s dugout and talked to the opposing coach for an inning. We finished the first game and the one after. We had no more altercations with the head coach. However, he alternated between hovering around the field and leaving for short periods of time.
Any questions please let me know.
Justin Tucker
719-588-9967
jtucker06@law.du.edu
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