Actually, much of ASA's rules are intentionally generic. It took years to develop the rule book to get it where it is and that's fine by me. Every little possibility cannot be addressed. There are umpires who work the highest level ball that do not know some of the basic rules applications even with the book as it stands. What would it be like if many of the rules for everything including the "it could happen once every other decade" application were included?
Rant on!
Last year at the Hooters, in his clinic, Bernie went over a few rules including the old standard about a runner leaving 1B early and being between 2B & 3B when the outfielder releases the ball which goes out of play and the bases awarded. Out of the 15 Elite umpires, only one got it right. Even after reviewing the different possible answers, only one stood on the initial correct response. Happy to say, that umpire frequents this board daily. Two years ago, Bernie was irate because less than half the Elite umpires couldn't properly execute a overhand out.
Yes, ASA leaves a lot to interpretation and judgment. That's why there are clinics. For some of you folks in areas that do not hold regular clinics, that puts you at a disadvantage. For those of you who have UICs that do not attend the National Clinics or spend more time in the hotel bar than the break-out sessions, that puts you at a disadvantage. For those of you who have UICs which don't follow what is going on in the ASA world and just don't believe that a rule change was for real so they do not instruct the umpires in their area to call it, that puts you at a disadvantage. For those of you who live in an area where "schools" are not offered, that puts you at a disadvantage and often, it affects veteran umpires who attend a National School and, in turn, places them at a disadvantage.
Last year I received a call from an umpire who wanted to know if it was worth going to a regional clinic featuring Craig Cress and Kevin Ryan. I told the umpire that he will get the same rule changes and interpretations that I will offer at the state clinic, but this clinic gives you the opportunity to discuss the issues with people who are in a position to alter any problems or shortcomings if found. Turned out this umpire didn't go to the regional clinic, but didn't attend the state clinic either.
The problem is that there are too many umpires like the one above who is less worried about knowledge and performance and more about their wallet. Don't get me wrong, I understand that is a serious issue and problem with many people in this country. The problem is that many of these umpires, including veterans, do not attend the clinics that are available. Even when some do, Old Sam prefers to hang in the back of the hall and hold their own little mini-clinics and tell war stories instead of paying attention to the person offering the most recent information from Oklahoma City. Please note, I never charge anyone for a rules clinic, unless it's a coach/player who wants it on the field during a game.
Yes, I know this doesn't happen everywhere, but it happens enough and I'm not just talking about ASA.
Rant off!
Meanwhile, I have no problem with ASA's test and I do take it without the book. Are there some vague questions in it? Damn right. Do you know why?
Obviously, I'm biased in my assessment, but then again, that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.