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Originally Posted by Snaqwells
Maybe it's the difference between the pace of baseball as opposed to basketball, but I can't imagine stopping a game long enough to either open up a rules book or consult with someone off the field (even if I know he's a respected official).
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Well, I've never stopped to look up a rule, nor do I advocate carrying the rules on the field. The point I was making is that if you don't know the rule, don't make up a rule. He should have ignored the foot out of the box instead of making up a rule. It wouldn't have taken long to ask anyone who knows anything about baseball if he was right or not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaqwells
Once the game starts, you go with what you got on the field as far as rules knowledge. I can't imagine it's just basketball, but I know a lot of officials who kick rules early in their careers. He11, I ,know a lot of officials who kick the occasional rule late in their careers.
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I've worked basketball in my past too. I knew the rules pretty darn well before starting out. I knew, to make a comparable example, that if you step on the out of bounds line with the ball, that you are out of bounds and the other team gets the ball. That's about how basic the batters box rule is in baseball. Not a really tough call, and pretty much common knowledge.
Sure, officials kick rule calls at all levels of experience on occassion. Judgment calls too. But they normally don't kick such basic rules like this one. It's usually a knotty problem like the kind we argue about here, a different interpretation of a rule, for example.
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Originally Posted by Snaqwells
Isn't what youth ball is for (from an officiating perspective)?
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No. Before I was allowed on the baseball field in my association, I had to attend classes and clinics and learn the damn rules. It sounds like this guy just bought some gear and a uniform (or it was given to him) and called himself an umpire.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaqwells
I'd agree he obviously needs to brush up on the rules, but does he need to be perfect before ever stepping behind the plate?
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I never said anything about anybody being perfect, either before or after stepping behind the plate. Last perfect person I ever heard of ended up getting hung by the Romans. No, perfection is not a requirement, and you know it's not. But a basic working knowledge of the rules is a requirement to officiate any sport.