Honesty is the best policy?

[Striker991]

Little League, majors and below, is very much a teaching league. Look at the structure of the rules. Mandatory play, safety restrictions, etc. It is designed to teach the kids baseball, have fun, and do it safely.

And, if I stick with a call as obviously wrong as this one and I know I didn't see it, and I know what the correct call is, my credibility is down the tubes. The coaches and the players, from then on, will assume I'm guessing on the other close calls as well.

And yes, I am intense on this issue, because it revolves around the purpose of the game itself, in Little League and at this level. The reason we have the violence we do is because parents, coaches, and yes, even officials, take the game to mean way more than it really does.

At this level, Little League majors and below, we should be facilitors and teachers, more than umpires and coaches. Let the kids play. Help them learn. Teach them discipline, teamwork, help them build character.

Have a Little League rule book? Read the motto on the back. Then, call the home run. Do the right thing.