Quote:
Originally posted by IRISHMAFIA
to justify their effort to control others.
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I said I understand your point, and the rule can be poorly applied, no doubt, by an umpire trying to control others. I recall a story posted awhile ago on this topic of a moralistic umpire trying to turn the softball diamond into a sanctuary. That umpire should be dealt with the same way any OO umpire is dealt with.
However, in the case of the rule writers here, I believe it was motivated by a desire to protect children and to keep softball a family recreational sport. Sure, it is nannyism, but mostly harmless and well-intentioned.
As to your inner-city team playing in the suburbs, the "community" in this case is the suburbs. Could an umpire unfairly penalize the city team for merely talking like they always talk? Sure. But I would hope the umpire would be aware enough to recognize that his first step should be exlaining the situation to the city coach and the kinds of behavior standards expected. And to also turn down his hearing aid just a notch. Would all umpires do that? Probably not, but then not all umpires call OBS, INT, or IFR correctly, either.