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Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve
In all fairness to Rutledge, he said "overweight and have problems getting from point A to point B." Hopefully, he was combining these two elements. If he was just capping on fat people, then he's wrong.
If you have problems getting from point A to point B, you shouldn't umpire baseball, whether you're fat or not. There are plenty of skinny-a$$ umpires who can't get around a ball field as well as some of us big guys can. Just because you are overweight doesn't mean you are slow, or can't hustle from position to position.
I might have lost a step or two from when I started umpiring (very slim and trim) to when I stopped (hungry, hungry hippo), but I was already 3 or 4 steps ahead when I started, so I ended up still way ahead of the curve.
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Steve you are missing the point. The problem is there are a lot of MLB Umpires that if they had to go by the physical standards of other sports, they would never get those opportunities in the first place. And it is a lot easier to get from point A to point B in a baseball setting with 4 and 6 umpires on games than it ever is in a 1 or 2 person game (hell 3 umpires too). I know the NFL has suspended officials that are incapable of keeping their weight down and the NFL did not care if they could move well or not. In the NBA you would not even be considered if you did not look the part. I cannot think of any official that is not in great shape or clearly looks the part. You have to sprint from point A to point B all the time in basketball. You cannot afford to be complacent with a couple of steps.
When I see umpires at the MLB level that cannot make an easy call by taking a couple of steps, I know people wonder if they are physically capable to get in position. I know that is definitely the case when I work HS games with people and the physical abilities of my partners. Things have been said to me from coaches (many times well after the game) about how big someone is and how they cannot keep up. I know that goes through my mind when I work with someone that big or I watch someone that is that big. If someone credits me for my hustle and I barely ran down the line, I find that as a problem if you are comparing me to other umpires. There are umpires that get upset if you use proper mechanics because they have to run further so they say things like, "I am not running home to cover the plate when you are already there." But the mechanics clearly state that the BU comes back home to cover the plate in certain situations. I run more in any football game on just one play, not just one situation. I would have to consider giving up my other sports if running about 100 feet is a problem. If that is a problem, then you either need to get in shape or not take the damn game. I am sorry, your physical ability matters to not only me, but the people participating.
Peace