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Originally posted by booker227
Mike, if you're infering that my definition of "the spirit of the game" allows me to enforce the rules so that the better team will win is so far off the mark that it borders slightly on being insulting.
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You can infer what you please, but there was absolutely nothing to insinuate I was making such an accusation. Too often I've heard umpires/coaches use the "spirit of the game" as justification for something they cannot explain or justify in another manner.
However, now that you raised the issue, I have seen this happen in the past. This can go in so many directions, including the old "rewarding the player for a good play" train of thought. Ever hear an umpire make a comment like, "Give me a break, there is no way that team makes that play"? Sounds an awful lot like the umpire has already predetermined which team is the better team on the field in HIS/HER opinion and that is not part of our job.
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The better team is the team that throws the best, hits the best, catches the best, pitches the best, and finally, scores at least one more run than their opponent during the game at hand. It is not not based on affection, reputation or record, but by what happens on the field during the game.
My job, as I see it, is to interpret and inforce the rules in order to create a level playing field giving both teams an equal opportunity to win the game.
The better team today might not be the better team tomorrow.
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So the term "better team" is relative and we are all probably better off not using is as officials.
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The spirit of the game is an umbrella term, and has many different definitions for many people. But for me, it is The kids first and then the interpretation and enforcement of the rules, while allowing freedom for the players to express their abilities.
This is the philosophy I umpire by, and has served me wel.
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There will be some who take me to task for this comment, but it is my philosophy and has served me well. I'm not there for "the kids", I'm not there for the adults and I'm not even there for me. I'm there for the game of softball regardless of who is on the field, the level of play or the game being played.