Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex
Fear ??????
If an umpire believes this is because of fear, then they should not be an umpire!!!!!
I umpire because I belive in and love this sport of fastpitch softball, not because of the "big" bucks we all receive.
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Why do you think the base umpire was taken off the line? The reason offered in ASA was for fear that being on the line placed the umpire in a confrontational situation with players coming off the field in spite of the fact that is wasn't an issue for decades.
The thought that an umpire is showing any type of favoritism based on being on one line or the other is absurd. I would love to hear some citations on that one.
And you are correct, most between inning changes are going to come from the offense. So, why move the umpire farther away from that dugout than necessary? Why force the offense making the change to come to the opponents' side of the field to do so?
Meanwhile, your "fear" of a team's perception if two umpires discussed anything after a close play is even more reason to make getting together routine instead of the exception. Whether you like to believe it or not, things can happen in a game that may not have been covered in a pregame and need to be discussed to avoid problems further into the game. Not all discussions on the field are social-based.
Like I said, it is not logical.