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Common sense and fair play, tradition and past practice are all buzz words that we see often when we discuss how rules are meant to be played.
Since we have more unofficial sources (JEA, J/R and the BRD) for OBR than official sources (NAPL Manual) it is sometimes quite complicated to explain to anyone the whys of how rules can (should) be called.
In FEDlandia we have the Rule Book, Case Book, Website Interpretations and the Spring update brochure that comes out each year.
But the issue still comes to the front that there will always be two types of umpires:
Spirit of the Rules, Intent of the Rules, Advantage/Disadvantage, Tradition and Past Practice umpires and,
"Letter of the Rule" guys.
See I have been, found out . . .
My friend Rich Fronheiser put together enough of my ramblings that he finally recognized that I had portrayed myself as being (all-of-the-sudden)a Letter of the Rules Guy. He called B/S.
He is correct,as is Carl who has now also discovered my act.
I have tried (adamantly) to support FEDlandia rules on this webpage and others.
I have almost acted like a drink the koolaid supporter of those rules.
Rich figured it out.
Not that I was faking but as a Rules Instructor in my FED Association it would be darned hard to teach one way and do another. I tried to make the switch.
It didnt work . . .
So I asked myself an HHH type question:
When I work a game how do I REALLY call a game under Federation Rules?
OK, (placing all the my fingers on all the pads for the Lie Detector Machine):
Gorilla Arm? No, I try to preventive officiate it but if that fails would not call a balk under any sequence of events happening solely with that arm. I called it once this spring and it did not help the game at all.
Technical Balks (Illegal Pitches)? Nope. These would included, but not be limited to, stepping off the pitchers plate with the incorrect foot, start-stop of a wind-up with no one on, failing to pause when pitching from the set with no one on, moving the glove to ask for new signs with runners on base, and lifting both hands from the sides to the chest at the start of a wind-up and a few others. Again, as Cece Carlucci states, "I only call balks that everyone sees!"
Penalty Strike? Nope. If I cannot communicate well enough with a hitter to keep him in the box then I arm a poor umpire and dont need false penalties.
Coaches in coaching boxes? Youre kidding , right?
Catchers setting up outside the lines of the catchers box? See answer directly above.
Calling the FEDlandia strike zone? As I have posted elsewhere, my strike zone represents an EGG that is restricted by a line under the letters of a normally worn uniform on top, by a line formed at the bottom of the knee, and the width established as 22 wide.
Coaches Uniforms? There seems to be enough leeway that unless the coach is in a Tutu I can probably answer this any way I want. We have ONE coach in our area that has been allowed to wear sweat pants.
And now we have the deadly throwing the bat thingy. Cant remember the last time I was hit by a bat (I do remember somewhere back in the 80s that the same hitter flung I love that term his bat in three straight at bats . . . I handled that with three straight FYCs during his last at bat as the catcher explained to the hitter that at least this time the hitter wouldnt have a chance to kill anyone) but iffin it happens this season I will certainly remember this thread.
If you combine the "real" how to the way I umpire and include my sometimes over active ego you might begin to understand how I "think" games should be umpired.
Again, y'all have the same right to work games in your style that I demand . . . I just know what works for me.
I guess I have rambled on long enough.
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As to definitions:
I believe that "careless" and "inadvertant" are rooted the same but have vastly different meanings.
It is similar to "fortunate" and "fortuitous" . . . while they both are rooted in "lucky" they have vastly different meanings.
[Edited by Tim C on Apr 25th, 2005 at 11:17 AM]
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