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What's the ol' adage?
If you can't play anymore, coach.
If you're to dumb to coach, umpire.
If you are to feeble to umpire, write a sports column.
Seriously, if you haven't played competitive baseball (LL on up), you are missing a beautiful part of the experience. It's one thing to see a great double play get turned, it's another to know how tough it can be or how special throwing a great deuce is. The nuances and intricacies of the game make baseball a marvelous sport. I am a better umpire because I am a player and fan. I still play in an adult league once in a while, work permitting. I see a lot of things differently as an umpire. I enjoy the game in a different way. Playing the game provided me the intuition to anticipate where a play might go or how a player will get stronger or weaker as the season goes on. I also understand the heat of the battle drama a lot more.
we are involved in the most amazing game invented. One man versus one man - yet nine against nine. Oh, and chicks dig the long ball!
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