Ready to strart a new baseball season
CC, thank you for acknowledging my existence. John Merrick and I were both worried. Again, I will apologize for past differences in rhetoric and pledge to attempt to talk baseball within the same mannerisms displayed by you. I do not now nor have I ever professed to have the detailed rule and interpretation knowledge which you possess. Sometimes that means I must seek assistance. That is why I came to the boards. I hope my questions and responses will be accepted as legitimate. As usual, and as usually stated, I speak of my opinion (which I realize may mean little to most).
CC (quoted):
Put up or shut up. Now! Let's hear the gospel according to Steve. I suggested four topics where strong disagreement with my positions occurs. How stand you?
I believe umpires should:
1. Support the organization that hires us.
2. Resist the iconoclastic teaching that applies PRO philosophy to the amateur game.
3. Examine objectively new ideas about mechanics.
4. Accept willingly official interpretations and authoritative opinion.
Further, I suggested that the ideas cynics post on the Internet harm umpires of amateur games. I pointed to the following oft-repeated statements:
1. Do as your assignor says or you wont advance.
2. If enforcing that rule upsets the coaches, dont enforce it.
3. How do we know the interpretations Carl reports are real?
4. A system of mechanics isnt necessary. Nobody cares where the umpires stand.
5. Umpiring aint that hard.
6. Who needs to know the rules?
7. The customer is always right.
First, I don't preach gospel nor do I feel I present it that way. I have studied hard, gained significant experience, but still have much to learn. What that means is that I know enough to get in trouble. You are obviously aware of that already. Yet I seek to improve.
Above you list your pros & cons. As some have stated, I question if they can truly be separated. Sometines the organization and the assignor(s) agree, sometimes not. That is where the decision must be made, and those decisions CAN and will affect your advancement. I am not certain in my understanding of your phrase " iconoclastic teaching" but think it means continuing to apply Pro standards to amateur. If so, I wholeheartedly agree with your statement (as I frequently do). However, I must also combine that statement with your last statement with respect to "official interpretations" and authoritative opinion. In doing so, I would question are we not taking "official interpretation" made by the Pros for Pro baseball and thereby passing it along to apply to amateurs? If so, is there not contradiction in items 2 and 4 of your list? I would think so. For that reason, I could not agree with your last statement carte blanche---"willingly" may be the obstacle. I am unaware of a sytem for promoting such "official interpretations". I hope you would agree there is a flaw in the system when a group of amateur umpires must be advised by you that the General Instructions to Umpires (printed in the rulebook) are outdated and no longer apply because they have been replaced by a Pro accepted version. BTW, how many umpires are out there using this section of the rulebook which I am now told iS no longer applicable---MOST. When we disagree with other officials I can tell them to check the forum online to get the proper and current info---forget the book. A definite problem exists !! I don't feel wrong in accepting the book until something is official and made so in print to the general public of umpiring community.
If we are supposed to regularly accept interpretations and aplications from you as "official", than there is a flaw in the system. No personal attack there, just a poor system. Something needs to be established to publicize such "official" interpretations. Even at that, are they still not Pro interpretations? Why not a Council of Amateur Baseball? They could address rules, interpretations, and application of rules on a national basis. Perhaps we could find and locate a rules expert who might have the contacts in place to start such???? Major amateur leagues could send representatives. I for one, would even BUY their casebooks, etc if such were accepted on a national basis. Just a thought. From such a group, I would be far more likely to "accept willingly official interpretation." I think many on the boards might agree.
Listing 7 items and making them appear as "proposals" of your cynics is inappropriate. Your may have deduced this list to apply to your perceived adversaries, but I wouldn't agree with it. There are items (topics) in there that are true and do exist. To turn a head and say they don't exist is poppycock (I hope I got that one right, Warren). Those that raise questions regarding these issues are not necessarily promoting the issues, rather, they are opening them up for discussion. Quite frankly, I can think of few better places to do it than an online forum. I don't feel discussing the issues, how to handle them, and how they affect us is wrong. Some dislike and are reluctant to address certain issues at times.
Reading and interpreting the rulebook is no different than the Bible. There are many Christian religions that agree in principle yet interpret and apply the Bible differently. We are no different. Yes, the situation can improve, but will never be perfect. Disagreements in interpretation and application will likely always exist.
I do aplogize again for my last post which addressed not a single baseball item. I was enraged by the remembrance of a 4th grader throwing tomatoes and running to the teacher to claim sanctity and innocence. I look forward to improved forums and certainly improved communication on behalf of most.
Sincerely,
Bfair
Steve Freix
Just my opinion,
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