In my area, playoff coaches can name three umps they would like to see on the dish or their home games, and three they want to scratch from any of their home games. The commissioner tries to accomodate the plate job requests (but, it is often the same few guys that EVERYBODY wants anyway!) and always honors the scratch list! I don't really have a problem with this, nor do most the umpires in my association I have talked to about it. You don't have to make anybodies "preferred" list to do playoffs, and you could still do an away game for a team who has scratched you! (don't get any funny ideas! Nobody ever knows if they have been scratched, and it should be that way!)