Parents, Please Chill Out at Amarillo Baseball Games

Well, we're officially back at it. Fall baseball season has kicked off in Amarillo, and after the first tournament in the city, I can say there were some highs and lows that happened.

I'm not talking about my son's team and their performance; there were highs and lows there too, but that's part of the game. There were some things that happened though that should just never happen, from a parents and players standpoint, and I felt a need to highlight these things.

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Parents Need To Chill Out

This has always been an issue, but I swear it gets worse with each year that passes. The number of people yelling at opposing coaches or players from the stands has gotten out of control. The moment a coach calls time, steps on the field to talk with an umpire, someone from the opposing team has something to say and isn't shy to yell it.

Remember, the kids hear you. They don't need that energy; they're just trying to play a game. Also, stop screaming at the umpires and berating them. In our second game on Saturday, before the game even started, both coaches were issued a team warning for their fans. Apparently it was such a problem in our opponents' first game that umpires felt it necessary to implement a zero-tolerance policy for it. Unreal.

Umpires Need To Control The Game Better

One of the teams we played this weekend loved to call timeout when our pitcher was on the mound. He'd set up, begin his delivery home, the player in the box would call timeout, and it would be granted...mid-delivery. This is how kids get hurt. Watch any professional baseball game. Once the pitcher starts his motion, timeout is never granted.

Pitchers slam the brakes on their delivery, and this is what causes pulled muscles and hurt arms. Control the game better, take care of the kids. This fired up our parents, which immediately triggered the fans of the other team and started yelling across at our fans. Unacceptable. This is how things get out of control.

Inconsistent Decisions

When I talk about controlling the game better, there were aspects where the umpires did just that. Less tolerance for yelling or arguing with coaches. In one of our games, about halfway through it, the opposing coach started to get very animated with the umpire, and the umpire decided they'd had enough and relegated him to the dugout for the remainder of the game.

However, about an inning later, that same coach who was relegated to the dugout was out there coaching third base while his kids hit. Now, I don't know if there was a conversation that happened that allowed him back out there, but if you're going to relegate them to the dugout, keep them there. We all saw it and heard it.

All in all, it was a good weekend of baseball, and at the end of the day, it still comes down to the parents just chilling out and enjoying the game. Remember, no one is getting a college scholarship out there, so just let the kids be kids and play ball.