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Originally Posted by IceGator8
1. While it's ok for umps to be friendly with the teams
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Not really. Familiarity = contempt.
I have had this same issue before...old(er) partner, been umping since the earth cooled, EVERYbody knows/loves the old man, but he's been at it too long and when the game starts they run all over him and he can't/won't defend himself.
When it got bad I started ejecting on his behalf and cleaned up his mess, just to regain some semblance of control over matters. That's a 'team' aspect of umpiring, when your partner's failure reaches the point of threatening the game. It's a near last resort but if you gotta, you gotta....