General Instructions: Generally Ignored

[DDonnelly19]

Originally posted by Carl Childress

I believe umpires should:

1. Support the organization that hires us.

Further, I suggested that the ideas cynics post on the Internet harm umpires of amateur games. I pointed to the following oft-repeated statements:

1. Do as your assignor says or you won’t advance.
2. If enforcing that rule upsets the coaches, don’t enforce it.
3. How do we know the interpretations Carl reports are real?
4. A system of mechanics isn’t necessary. Nobody cares where the umpires stand.
5. Umpiring ain’t that hard.
6. Who needs to know the rules?
7. The customer is always right.

[Edited by Carl Childress on Feb 10th, 2001 at 09:41 AM] [/B]

I see a potential confict between what we should do (support our organization and its rules) and what we shouldn't do (in a nutshell, sell out to the assignor/league/coaches/customer). National organizations such as FED, NCAA, LL, etc. don't normally experience these conflicts because their practices, interpretations, mechanics, etc. are standardized nationwide. The local organizations, even those "sanctioned" by nationwide organizations such as USSSA, Babe Ruth, etc. are generally going to do what the umpire assignor/supervisor advises them of what should be done, and they generally don't give a rat's ass of what the NAPBL, J/R, JEA, or BRD says. If the assignor says it's "1 + 1" on an overthrow that goes into the dugout, by golly that's what the local organization is going to put in their local rulebook.

So when my assignor, acting on behalf of the local association, tells me I should call this or that, despite what the OBR, NAPBL, or other source says, am I supporting the organization that hires me, or am I "selling out"?

Dennis