Originally posted by SC Ump
Valid points, but perhaps overly simplistic.
Perhaps because I feel it is a simple concept.
You only briefly touched upon one of the points I was trying to make. I believe your statement above should be, "[our job is] to enforce the rules as we are instructed to by the association for which we are calling." I agree with you that that is who we are working for.
What should someone do when their organization is setting a precedence of calling certain rules a certain way, when that individual umpire feels differently?
If the local organization is serving the greater good of the league(s) that they serve, then I would have no problem with towing the line. However, if they are merely skirting "controversial" rules to maintain their "good ol' boy" standing with players and coaches, then I have a big problem. There are always people at the state and national level of most sanctioning bodies who would frown if they were aware that the basic rules were being ignored to prevent a little on field irration.
Almost no one has a problem with ignoring the uniform rule when it is a 32 degree night in early march, and they allow the players to wear un-matching jackets over their jerseys.
Extenuating circumstance, but I grant you this. I would rather not be there at all on a night like that, though.
But there is conflict that can occur when a rule specifically states something and the organization feels it should not be strictly enforced even when an individual umpire feels differently. There is bigger conflict that can occur when an organization allows something to continue unchecked during a whole season but one individual rules differently in the playoffs. This would cause a team to have no alternative method prepared. (In my example above, they had not trained the pitcher to pitch any other way than how she was.)
I agree with you. That was the quandry that you had that I referenced in my earlier post. If, and that is a big if, the other umpires who had seen this pitcher had done their job, and if your association had seen to it that their umpires had done what they were being paid to do, then you would have readily, I do believe, called this pitch illegal even in a playoff or championship situation.
Should I have bucked the direction of the association officer? That is more philosophical than umpirical. (No, that's not a word, but it should be.)
I agree that this is a philosophical point. By the way, I like the word "umpirical." I think that I will start using it more and see if it finds it's way into the vernacular.
I just wanted to point out regarding WestMichBlue initial post of this thread that there might be other things for an advanced umpire to consider when making a ruling of this type when the season is wrapping up and the teams are "now in a 'one loss and you're out' run towards the State Championship."
I understand your point. And I agree that at that juncture in the season it is too late to start enforcing the rules as they should have been enforced all along. The point I was making, though, is that all too often I have heard, still do hear, and will probably always hear umpires make the excuse for not calling an illegal pitch based on the grounds that, in their opinion, she was not "gaining an advantage" by her illegal act. That is a cop out. We are not out there to find reasons not to enforce the rules. We are there to enforce the written code. All too often I have found that some officers of local associations, while quite astute socially and politically, are not the best arbiters of the rules. Often, the social skills that led them to hold an office in the association are the same reasons they balk at enforcing "unpopular" rules. They want to be liked by all. Before anyone misunderstands me, I know that this is not the norm for local association officers. My NFHS, ASA and USSSA chapters are staffed with dedicated folks who attend all the clinics and believe in what they are doing. I know that the majority of them out there are. However, I do speak from experience when I tell you that if the officers continually tell their officials to "look the other way" on various rulings, then it is either time to elect responsible individuals to their office, or else, as an individual umpire, to seek a local association that is more interested in professional development than social development.
[Edited by Skahtboi on Jun 1st, 2003 at 12:47 AM]