Quote:
|
Originally Posted by BigUmp56
At what point does this become a liability issue for us, DG? It's written in black and white that it's a requirement, so if we ignore it are we putting ourselves at risk of litigation would be my main concern.
Tim.
|
Tim:
I think the rule is the rule is the rule. The book says it, so we should enforce it.
Can a case be made that you were negligent if you let a coach climb back there without a mask and he gets hit? Maybe. The question would be what would a reasonable umpire do under the circumstances?
Do all reasonable umpires enforce all rules to the letter?
How many of us make the base coaches stand in their respective boxes? How many fields don't even have them drawn? Or, as the OBR comment says "It has been common practice for many years for some coaches to put one foot outside the coach’s box or stand astride or otherwise be slightly outside the coaching box lines. The coach shall not be considered out of the box unless the opposing manager complains . . ." What if the 3B coach gets nailed in the nose with a foul ball when he's standing 20 feet from the box? Do I get sued for not making him stand there?
Here's my point: yeah, maybe, MAYBE you can get sued. But more important is to enforce the rule because it's the rule.
Strikes and outs!