Iowa prep ump was over the top, but think about the rest of the story

A story from Iowa is making the rounds, about an umpire who kicked out every spectator at a high school baseball game last week. Don Briggs ejected roughly 100 people during a game between Winfield-Mount Union and West Burlington.

And yeah, this guy must have really thin skin, which is not the greatest attribute for an umpire at any level. But take this a step further, and put yourself in Briggs' shoes.

“In one area, most of the people were really being mouthy — not all of them, but most of them,” Briggs told the Des Moines (Iowa) Register. “And they don’t say nothing when you look at them. They waited until you turned your back.”

After a 40-minute delay, fans returned and the game resumed, under the agreement that “anyone making a negative comment toward the officials would be ejected from the premises and could be charged with disorderly conduct,” according to the Burlington (Iowa) Hawk Eye.

What happened next is the part nobody is going to write about. The people behaved. And it turned out to be a heck of a game. West Burlington won 12-11 on a steal of home in the seventh inning.

"I’ve heard a lot worse during a game, I guess I’ll say that,” said Winfield-Mount Union coach Scott McCarty, to the Register, about what caused the initial ruckus. “But it turned into a playoff atmosphere after that [delay]. People were cheering, making plays. They had a great diving stop. It turned into a heck of a game.”

Yes, Briggs’ reaction was way over the top, but there’s a lesson to be learned here, to those of you who like to ride umpires, especially in kids' games: Let them play. It makes for a better time for everybody.