team's only coach ejected

Dunno. Forfeit?  The more pressing question is why would a coach in that situation do ANYTHING that could come anywhere close to getting him tossed.

Well, it happened today, and as coach of the opposing team - because my players wanted to finish the game on the field - I agreed to continue, under protest when ump said all they had to do was have someone older than 18 sit in the dugout.

 

I'm curious what will result from our appeal.

I would think the school board and AD would not be happy about their JV kids having an unapproved, un-background checked, no First Aid/Concussion certification class certified "anyone over 18" sitting in as coach???

 

On the surface, it seems logical and reasonable.  But not in this hyper-safety conscious athletic world of school sports

 

JMO 

Here that would be an automatic forfeit as the team must have a coach in the dugout.  If a player is ejected, the player has to leave the sports complex (not just the dugout) and a coach must go with him.  So if a player was ejected and the team only had one coach the game would be forfeited.   Not to mention the school would be fined by the league.  There's fines the school has to pay to the league (VHSL) if a player and/or coach are ejected.  First offense is $100 and a one game suspension, next one is $500 and a two game suspension.  I believe if there is a third offense, the player is suspended for the season.

Does a win matter that much at the JV level?  I would be more concerned about finishing the game.

       
       
Here is a great question for you.  Why on earth would you want to 'appeal' a JV game?  Like JCG said I can't imagine why a coach working alone would put himself in that position.  But honestly I also don't know what the motivation would be to appeal a JV game.  The players played.  One team won and one team lost.  Time to go home.

       
       
sorry lion didn't see you already posted this thought.  Plus one to that.

In addition to what the others have said, the specifics will depend on the state.  Some might require any adult, some might require any adult associated with the school, some might require any adult employed by the school, some might require any adult who is "certified" as a coach, some might require a "certified baseball coach"...

 

It's not a playing rule, so most of us won't be able to give many specifics.

Here in Maine: Bare minimum- over 21 and fingerprints on file with the state. suppose to have NFHS coaches training, concussion training, heat exhaustion training, first aid, cpr. Nobody would exactly be allowed to just waltz into the dugout and finish the game for you.

Gotta agree.....if you agreed to allow your players to finish the game, why in the world would you play under protest and be worrying about an appeal??

IN my area, in that unfortunate case, the game would be over.....no eligible adult coach, no game......

 

Once decided, We, as Umpires, would not be able continue the game due to the liability issue. Not a choice on our point, we are instructed to leave the field....

 

HS baseball in PA does not have protests......

Some umpires are quick on the trigger.  I have seen some pretty lame ejections the past few years.   

Agree with this. The flipside would be, short of something absolutely egregious, why would an umpire eject an only coach in a JV game? Dugout restriction would send a pretty clear message and allow the game to continue I would think.

As with piaa, same here.  No qualified/certified adult presence, no game.  Can't say for sure whether it would be a forfeit or not.  Matter would simply be turned back to the schools/league for them to deal with.

As for a protest; they are allowed here but I'm not sure how one would effectively protest an ejection, i.e. how would a coach word the protest to justify whatever misbehavior that got him tossed in the first place.

When my son was in high school his team won a game by forfeit. The head coach was tossed one inning after the assistant. It left the opposing team without a coach in the dugout. Game over. The head coach was a jerk. he and the assistant were fired after the season. 

 

I was was once asked about becoming an assistant for the softball program. I was told it would require a background check and board approval before I could step on the field or in the dugout. I couldn't even step in the dugout when I scored for the baseball team.

Since you all are probably curious for more details at this point, here is a more complete picture:

 

The other coach definitely deserved to be tossed. He screamed the magic word ("You") at the ump along with multiple F-bombs and hat-throwing all within easy hearing of all kids, parents and others.

 

The ump said he thought anyone over 18 could sit in the dugout to satisfy the requirement of having a coach, so someone from their fans in the stands was chosen. I told the ump that I (the other team's coach) believed that only a certified coach could be in the dugout, and that he (the ump) was taking on liability by allow the game to continue in that manner. I officially noted that we were playing the game under protest that it should have been stopped and forfeited due to the lack of a certified coach.

 

I agree in part that it doesn't really matter, being a JV game, except that our team is unbeaten in league play and the kids are hoping to continue the streak. Thanks for everyone's input.

Over the years, I have a relatively low ejection rate........not because I don't eject, its more so because I do eject and when I do its warranted.....I am not a fan of the "restriction to the dugout" penalty as it seems to only allow continued sniping and devolves more often into a more dramatic ejection....

 

If you have to go, you go......it is not my job to keep the coach in the game, the coach is an adult and knows he is the only coach there....he chose to get himself ejected......

 

Now that we know what he did to get ejected, no way those actions get only a dugout restrict....OUT he goes... 

 

 

Well as an AD, to say I wouldn't be happy could be a huge understatement.  For a coach to act like that I'm going to AT LEAST tack on a few more games being suspended on top of whatever the state rule is (In NC it's another game).  If he's a volunteer coach then he's done right then and there - no second chances.  If he's a teacher then he might get a second chance but his leash will be very short.  There is no reason to act like that.  

Each state will be different but I would be very surprised to find a state that would have allowed this game to go on.  There are so many requirements and hoops and hurdles to go through you can't just get some person out of the stands to finish the game.  Too many liability issues at play here on the team without a coach, the umpires and the other team as well.  QuirkySouthPaw not sure what your state rules are but in NC you would / should have packed everything up and went home.  Take the forfeit or reschedule the game if it wasn't a forfeit.  Our state rules could have led to a $500 fine and possible forfeiture of playoffs and while this is a JV game it could have ramifications for the varsity team to be kicked out of playoffs.  End of the day it's not worth it.

 

I'm glad you came back with the explanation of how the coach acted because when I was a head coach in KY I was almost ejected out of the game for arguing / discussing a call.  I was by myself and it was a great game but I went out to argue my guy made a diving catch.  I just went out to have him ask his partner for help.  He started towards his partner and I started off the field and said "thank you" so he tossed me.  I truly don't think I said it with attitude but I guess he took it that way.  So I'm standing there near the foul line in disbelief but the other teams coach came out and asked the ump if he would just restrict me to the dugout so we could finish the game.  Luckily for me that's what happened and we could finish the game.  Sadly we lost in the bottom of ninth on a walk off hit.  Not hit off the bat but my pitcher hit their batter with bases loaded and one out haha.  

If there ever is a circumstance that I, as an umpire, cannot be sure in which the game should continue, I'm suspending it and letting the governing body figure it out. Much easier to have a resolution before continuing or ending the game rather than retroactively changing results.

This sounds right to me.  With liability the way it is, if I were an Umpire and/or school district, I wouldn't want this situation to continue.

 

As an FYI, when I coached JV basketball, I was a hothead.  So, I had a parent ready to replace me should I get ejected.  However, that parent was also a teacher and was approved by the school board as a volunteer. 

"True Story"

In my 1st year of coaching American Legion Baseball in Northern California. We played 4 hours north of Santa Rosa against the Eureka "Lumberjacks". I was the only coach and van driver. During the game, our team was behind 2-5 and I was thrown out by the home town umpires. My only Senior played SS and I named him the Coach.

 

Of course, they won the game and after that I drove the bus, pitch BP and wrote the line-up. The game is "fun" for little boys and girls!

 

Bob

PS: there were 2 future ML players in this game