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Old Thu Aug 17, 2006, 05:26pm
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Rich Rich is offline
Get away from me, Steve.
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 15,779
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Hensley
Just as Rich posted elsewhere that he's not a groundskeeper, I am not a bat-boy. Unless the bat is right on the line and there is time to clear it, I never touch a bat. It's a pet peeve of mine to see umpires playing bat boy, picking up bats and taking them over to the dugout after an inning change, and the like.

If a catcher is deliberately placing his headgear on or in front of the plate, I will kick it out of the way. Hard. To the backstop. I've never had to do it more than once in a game.
For all the folks after this original post, I do clear the bat when possible and necessary. Dave was making an analogy to my comment about replacing bases.

Once I picked up the bat and had it in my hand as the play at the plate happened quickly. I watched the play, tossed the bat, and punched the runner out. Way cool.