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Originally Posted by ctblu40
Having read these rules, 1 thing is certain... I would never work a game in this league. The rules are just too vague in my opinion. ...
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ctblu,
Oh, come on, it's kind of FUN!!
You and Tim have identified my personal LEAST FAVORITE rule in this particular set of "local rules". Except Tim neglected to include the wording of the rule that makes it, in my opinion, ABSURD:
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...The express purpose of this rule is to help educate the managers and umpires as to the Rules and to avoid umpire abuse or harassment.
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While the second part of that sentence I wholeheartedly support, the first part strikes me as ridiculous. I'm guessing there is probably some "history" of unsavory coach behavior behind it. If so, this rule is the WRONG response to the issue.
In case you haven't guessed, this league has a "youth umpire program" and exclusively uses youth umpires for its house league games (2-man crews). I have become an ardent supporter of youth umpire programs and think they are a good thing.
The coaches in this league tend to be very well behaved (even me), but, in general, their rules knowledge is minimal at best.
In my opinion, this particular rule (which I habitually ignored the "letter" of, but strictly adhered to the "spirit" of while coaching in this league) is actually an impediment to the development of the youth umpires. In two primary ways:
1. They don't get to practice or develop their "situation handling" skills.
2. They usually remain in blissful ignorance when they misapply a rule in a game situation and nobody says anything; this tends to reinforce the misconception and negate the opportunity for learning.
Now I have seen a few of the kids in this program develop into very good umpires and go on to become certified to call High School games. Others have some very basic misunderstandings of the rules even after four years of umpiring in the program. In general, I would say (strictly an opinion, but based on considerable personal experience and first hand observation) that their understanding of the rules compares UNFAVORABLY with youth umpires from other communities in the area. I think this rule is a significant contributing factor to the deficiency.
JM