Proper etiquette for giving an umpire notes

[PJR202]

A couple years ago one of our middle school girls lost hold of the bat during the swing. It careened in the air, nearly hitting the pitcher before dropping and rolling the rest of the way to 2B.

Nothing was called other than a reminder to keep a solid grip. She's in 10th grade now and we still talk about it and remind her how awesome it was for us to witness (because no one was hurt, obviously). She just rolls her eyes and groans in embarrassment.

 

[Lobster Birch]

I like to spray a little perfume on them. Just makes it extra nice.

 

[Northball]

I like to spray a little perfume on them. Just makes it extra nice.

At first I thought you were talking about spraying the flying bats.
Being a middle aged guy, I'll pass on perfuming any notes.

 

[The Man In Blue]

As a few have said - make sure you get the rule right. I assume he has a Rules Book (e-versions are much better for searching)? Or google it.

If it were me, I'd point out what you think he got wrong and then have him look it up and come back and tell you what the right answer is.

Also, if I talked to him afterward, ask him what he thought he did well and what he thought he didn't do well and what he wasn't sure of. Then point out what you saw.

Finally, I'd have him stick around and watch umpires at the Varsity level. I learned a bunch from that. Not everyone is great, but if you watch enough, you'll get a good idea of what works and what doesn't.

Good additions @Agcy that I wish I had thought of when responding!

Definitely include positive feedback with anything critical (remember, critical is not negative, it is corrective).

Yes, use the rulebook and teach him how to do so. Too many umpires do NOT do this. Unfortunately, NFHS no longer has Kindle or e-reader versions available and IHSA does not provide us with free access to the NFHS rules book app. I would encourage anybody to get the digital version though ... being able to search is one of my best friends (especially on this forum!). You just need to know how to search until you find what you need, don't give up on the first "no results found."

For example ...

Some have mentioned that the throwing the bat is a warnable offence with ejections to follow. Since the OP mentioned JV games, NFHS rules should apply. I could be missing something in the book, so please point me in the right direction if I am. But the only instance I could find in the NFHS rule book about a thrown bat is Rule 7-4 Art 14 "The batter throws the bat and interferes with a defensive player attempting a play. Note: If the bat breaks and a portion is hit by the ball or hits a runner or fielder, no infraction has occurred. Penalty: The ball is dead immediately. [Batter is out] Runners must return to the last base touched at the time of the interference." I added the Batter is out as Rule 7-4 is titled "Batter is Out" and emphasis.

By reading this rule it seems to me that it is an out and only if it interferes with a chance for a play. That said if the batter intentionally threw the bat at someone then I would also apply Rule 10-1 Art 5 and eject the offender.

...

Again, I could be missing something so please point me int the right direction if I am.

Search for "thrown" and you get 41 hits in the search. Search for "thrown bat" or "throw bat" and you get none. Search for "throw a bat" and you get 2, both under 3-3-1 (Bench and Field Conduct).

3-3-1c says nobody shall "carelessly throw a bat." Penalty: team warning followed by ejections.
3-3-1l says nobody shall "deliberately throw a bat, helmet, etc." Penalty: immediate ejection.

The beauty of these rules are that they are written for comprehensive player safety. You can interpret these to the next batter throwing a used bat back towards the dugout or to the batter during the swing. This is why many people miss this one.

PS -- this is also why your offensive players MUST keep a helmet on when on the field. Yesterday we had a coach throw a used bat to a retired runner coming off the field. She was busy taking her helmet off and almost took the bat to the head. The helmet is not just about running the bases. Could we have tagged the coach under either of those 3-3-1 violations? It was deliberate and possibly careless, so yes. The spirit of the rule is SAFETY.