Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
Senior Baseball World Series final they did the same. Infield umpires stayed the same, line guys rotated in. They were given the option to not work the game instead and IIRC, one or two guys figured since they weren't in the infield that they wouldn't bother working.
Some good umpires got left out and were somewhat unhappy. But only 4 umpires of 12 could work the infield.
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Frankly, I think that's a silly practice. The championship game should go to the top six umpires, and that's it. If the remaining umpires weren't good enough to make the crew, then so be it; it's the nature of the beast. Allowing them to rotate into the lines devalues the positions. And heaven forbid that the 12th-rated umpire out of 12 blows a fair/foul or catch/no catch call at a critical juncture in the game.
I vaguely recall years ago during the LLWS when a LL umpire from Canada failed to see a home run that hit the foul pole. I think he ruled that the ball never left the field and hit the fence, or maybe he ruled it foul, I can't really remember. Imagine something like that happening in a regional championship game where instant replay is not used to correct, and the call is made by an umpire who just came in from the cold late in the game.
Regardless of how good this umpire is, the perception would be that the call was made by someone who wasn't focused because he just entered. I could hear the ESPN announcers now, lamenting, "Hey, that umpire wasn't the same guy who made the catch call in the third inning! What's going on here?" Why deal with that hassle?
It's an honor to work the final game, and that honor should be bestowed on the best of the best. JMO