[SAump]

Which rule is more important: a) make no appeal or protest after the next pitch or b) the other rules in the book? Let me answer that.

Umpire waves a run off the board. The network cuts to commericals. The manager makes a last second appeal to check out the facts and restore the run. His team is sitting in disbelief of the events that had transpired.

By the end of the next half-inning, the entire viewing audience knows about the mistake(s). All agree that it wasn't the RIGHT call and it wasn't the RIGHT explanation. The Cleveland fans are delighted with the outcome. The umpires erred twice in their favor.

The crew chief is standing there amazed and confused. It was their OBLIGATION to make the RIGHT call before and after the appeal. The phone lines are busy, the bosses are notified of the situation, and someone is sent to turn the pages of a rulebook. The baseball world is abuzz in speculative chatter.

The decision is made to ADD the run back onto the scorebook. The umpires, knowingly, have contradicted another rule in the book. Manager Y feels his copy of the code has been incorrectly modified. He could give a rats *** between previous rights or wrongs. This is NOT the PROCESS he states as he now lodges a formal protest. His opponents right to due process expired three innings ago.

The protest is filed with and later denied by the very folks who COUNT most, the league office that determines which rule violation is more egregious. It is apparant that rules of the game prohibit umpires from incorrectly applying the rules of the game for which they are directly responsible. Whether it is before the next pitch or after, the league office directs UMPIRES not to do that.