Crew Chief working the lines

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

No.

I'll elaborate.

For one thing, it is an honor to be assigned these playoff and WS games. The umpires have worked very hard at their craft in order to be selected. It would be unfair to the other 5 umpires in the crew for Reilly to be kept in the infield and forcing an extra turn on the foul lines for someone.

For another thing, the foul lines often have very controversial calls, which require a keen eye and good judgment to call correctly. Why shouldn't the crew chief have a turn on the lines? It seems to me you can't go wrong with that, having all that experience there for a close call.

For one more thing, the four umpires in the infield area are more than capable of handling any fight situation. Also, it's not all that far from the deep foul lines in case reinforcements are necessary. Reilly stayed out of it because he wasn't needed, but he could have easily sprinted in if he had been needed.