[greymule]

In 1959, Walt Disney produced "Moochie of the Little League," in which Moochie the outfielder traps what the umpires rule a catch for the final out of the "championship game," preventing of course the tying and winning runs from scoring in the bottom of the last inning. Moochie, however, confesses to the ump that he in fact did not catch the ball, so the umpires reverse themselves and Moochie's team loses.

Moochie is praised for his honesty, and traditional American values are upheld. Today, I suspect the trial lawyers would soon be involved.

I don't fault Disney, but I don't believe it is dishonest for a player to let the umpire call the play. A player is under no moral obligation to inform the umpire that his call was wrong, as is someone guilty of a crime that someone else has been convicted of.

There is an ump around here who, when he is not sure whether a ball has hit a batter, simply asks the batter, "Did the ball hit you?" It seems to me that his motives may be good, but he should rule on what he saw and NOT start down the road of letting the players call the game, as in a pickup basketball game where you're "on your honor" to call your own fouls.