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Old Thu Mar 17, 2005, 10:59am
Dakota Dakota is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Twin Cities MN
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Quote:
Originally posted by BretMan
Still, there's something I can't shake that just doesn't feel right about this. On one hand, we can prevent a coach from making an illegal sub, thus preventing a penalty. Yet, on the other, as you note, "It is possible that the umpire is not aware of the illegal sub." If protested, we nail this team.

It seems that in the second case, the umpires lack of diligence has put one team in a potentially bad situation.

What type of reaction might we expect if one coach is penalized for an illegal sub, while perhaps earlier in the game you have prevented the opposing coach from making the same mistake through "preventive umpiring"?

And what ever happened to the frequent cry of "it's the coaches responsibility to know the rules"?

No, I am not aruguing anyone's point from this thread, just offering up a few thoughts. As I said, I will follow-up with the instructor and I'm sure that he will set me straight.
It is possible for the umpire to allow an illegal player to enter the game because he is not paying attention, but the most likely way an illegal player enters the game is because the player is also unnanounced.

Maybe looking at it this way will help. What happens when the coach comes to you and says, "I'm entering #22 for #18."

1) You find the players on your line up card.
2) You make the notation of the substitution.
3) You inform the scorekeeper of the change.

Notice that YOU are responsible for DOING something here. You are not just a robot following orders. If you allow the illegal substitution of #22 for #18 (who cares why it is illegal - for the sake of the discussion, it just is) then YOU have to make an illegal line up change on your card, and YOU have to inform the scorekeeper to make an illegal change.

If you screw up and allow an illegal change for one coach after stopping one for the other coach, well, though luck, coach. No different from any other ruling that may have gone bad for one team and good for the other. It shouldn't happen, but it does.
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