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~Sigh~
I look at umpiring as equal parts art and science.
Not unlike the laws of our land sometimes "stuff" is decided by tradition and common sense. Kingfield explained it very well in "The Paper Chase."
If we call games and only consider the written word we would be considered, at best, an overly officious oaf.
While I can respect the "high road" as taken by Mike Strybel it is altruistic in what has become a game based more on tradition.
"Old hides", such as myself, are seeing a game (and a way of officiating) that is changing to fit modern times and it drives us crazy. We hold onto traditions because that is where our comfort lies.
The science of umpiring comes from knowing all the rules and mechanics so they become second nature. The art comes from knowing where to draw lines (no NOT those lines) and take a written rule and understand what it really means to the game.
As umpires we have one basic responsabilty: make sure that there is a level playing field.
Even Mike would agree that we, as baseball umpires, are not robots (leave that to the softball side). Every umpire will have his own strike zone -- not to appease ANYONE -- just because we are all different.
While it would be impossible for anyone to convince me to call a strike on a pitch that passes through the zone but kicks up dust as caught I have learned that things such as the neighborhood play have probably passed to the grave.
As a retired umpire I look at things with a little different tint than when I worked. While I hate the direction of umpiring at the highest level I think that umpiring at our level (high school and college) is better than ever.
T
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