Ump ejects entire crowd at Iowa high school baseball game

**cyclonestate** · 06-12-2009, 05:25 PM

I'm so happy I don't have kids playing baseball anymore - way too much parental pressure on the kids, the coaches, and the umpires.

Umpire in high school baseball game ejects entire crowd from game | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

**LeBron** · 06-12-2009, 05:26 PM

He ejected the entire crowd because one fan yelled at him?

**warsend** · 06-12-2009, 05:27 PM

sounds like a tough umpire

**cyclonestate** · 06-12-2009, 05:29 PM

I doubt very much he did it just because one fan yelled at him. I'm guessing he'd been taking grief from fans on both sides throughout the whole game and he just got fed up with it. I admire his actions.

**LeBron** · 06-12-2009, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by cyclonestate

I doubt very much he did it just because one fan yelled at him. I'm guessing he'd been taking grief from fans on both sides throughout the whole game and he just got fed up with it. I admire his actions.

From the article

When a fan yelled from the crowd, Briggs ejected the entire crowd from the game.

**Clone5** · 06-12-2009, 05:33 PM

Man up ump.

**06Panther** · 06-12-2009, 05:37 PM

I bet his other job is a small town police officer.

**CyForPresident** · 06-12-2009, 05:38 PM

This is why high school sports suck. I can't yell at the Ump or Ref when he makes a horrible call?!? You can't even make any negative comments. Oh wait, we all have to have good "sportsmanship" and love each other.

This Ump is a wussy.

**Erik4Cy** · 06-12-2009, 05:42 PM

Pretty thin skinned ump, my suggestions might include getting a new profession or after work job/activity, whatever the case may be. If "yelling fans" is a problem for you, officiating is just not for you bro...

**LeBron** · 06-12-2009, 05:43 PM

Did he actually expect the whole crowd to get up and leave?

**cyclonestate** · 06-12-2009, 05:46 PM

Originally Posted by CyForPresident

This is why high school sports suck. I can't yell at the Ump or Ref when he makes a horrible call?!? You can't even make any negative comments. Oh wait, we all have to have good "sportsmanship" and love each other.

This Ump is a wussy.

Have you been to a high school baseball game lately? Yes, the players are 15-18 years old, but they're still KIDS. I'm generalizing here, but many parents are so obsessed with their kid's success that they totally lose all objectivity. If every judgement call doesn't go their kid's way, they go ape**** all over the umpires. Often times, they embarrass their own kid.

This is just my opinion, but calling the ump a wussy demonstrates why we have the problem in the first place.

**mwoodley13** · 06-12-2009, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by Erik4Cy

Pretty thin skinned ump, my suggestions might include getting a new profession or after work job/activity, whatever the case may be. If "yelling fans" is a problem for you, officiating is just not for you bro...

Don Briggs is the former UNI wrestling coach, and I can tell you that he is anything but "thin skinned." Considering he's been coaching and officiating for a very long time and never done this before, I'd guess that the circumstances in this situation definitely warranted the unprecedented action.

**CyForPresident** · 06-12-2009, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by cyclonestate

Have you been to a high school baseball game lately? Yes, the players are 15-18 years old, but they're still KIDS. I'm generalizing here, but many parents are so obsessed with their kid's success that they totally lose all objectivity. If every judgement call doesn't go their kid's way, they go ape**** all over the umpires. Often times, they embarrass their own kid.

This is just my opinion, but calling the ump a wussy demonstrates why we have the problem in the first place.

Yes, I have. Its sports. Its supposed to help teach life lessons. Life is hard and things wont always go your way, but instead lets hand out participation ribbons to the losers so they don't feel bad. And sportsmanship, IMO, is another word for losers. Its no coincidence that the school who won the sportsmanship award every year also finished last every year.

This Ump is a wuss. If this guy, who is an adult, can't deal with negative criticism, then he shouldn't be Umping.

**statsaholic** · 06-12-2009, 05:57 PM

Before I go into devils advocate mode, I doubt that anyone posting here was at the game nor really knows (unbiasedly particularly) what the heck happened.

That said, into devil's advocaate mode--- What is wrong with an ump doing that if the crowd was truly unruly? I have been to a lot of athletic events, and particularly in high school and below a lot of fans get puffed up about things they really dont have a clue about, including rules and legitimate interpretations, coaching behavior, player behavior, etc. Granted, I can't imagine a much tougher situation and certainly understand why the superintendent, and then the West Burlington gendarmes were called in.

I dont know if this was the time, but there are limits to what should be tolerated at games. One time 3 decades ago now I was in the home dugout and a home team mother went off with a foul diatribe against the home team coach, and I (keeping stats, wouldnt you know) suggested that she cool down. Her words to ME... We dont need you here either you ****ing ******! (me, a volunteer for all home and several away games who just asked her to calm down). After the game, there was the threat of physical violence.

So in West Burlington, were those limits of excessively bad behavior met? I havent a clue.... But I can appreciate such situations.

Needless to say, it sure is an interesting situation.