Is it a balk?

[Tim C]

Since all I do as an umpire is report what I see any game I umpire is the easiest thing I do that day.

Regards,

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Tim C

Since all I do as an umpire is report what I see any game I umpire is the easiest thing I do that day.

Regards,

WHAT????

You mean you don't realize you have the fragile fate of 18 young men and the consequences of all their effort and skill in your hands to crush or crown as you see fit?

[Don Mueller]

Originally Posted by GarthB

I do my job, and by so doing, again, I do not have an undue influence on the outcome.

Here's my original premise:

Originally Posted by Don M

Why is it so outlandish to suggest that an umpire who screws the pooch on a rules interp which definitively results in a score can't have some responsibility in the outcome?

Which is exacly why as umpires we need to know our rules!

No where in that post or any subsequent post did I say GarthB screws the pooch, doesn't do his job, has an undue influence on the game or ever misinterprets the rules.

What I continue to say is that if an umpire, except Garth, blows a rules interp then the influence on the game can be profound.
Do you disagree?

I'm not sure if you take exception because you never blow a rules interp or if you think that IF a rules interp is blown it CANNOT effect the game.

My second post I said this:

Originally Posted by Don M

I was speaking generally to the sentiment on this thread that an umpire has no effect on the outcome.
A blown rules interp can impact a game, nothing wrong with admitting it, it's the truth.

You've taken serious offense to one of these statements. Which one was it?

Originally Posted by GarthB

It would take pages to explain to one with no understanding of the history of art, but the short version is....it's all in the hands, not the smile.

No sense in quibbling over non important museum art.