Where do all those interps come from?

[Warren Willson]

Originally posted by Bfair
What happens when the amateur league I assign says we are OBR except as amended by our own league rules (which are numerous, but at least I can get rulings). Does OBR mean MLB, Minor, or what? Do I give any more credit to NAPBL vs. JEA or J/R ???

This is relatively easy to answer.

If your league uses its OWN rules, but based on the OBR, then they have to tell you which of those authorities (if any) to apply to their rules.

OTOH, if your league uses strict OBR, with some local additions of their own, then you should use both the NAPBL and JEA Professional Interpretations, which are "official" for OBR - unless the league specifically precludes them. The rest of JEA and pretty much ALL of J/R is only authoritative opinion, which you can certainly use for background information and support for a particular position, but which may or may not pass muster in your league's protest committee.

In order of importance in a strictly OBR league (with modifications) the heirarchy would be:

1. Your league's specific version of a rule, and its interpretation from them.

2. OBR version and "official" NAPBL/JEA interpretation

3. JEA or J/R authoritative opinion, including history and tradition of rule use.

4. NCAA or FED equivalent interpretation, if no other specific interpretation exists.

5. Consensus of senior, experienced officials as to proper interpretation. Includes sources such as Carl Childress' BRD recommendations, written opinions of respected experts, etc.

Only 1 and 2 will likely pass for "official" in your league protest committee. The rest are expert and authoritative support, but may be rejected by protest committees as not applicable. Still, they are a whole lot better than any umpire's personal opinion which almost NEVER "washes" in the committee room.

Cheers,

[Edited by Warren Willson on Mar 2nd, 2001 at 06:39 AM]