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Civility
I have been on this board for about a month, and I have to say, at times, that I have been shocked. Considering where I have been and what I have done in life, that's an accomplishment.
It takes an ego to officiate sports. No other situation is possible; if you don't have the self-esteem to stand behind your own controversial call, you will quickly find another hobby or profession, as the case may be.
I understand the ego. Mine's about a size 12 1/2.
But what I don't understand is the seeming predisposition of some folks on this board to take any level of disagreement to an instant personal attack. I would characterize some of those personal attacks as just viscious. I have been sucked into some of these juvenile, ad hominem attacks myself. I have reread some of my posts and am downright ashamed of myself.
It may partly be a function of the AMLU strike and all the passions that has ignited, on both sides of the issue. But it certainly spreads to other areas of this board and non-strike related posts. I can tell you that I have often thought "Man, I'm glad I have never worked a game with this guy. He must dump someone everytime he steps on the field."
Here are my points, in no particular order:
1. One of the main functions of this board, I would assume, at least, is to be a forum for education and sharing of experiences amongst umpires. I think that function suffers in an atmosphere of routine personal attacks.
2. I don't know where everybody else works. Here in Arkansas fans, at least, believe that part of the price of admission to a baseball game is a license to verbally abuse the umpires. Sometimes coaches and players think that way, too. I take enough ignorant crap from non-umpires about umpiring. Why do some of us feel the near-pathological need to pile crap (ignorant or well-informed, it makes no difference, it still stinks) on each other?
3. Do we/would we say the things we write on this board to each other on the phone? In person? After a n*t-cutting ballgame?
4. We aren't the Isrealis and Palestenians. Most of us are umpires, and while baseball is important to all of us, it is not the end of the world, the War on Terror or the Darfur Crisis.
No, I am not Rodney King asking us to all get along. I am observing that the level of vitriol on this board is amazing, and I think it serves no real purpose other than venting steam. It appears to me to be self-destructive.
For that in which I have personally engaged, I apologize. I sincerely hope we all can step back and stop hammering each other quite so much.
Strikes and outs!
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