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I recently did a game partnered with the president of our association chapter and as the home team took the field he said "Lets be invisible". Funny that I hadn't heard anyone say that before but I thought it meant "let the players play the game". I believe umpires are there to manage the game and for two basic reasons. To ensure the rules are followed and to call the close plays where the teams won't agree on what happened. Truth is everyone knows a runner is out at first when the throw beats him by three or four steps, or a fly ball is cleanly caught by a fielder. All umpires have experienced plays so close they could go either way, but a call has to be made and sold. Do it and move on. Don't bait coaches or players or otherwise draw attention to yourself. There are always going to be disagreements because you do miss a call, or there is a perception by one team that you miss a call. Make your call and move on. If a coach wants to discuss a call, fine allow him to do it in a civil manner. If he can't be civil and crosses the line toss him. I agree it is impossible to be invisible but there is no need for showboating, and that is what I think being invisible means.
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Fri Jul 06, 2007, 07:07am
Hybrid Mode
