[LDUB]

Originally posted by Carl Childress
much weight to give your opinions.

My opinions? You are saying that you don't think that Rollie gives bad advise?

Originally posted by Carl Childress
Pick a topic, write an article, submit it - and watch it appear. Immediately, you'll recoup your subscription money. So you can wait for Osborne and Christensen for free, so to speak.

From what I hear, it will take a whole lot longer than immediately for my money to show up.

Originally posted by Carl Childress
Roland's current series on gray area calls delves deeply into the impact an umpire's philosophy has on the calls he makes. His thesis: Never think that your personal opinions of and reactions to events don't influence your decisions.

Yes, that is a good topic. Rollie puts bad advise in his articles. That is what I have a problem with.

I don't say anything when Rollie writes a boreing article (which is 99% of the time), I only speak up about him when he writes something which is misleading/incorrect. Proper editing could solve this problem.

I understand that you have a problem finding writers (we don't need to get into why many of your writers quit), and that you have to publish what you can get. I think Rollie wrties boring stuff. Some people might not find it boring (Everyone I have ever talked to who has read a Rollie article finds it boring). There is a difference between being boring and telling people to do things which are incorrect.

Originally posted by Carl Childress
Someone complained that Roland talked to a third assistant. I suspect that person doesn't call much summer ball. At least he doesn't work in Texas, where everybody gets in on the action.

That was me, and I do. I suspect the reason that everyone gets into the action is because of a history of poor officiating. Over time, coaches have pushed more and more, and the umpires have failed to do their job by taking control and ejecting the coaches. It must suck to have to deal with 5 dads each game.

Originally posted by Carl Childress
Mr. Wiederaenders challenges us to think about those types of calls. He argues at one point — and that article may not yet have been published — that a good technique is to imagine third-world plays (gray area plays) and set up in advance "first-world" solutions. That's not a bad idea. (I think he stole it from Jim Evans: "Surprise is the umpire's worst enemy.")

I thought that was Peter.

TWPs and gray area plays are very different. The catcher throwing the ball to the mound and the defense running off the field as the BR runs to first is a TWP. Contemplating whether or not to call an obvious balk is not.

Originally posted by Carl Childress
Nearly every time I make this offer, someone says: "Well, I'm not a writer. I just join so I can learn to be a better umpire." ... If you think you can do better than Roland, take your shot. We prefer articles of 800 - 1000 words, sermons rather than text books, illustrations rather than bullets.

I don't think I can do better than Rollie. I cannot write. It is hard for me, and I do not enjoy it. I think Tim McCarver is a terrible broadcaster, but could I do better than him? No. I could not go on national TV and talk in front of all those people.