|
I am an assistant coach for a HS team. I have officiated many sports and consider myself a stickler for details. I have a master's degree in Sports Administration, and hope to be an athletic director someday. Whenever my school hosts an event, I do whatever I can to make sure it is run in a first class, professional manner. Little things like a light out on a scoreboard, a painted line in the grass that isn't perfectly straight, etc. are the type of things that just make me cringe.
Anyway, here is the problem...we get to the game yesterday, and I watch as the grounds crew starts to mark the field. When they are finished, I noticed that something looks a little off, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Then it hit me. The outer side of the chalked base lines weren't in line with the outer side of the bases. The inner edge of the chalk line was lined up with the outer edge of the bases. Technically, the base lines were in foul territory! They were four inches to the outside of where they should have been.
I was explaining this to some of our players before the game. (Obviously, they had no clue what I was talking about) I tried to demonstrate the situation by putting a softball just outside of 3rd base. The ball was as close to the base as it could be without touching the base. I said, "If the ball lands here, it should be a foul ball, right?" They agreed. Then I said,"But look, it's right on the base line. You would almost have to call it fair based on the way this line is chalked." Being high school girls, they still didn't get it.
Here's my question, finally. The umpires walked right by this before all four games last night. Apparently, none of them noticed, or they noticed, but weren't concerned by it. It drove me out of my freaking mind! I'm just the second assistant on our staff. Is this something that I should bring to the umpires' attention, or just let it go?
|