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The notion that having played pro ball automatically confers expertise about the rules is truly specious. The former MLB players I know are not sharp on rules, nor are they particularly interested in the subject—even the guy I occasionally umpire with. They usually have a passable command of the rules that directly affected their play, but with things like INT and OBS, they admit that they just used their instinct and let the umpire make the call. And for things like whether an appeal of a particular missed base results in a force out, they wouldn't even pretend to know.
A good response to "I played pro ball" might be "So did Tim McCarver."
When I umpired in Trenton, New Jersey, the response might have been "So did a dozen other guys in this park."
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greymule
More whiskey—and fresh horses for my men!
Roll Tide!
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