Smittyisms

[jicecone]

rei,

I believe that 99.99% of officials go out there to do the best job they can with the tools they have. But I believe you are discussing specifics about calling the obvious, when most of us are talking in general.

It doesn't sound like your a nitpicker but if that is what you do, fine.

Any good college ball or semi-pro ball I did, you were expected to hustle and be in position, look professional, act professional and call the game "as expected" by the players and coaches. If there was no tag, you were also expected to make the right call.

I never worked MLB (somehow they missed my name), so I can not relate to what they do, nor do I officiate to expected standards (except those mentioned above) set by others in the Association either, as far as making the "expected call."

I believe we are talking about the "ordinary" here and not the "unusual."

However if you feel as though your job is to call the "unusual", ALL the time, (and I don't think you are), then all I have to say is remember, very ,very, very, very few people come to watch you umpire.

But if the shoe fits and it works for you, have a nice day.

"ordinary"? "unusual".

Holy cow! This is baseball we are talking here. There is ONLY "ordinary" and "unsual" things that happen! LOL

What I am saying is this. When I don't see a tag, I am calling safe, no matter WHAT it may look like. If a runner misses a bag and it is appealed, I will call the runner out. Etc...

If anybody cares to notice, I did say "if I believe I did/did not see" a tag, missed bag, etc... Of course I am out there just doing the best job I can. I know for certain that I will not get every call right, and that sometimes what I think I saw is not exactly what happened. That is why it is called a judgement call.

But to think I saw something and make a call contrary to that because of what I think everybody else saw? Never gonna happen here!