Not Jeffrey Maier again!!!

[JJ]

This whole discussion points out just how difficult it is to be a baseball umpire on any level, and that being a "people person" is just as important as being technically right on certain calls. We've all heard a coach yell, "Get help on that pulled foot", but after years of umpiring we've also learned that, if we did everything else right in making the call, we don't NEED to go for help if we are convinced we got it right. We've also had partners after a game say, "I think you missed that whacker in the third inning" - which NOBODY else questioned or argued. Boy, I'm glad my partners don't step up and volunteer their opinion on every call they think I've missed. There's ongoing discussion on the NCAA level among umpires and supervisors about which calls we should be "huddling up" on. Our ultimate goal is to get the call right, but even multiple TV replays from different angles are inconclusive - which leads us back to the beginning - let the umpire responsible for the call MAKE the call, and if he has any doubt in his own mind let HIM ask for help. God help us all if we're allowed to volunteer our own decisions on every judgement call - they think the games are long now - wait until the crew huddles up on every close one. The Supreme Court is way too busy now