Quote:
Originally posted by Dakota
Teams agree to play in leagues or tournaments with a certain understanding of the rules that will be applied. So long as all of the teams know what those are (or should have known) - and informing them is the organizer's responsibility, not the umpire's - and the rules are applied the same to all games in the league / tournament, then there should be no beef even if they are different from the "official playing rules.
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Aah! There's the kicker!
Teams which play ASA Championship Play expect ASA rules, not PONY, Fed, NCAA, NSA, etc. And, yes, I have seen UICs with multiple affiliations confuse the rules and interps.
A good example is what was posted (not sure of the board, maybe this one) where the UIC believed that ASA didn't really mean to require possession of the ball to avoid OBS.
We beat up players and coaches to play by the rules especially when changes are involved. They read the rule book, hear our explanations, attend clinics and play by those rules only to have an umpire not apply a certain rule because an UIC was incorrect. As the umpire, do you pass the buck and tell the coach, "Yeah, Coach, I know it's wrong, but that's what the UIC told me to do." Or do you fall on your indicator and take one for the UIC?
I just don't believe these are situations in which an umpire should be placed. It isn't fair to the umpire or the teams.
It isn't going to stop happening, but umpires should be aware of possible conflicts beforehand.