Interference or Not???

[SanDiegoSteve]

The following quotation is from Coach JM:

In my experience, individuals who feel a need to brag about their experience and accomplishments, when no one has expressed the slightest interest in them, generally have a grossly exaggerated sense of their expertise and competence.

For example, how is it that an umpire who has officiated over 3,000 games, some number of them perfectly, I might add, doesn't even know that 7.09(d) only applies to a batter, not a batter-runner? Perhaps the distinction is to fine for someone of your mental capacity (no offense intended toward the developmentally disabled). And, of course, a person would actually have to know how to read, which, based on your comments in this thread, is obviously not a strong suit of yours. I mean, everbody else on this thread understood what dacodee meant when he said, "My partner and I botched that one.", and you didn't.

I know you can't be saying that you know and understand every single rule and its application. I, unlike you apparently, learn new things all the time. The real reason I didn't pick up on the subtle difference in the rule is that it never happens in real life! It is a TWP that has not occurred in, yes, the over 3,200 games that I have officiated over the past 20 years.

If you think there is something wrong with listing (not bragging) experience and accomplishments as a credential validation for addressing a subject, then you are sadly mistaken. One could ask you why you feel the need to say the things you do, but nobody is doing that, are they?

You know, if every umpire here knew every single rule and its application, we would have no need for this forum. But, the reality is that many good umpires have questions about some of the rules of the game, many of which are poorly written, and subject to many interpretations. JEA and J/R often disagree about interpretations, and both often don't square up with MLBUM or NAPBL manuals.

By my letting certain people know that this isn't my first rodeo, and that I didn't just fall off the umpire truck yesterday does not mean that I am exaggerating a damn thing. I am brutally honest, tell it like it is, and have no need to tell wild tales. Listing ones experience should be required to post here IMO. For example, how many games have you umpired, coach? Or, better yet, how many have you coached? 12 years @ what, 40-50 games per year. Still less than 1,000 games, I would say. But I don't hold your lack of experience against you, so why do you feel you need to comment about my vastly superior experience? I umpired between 175 (the low) and 228 (the high) games a year my first 16 years in the business. Umpiring wasn't a hobby in those years, it was an avocation.

And no, the distinction is not to fine (great command of the English language there, Skippy) for someone of my mental capacity, as mine is quite high. I won't further bore you with the details (since you would consider it bragging anyway). There were two distinct calls which were blown in the original situation (now that it has been finally explained properly):

1) the interference non-call, and
2) not ejecting the coach.

Since dacodee originally asked our opinions about the call, and he was, at the time, convinced that it was not interference, I believed him to be referring to the non-ejection of the coach, and not the interference. I feel that's a fairly honest mistake on my part, and not subject to your ridicule.

Actually, reading is quite a strong suit of mine, and since you don't know me from Adam, I am wondering where you get off making such an ignorant statement. Well, some people were raised, and some people were jerked up.