Quote:
Originally posted by Ref Ump Welsch
Moving the bat will actually lessen your liability, because you will be negligent in leaving it where it was. By leaving the bat in the basepath, and knowing it was there, you establish negligence.
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Quite the contrary. The moment you move the bat, you have involved yourself. If you do your job as an umpire by watching the ball, the runners touch the bases and set up to make the calls for which you are there, you are doing the job as prescribed and cannot be held liable for knowing where the bat is located.
Players assume risks inherent to the game and the equipment used in that game. The moment the umpire does anything to interject themselves into any possible scenario, then they have placed themselves in jeopardy.
Granted, an attorney could argue in the manner you suggest, but there will be no documentation to support the argument. Meanwhile, I have a load of documentation to support exactly what an umpire is trained to do in any certain on-field situation and none of them include touching the bat, helmet or ball.
[Edited by IRISHMAFIA on Jun 18th, 2004 at 10:28 PM]