Quote:
Originally posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.
Furthermore, this is not a safety issue as some people in this thread have put forward. I am sure that there are many officials reading my post and thinking that I am doing a flip-flop on a safety issue but I am being consistent with my beliefs.
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Me, too (re: the second sentence I quoted).
However, if you notice carefully, the original post said the pitcher had good speed. Mike's post (which I thought was a good solution
IF there is a safety issue) was put forward based on an assumed judgment by the field umpire that there WAS a safety issue. IOW, safety not unruly fans was the priority.
I do not believe the umpire is
obligated to go above and beyond the rules in dealing with these kinds of issues (especially if that going above and beyond is motivated by some fear of lawyers), but I thought Mike's solution was creative and would be effective in dealing with a situation where the umpire judged there WAS a safety concern that he wanted to deal with.