Quote:
Originally posted by Tim C
Your second question concerns my reference to eTeamSleeze and your defense of that site.
I take cheap shots at the site simply because it is a small diamond site that tries to speak of real baseball (games played by shaving aged players) rules and issues. It is a horribly funny site but has little value to most umpires.
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Well, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. From a parochial standpoint, I think the site provides a lot of value for those who focus on small diamond baseball. There are more than a handful of people who volunteer their free time to umpire LL and other amateur youth games, and the eteamz site was originally set up for those folks. I respect many of those who contribute to the discussion there. True, it leaves something to be desired for those who do FED, NCAA, and other "serious" organizations, but I don't think it was meant to serve all umpires at all levels.
Frankly, I find value in all of the umpire internet sites. True, a lot of the discussions are a little out to lunch, especially during the off-season. But those kinds of discussions happen everywhere, whether it's during breaks at an association meeting, in the evenings at a school/clinic, in the distant bleachers at a tournament game, or wherever umpires meet to blow off some steam. As long as the discussions can stay civilized, I see no harm in them. If novice umpires can be easily swayed by them and take away the wrong information, I suppose that could be a problem. Perhaps your "TWP" warning on the post can alert rookies to not try this at home.
As for your friend Jim, it's too bad he feels that way. Perhaps he's concerned that the proliferation of umpire websites may take away prospective students in his clinics. I, for one, feel that clinics are still very important as they provide an opportunity to gain on-field experience in positioning and mechanics. But when it comes to rules discussions, you can certainly learn a lot from the internet sites, as long as you can separate the wheat from the chaff.
I suppose I'm rambling now. Thank you for your candid response. I respect that much more than a one-word salutation.
Manny Aponte