I find myself in the odd position of supporting pdxblue and disagreeing with washburn. Odd.
JW - any issues regarding player eligibility need to be handled completely outside the fences and completely before the game. We are handed rosters to start the game. If there's an ineligible player on that roster, it is certainly not the umpire's job to fix or even bring up. If the coach wants to add a player to that roster midgame, it depends on the ruleset you're playing under - some allow, some don't. The umpire needs to simply follow the rules here.
As to the TD reinstating this player DURING the game, that was a poor call. I can see him reinstating before the game or even after the game. But depending on what this player does for his team, it could very well be that the opposing coach made certain decisions based on the fact that this player was not eligible. It's entirely unfair to change that during the course of a game.
If the coach felt like he had a case for reinstatement, he needed to handle it in a timely manner so that it could be decided before gametime.
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"Many baseball fans look upon an umpire as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Christy Mathewson
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