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Old Thu Aug 26, 2010, 06:23am
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Rich Rich is offline
Get away from me, Steve.
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoodwillRef View Post
Why do they use 6 anyways...the homerun is only 120 feet away.
225. I've worked in the outfield on a small diamond. On balls hit to center field, you're still a long way away. And many crews will *not* send out U2 because they're afraid U3 won't rotate up to second so you get an umpire running away from a baseball instead of simply turning and ruling on the ball in the outfield. Everything is dumbed down for no good reason.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GoodwillRef View Post
Another missed call last night in the Ohio/Hawaii game at second base...these calls aren't that hard move to get an angle.
They are when the umpires don't have the baseball sense to take a few quick steps and a lean where necessary.

What you see on TV is not what you see everywhere, BTW. When our top district umpires (who all either worked or still work the WIAC, NAC, etc.) have a coach come out and ask for a kumbaya gathering, we tell them it isn't going to happen and that's the end of it. When I work on the bases, I stay outside the diamond as much as possible, including plays at second (unless the ball is hit to straight-away center field). I'm guessing we're not the typical district, though -- although after the top 5-6 umpires, we probably are.

5 of us in the district (not me, although I worked a Senior Regional -- I haven't applied to go to the LL regional cause I prefer working on a normal sized diamond) have worked a LL (majors) regional and one worked the LLWS. 1 of those assignments was a gold watch assignment. 3 of the other 4 worked plates in the regional final and the fourth worked U1 (and should've had a plate, but typical LL politics got in the way).
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