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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Warren Willson It doesn't matter whether the they are right or wrong in their assessments, coaches and players should NOT be able to set the tone for any game by helping to decide who does or doesn't get the opportunity to make the call. That's against the real spirit and intent of the game.
I wasn't going to go into this but I will. Blackballing umpires, if done for the correct reasons, is a gift to the umpire association. You can't hide a bad umpire for long.
Example. Two years ago, an umpire was assigned to a playoff game and got the plate. I was in the stands, out of uniform, to do a later game. For no apparent reason, this guy, called a runner out while rounding third after a home run. The third base coach shook his hand as he rounded the base. When the inevitable riot started I left the stands and hid behind the concession stand.
My point is that these two schools were like the 14th and 15th schools to blackball this guy. He couldn't get any more assignments, he was running out of schools. Justice was served, and the association, which rarely has enough umpires to double cover all the games, didn't have to make a move.
Vern
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