Gold Qualifier Waxahachie

[americanfreedom]

So, now you consider yourself a top ASA coach? HA!

Never-mind that you didn't defend being the only coach thrown out in Dallas and again at the Ronald McDonald SHOWCASE!!! No, instead you wanted to try and "distract" us with some half told story. I claimed that you (and other coaches) try to intimidate umpires and your response is to say that they in fact were trying to intimidate you and the players? And you try to say that they aren't out there for the players. Umpires make very little money in most cases, get NO glory for doing ASA tournaments and showcases and have to deal with arrogant a**es like yourself, but they are clearly out there for their own personal reason and not for anyone else?

I'll again go back to the fact that you were the ONLY coach at a Colorado practice game, at the Dallas Qualifier, and at the Ronald McDonald showcase to be thrown out. There were over 100 coaches in Dallas that dealt with the exact same umpires you did and NONE of them were thrown out. The Ronald McDonald SHOWCASE has VERY strict rules about arguing against the umpires with again 100's of teams and again you were the ONLY coach thrown out. You CLEARLY have an issue here and it's NOT about the kids.

Even if you are correct in saying you have only been thrown out 4 times in 9 years your behavior has then greatly deteriorated in the past year as 3 of those 4 ejections have come within the last 12 months. I'm not sure I believe this however as I know for a fact that you spent 45 minutes arguing with Steve McKnow the UIC at Dallas and while doing so tried to tell him that you had NEVER been thrown out. This was quickly called out by a local HS coach who had in fact seen you be escorted off a local HS field by the police after trying to verbally attack the coaches of your DD's team.

Are you starting to see a pattern? Of course, maybe it's just your nature. As most of us know, you are a lawyer. You probably just can't help yourself. You must argue!

Actually, you are again wrong on facts on multiple levels. I told McKnow I had never been ejected from an ASA game contrary to his assertion. For the record, McKnow is who ejected me in Colorado. Also, the high school matter was resolved with a written apology from the high school coach to both me and my wife so that did not end exactly like you imply either.

My point is not that I or any other ASA coach has been ejected. Only in softball is this been labeled as a taboo. In baseball and other sports it is not all that uncommon. Maybe if more ASA coaches would not allow umpires to bully them with the threat of ejection, we would get better umpires. And yes I do believe more umpires are using intimidation in athe form of illegal pitches, etc.

Finally, just for the record, the umpire in the Dallas ASA game is the same umpire who tried to file assault charges on the Abilene Christian University head coach over an incident in a college game. She lacks the respect of many of that conferences coach so again don't tout credentials as some proof the umpire involved was correct or free of blame. Learn a little more about the facts and histories before making your conclusions. You clearly created your fake email account to attack me personally rather than debate the issue presented of umpiring in these qualifiers.

[softball3421]

Typical lawyer spin - never been thrown out of an ASA sanctioned event! LOL. I think it's even worse that you have been thrown out of two showcase events which sole purpose is to SHOWCASE THE KIDS! Not win ball games, not waste valuable SHOWCASE time arguing with umpires (no matter who is at fault). Again I ask - Who is this about? You or the kids?

I know many many ASA Gold coaches and I have NEVER had one of them tell me or hear them mention being bullied or intimidated by umpires either through actions, threat of being thrown out, or by calls of illegal pitches. I'm just not sure what world you are living in.

[softball3421]

By the way, according to Steve you didn't even know who he was or recall that he was the one that threw you out in Colorado last summer. Just another bit of proof as to your unbearable arrogance. You could care less about other people, only feeding your own ego.

In case some of you dont know, Steve has worked just about every big fastpitch softball event that has been shown on ESPN in the last year. He worked the plate in the World Cup Championship game last summer. He worked the WCWS this year and was again back at it in the Canada vs. USA Title IX game just the other day. Even if you couldn't remember him throwing you out you might recognize that he is widely considered one of the top umpires in the country!

[intheknow]

I have been around for a lot of years in this sport and I can't remember one ASA Gold Nationals that American Freedom has qualified for. Tim instead of worrying about how good the umpires are all the time, why don't you concentrate on your own team and win something. You might try premier, if you have enough money to go you qualify...

-The Fish

[93players]

I am trying to make a pretty basic point.

I am not sure I have ever seen any game on any level where calls have not been disputed. Humans make errors. When the errors are eggregious, we may have a hard time living with it. But in softball, a coach is entitled to ask the other umpire for a reconsideration.

The particular incidents that I am referring to are attempted steals of second where the ball clearly gets to the base well in front of the runner. Both times and directly over the bag. So the only question is whether the SS applies the tag before the runner hits the base. The field umpire is 5-7 feet away; the head coach is 70 feet away and the plate umpire is more than that. So, I want to know how you are in a better position that the field umpire to make that call. What I saw is a head coach run onto the field yelling at his top voice at the field umpire.

We had some calls go for us and some go against us in the 3 ASA qualifiers. The coaches have a right to ask for a reconsideration. But if they dont get it, they need to live with it and overcome it. Many batters have taken the matter in their own hands when a wide strike zone is called and many pitchers have had to deal with narrow strike zones. Most teams who get a runner thrown out even on a close call vigorously argued by the coach do not try a straight steal again.

[americanfreedom]

By the way, according to Steve you didn't even know who he was or recall that he was the one that threw you out in Colorado last summer. Just another bit of proof as to your unbearable arrogance. You could care less about other people, only feeding your own ego.

In case some of you dont know, Steve has worked just about every big fastpitch softball event that has been shown on ESPN in the last year. He worked the plate in the World Cup Championship game last summer. He worked the WCWS this year and was again back at it in the Canada vs. USA Title IX game just the other day. Even if you couldn't remember him throwing you out you might recognize that he is widely considered one of the top umpires in the country!

And those credentials do not make correct his decision to end a practice game 10 minutes early because I refused to leave the end of the bench in our dugout where I was attending to a player while waiting for EMS to arrive. The player eventually was transported to the ER where an MRI revealed a serious concussion.

Not a single parent/player on the AF Gold questioned or disputed my decision to remain with the player (I was the only official AF coach because the others had not arrived in Colorado yet) despite McKnow's threats to end the game with 5-10 college coaches behind home plate, who to a coach have told me that they would not have left either. I think if you ask McKnow, he'll tell you the same thing he told me the next night - that he regretted his decision later.

This actually proves my point and the point of this original thread. The level of experience and skill among umpires calling elite-leve games has eroded, which in turn has increased the number of disputes during games between coaches and umpires, which in turn had caused the overall congeniality among coaches and umpires to deteriorte, resulting in poor decisions by everyone involved. This is a serious thread that you seem intent on making personal for your own obviously personal reasons rather than addressing the main point. We need better umpires at the ASA Gold and NCAA Division I level.

My personal opinion, and I've said this to several umpires, is that we need to increase the pay among umpires from the typical $35 a game to $75 a game, which will eventually decrease the number of teams, decrease the number of top-level umpires required to officiate tournaments, increase the number of qualified applicants, and everyone will be happier.

And for the record, 93players' assertion is just plain inaccurate. . . no one, including me ran on the field yelling at an umpire, or the opposing team's coach, when the same umpire absolutely blew a safe call at third base in ITB where our runner was clearly, clearly out.

[softball3421]

Ok, so lets say for the sake of moving on that you were correct in Colorado.

I can't wait to hear your excuse for being thrown out of the Ronald McDonald last fall. Again, in talking to TD down there you were completely out of line. Not only did you waste your own players showcase time arguing over something that didn't matter, but you wasted the time and efforts of the other team and the few college coaches that were in attendance.

I actually heard from a Big 12 coach that you had been thrown out of the game. The quote if I recall correctly was "did you hear about what the idiot Tim did last game?"

Honestly, it's such a shame really. The American Freedom is a decent organization, you just do such a terrible job of representing yourself, the organization, the families and the players involved with AF.

Give it up, you have a history of arguing because (as this thread proves) you think you are ALWAYS right!

[americanfreedom]

Ok, so lets say for the sake of moving on that you were correct in Colorado.

I can't wait to hear your excuse for being thrown out of the Ronald McDonald last fall. Again, in talking to TD down there you were completely out of line. Not only did you waste your own players showcase time arguing over something that didn't matter, but you wasted the time and efforts of the other team and the few college coaches that were in attendance.

I actually heard from a Big 12 coach that you had been thrown out of the game. The quote if I recall correctly was "did you hear about what the idiot Tim did last game?"

Honestly, it's such a shame really. The American Freedom is a decent organization, you just do such a terrible job of representing yourself, the organization, the families and the players involved with AF.

Give it up, you have a history of arguing because (as this thread proves) you think you are ALWAYS right!

Your credibility is nonexistent because I was not ejected last fall at Ronald McDonald. To be clear, it was in 2010. It involved an intereference call at second. So your story about some Big XII coach this fall is just bogus. You clearly have a personal beef with me, and I suspect it involves you being ask to leave the American Freedom program, but you'll hide behind your screen name created just to post on this thread so we all will just guess we know who you are.

As to the main point of this thread, I continue to advocate we do whatever is necessary to improve the umpiring at the top level, including significant pay increases and regular evaluations such as in Waxahachie. But civility among travel coaches and umpires is a two-way street, and until both sides agree there is a problem and blame to share, there won't be any solutions.

[softball3421]

1. Pretty sure it was fall of 2011, but again Mr. Lawyer talk, that point isn't really that relevant now is it? The fact is during the course of this thread even you have admitted to being a repeat offender when it comes to not only arguing with umpires but actually taking it too far and being thrown out of games on what appears to be a pretty regular basis. And again, the umpires are the ones trying to intimidate you? Seriously? Again, what world to you live in?

2. I clearly do have a personal beef with you and other coaches (or even umpires) that are hypocrites and try to preach like they are out there for the kids when their actions obviously tell a much different story. This is all about Tim and his ego I'm 100% confident about that fact.

3. I am not, have not, and never will be a part of the American Freedom program. My DD and I have been involved in the same organization for the last 5 years straight and this is her last summer before heading off to college next month.

4. Yes, that's why these forums were created. For people to come here under a name and speak the truth without fear of repercussions. Everyone knows that when they sign up and post and you knew that when you got involved with this site and this thread in particular. If it wasn't expected for people to create a screen name then the site would require you to use your full name and then verify that name prior to allowing posting privileges.

5. I suggest that you put your money where your mouth is in regards to the umpires. If I'm not mistaken, you host your own showcase this month. Hire only the top umpires and pay them $75 a game as you suggest. Be a leader, not a follower! Step out there and show everyone how it's done big boy!

[texasugly1]

1. Pretty sure it was fall of 2011, but again Mr. Lawyer talk, that point isn't really that relevant now is it? The fact is during the course of this thread even you have admitted to being a repeat offender when it comes to not only arguing with umpires but actually taking it too far and being thrown out of games on what appears to be a pretty regular basis. And again, the umpires are the ones trying to intimidate you? Seriously? Again, what world to you live in?

2. I clearly do have a personal beef with you and other coaches (or even umpires) that are hypocrites and try to preach like they are out there for the kids when their actions obviously tell a much different story. This is all about Tim and his ego I'm 100% confident about that fact.

3. I am not, have not, and never will be a part of the American Freedom program. My DD and I have been involved in the same organization for the last 5 years straight and this is her last summer before heading off to college next month.

4. Yes, that's why these forums were created. For people to come here under a name and speak the truth without fear of repercussions. Everyone knows that when they sign up and post and you knew that when you got involved with this site and this thread in particular. If it wasn't expected for people to create a screen name then the site would require you to use your full name and then verify that name prior to allowing posting privileges.

5. I suggest that you put your money where your mouth is in regards to the umpires. If I'm not mistaken, you host your own showcase this month. Hire only the top umpires and pay them $75 a game as you suggest. Be a leader, not a follower! Step out there and show everyone how it's done big boy!

woop woop I am with softball3421.. Very under achieving team. Also, ask how many kids he has really had a hand in getting them to a D1 program. Other than a D1 JUCO...