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Does anybody have insight into what MLB umpires are being told to do now? Is this really a case of an umpire having a brain fart, or are the powers-that-be instructing them to change their ways, as was apparently the case when they removed a string bracelet off a pitcher's wrist?
I find it completely unfathomable that a professional umpire at the highest level would just blatantly commit one of the most egregious of umpiring sins. Could it possibly be something that they are being instructed to do to counter the potential expansion of instant replay?
The sudden spike in umpires making Out calls on tag plays when the fielder doesn't have the ball is one thing. But to call Time and immedately overrule another umpire's call without that umpire asking for help? That's stuff a rookie volunteer umpire in a local Little League coach-pitch game might do just once before he/she is taught the error of his/her way. I would never believe it would happen in a pro...
Oh, wait. I'm seeing flashbacks of Tim McLelland and Angel Hernandez again...
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"Let's face it. Umpiring is not an easy or happy way to make a living. In the abuse they suffer, and the pay they get for it, you see an imbalance that can only be explained by their need to stay close to a game they can't resist." -- Bob Uecker
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