[greymule]

At least one of our guys is being sued at present. A runner was halfway home when he supposedly remembered that an edge of the plate was sticking up slightly. So he tried to reverse direction and slipped, tearing up his knee. The ump is one of many entities targeted.

I heard a rumor that another member of our association lost a case, but I'm not sure about that. Legend has it that the clinching point at the trial was that he had not re-taken the ASA test after having taken it 20 years earlier. This is why everyone in our association has to turn in a signed test every year.

You're right: $30 can't buy much real insurance. If the policy excludes gross negligence and outrageous behavior, perhaps the insurers are aware that successful suits against officials are actually very rare.

Here in NJ, a jury just awarded a female high school basketball player almost $2 million because the coach yelled at her. I think another judge has reversed most of that award, however.