Thread: Smittyisms
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Old Wed Jul 18, 2007, 06:48am
Don Mueller Don Mueller is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Northern OH
Posts: 277
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Porter
Because the *right* call is the call obvious to everyone. If the whole world sees an out, by golly it's an out. What kind of an umpire would say that it wasn't? Our very jobs are to ensure that one team does not gain an unfair advantage not intended by the rules. It isn't about microscoping and minutiae.
The rules say something about the runner having to be tagged in order to be called out. I know I'm a smitty, but I'm pretty sure on this one.
Stay with me on this, if the rule says he has to be tagged, defensive player misses the tag, you signal out even though you saw the missed tag, who just gained an advantage not intended by rule?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Porter
It's not a Smittyism, it's advanced umpiring. It's how such concepts like the phantom tag play and the neighborhood play came to be -- two techniques we see employed by the big boys in MLB on a daily basis.
Guess what? The big boys have changed.
2 plays this past weekend cubs/astros.
2 straight steal attempts ball clearly beats runner, both "obvious" outs, both were called safe. It took slow mo and 2 camera angles to prove ump right.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Porter
A few years back there was a rookie working the plate in a MLB game. I can only remember that the Boston Red Sox were on defense. The bases were loaded with one out. There was a sharp grounder to the shortstop. He threw to the catcher in plenty of time to get the runner from third on the force. R3 was out by 6 steps. To the whole world's surprise, the rookie called the runner safe.

It took a look at the replays from two different camera angles before it could be ascertained that the catcher's toes were on the dirt in front of the plate, and just before he caught the throw his heel came up off the plate.
If a heel comes off at first base is that an out as well? That would eliminate most discussion about going to your P for help. Or since the public can see the pulled foot on a raised base much easier we call that correcly, we only give the defense an advantage if the correct call is concealed from the public.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Porter
It was a very bad call, and it cost the rookie his job in The Show. He went back to AAA and hasn't filled in since. The reason is simple -- he had obviously not developed the instinct required to make the call that's obvious to everyone, nor had he developed the judgment on exactly when to use it.
The trend seems to be going the direction of getting the call right. I'd say umpires would be better off being honest instead of trying to develop a knack for lying.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Porter
If you don't like these concepts, that's okay. A lot of amateur umpires are taken aback when they first learn of them. Some never get it. But you'd be wise to understand them and try incorporating them over time.
I respectfully disagree.
Umpires, like politicians, that rule by popular opinion rather than good judgement are cowards.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Porter
When the world sees a color and calls it brown, don't be an overbearing oaf and insist it's burnt sienna. Agree with the world and say it's brown. It's their reality that matters, not yours.
And all this time I thought I was the one hired to be the impartial arbiter, instead I'm nothing more than a tool of popular opinion.