Balls vs Strikes Incident

Question
Mark,

So at a recent co-rec ASA softball game I had a 3-2 count and was pitched a ball that hit the plate. The umpire called a strike indicating it had hit the black part of the plate and therefore was a strike.

I began to lose my temper, possibly used some profanity and threw my bat towards the dugout as I walked in.

The next day we emailed our commissioner and showed him a video of the pitch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAYJN21isNo

He indicated it was the wrong call and that the umpire would be suspended but upon being told about his suspension the umpire said I used profanity and threw my bat so I was suspended as well.

Is this all following ASA code for them to basically retailiate against me with the suspension that was not going to come had we not chosen to get clarification on the balls vs strikes issue?

Answer
Hi Brian,

This is the 1st time anyones sent me a video.

I hesitate to get involved, I almost rejected the question but decided to live dangerously as I've had to deal with this stuff in the past.

1) as you say this is coed-rec, RELAX, behave yourself, especially with throwing a bat.  What if it took a bad bounce and hit someone, especially a kid. You can't take it back once it's out of your hand.  You should have been ejected and would have with me, starting with the profanity.

2) On a 3-2 count with a pitch that close, I'm swinging, SP is a hitter's game.  You have to admit even some of your teammates were thinking "man, Lance you gotta swing if it's that close"

3) the plate is the plate is the plate, the umpire needs more training.  What's that hanging out of his left rear pocket? Plus he needs to work on his slot and set and signals and probably other stuff.

4)This is just my opinion, neither of you should be suspended, what's to be gained.  The umpire meets with his UIC and goes over stuff.  The UIC supervises his next few games.(that's part of his job).  I would ask you as a man to apologize to the umpire for losing your temper.  If I were you I'd also challenge myself not to do it again.

If I were you I make that offer to the softball supervisor

Contrary to the t-shirt softball is not real life, (one of your kids or your wife with cancer, losing your job wondering how your going to feed your kids, having a heart attack at 49, having a son in Iraq, wondering and worrying everyday will I bury my kid, will he come back OK, will he be the boy I raised, etc., etc. is real life)......... softball it's just a game.

good luck,
mark