pitcher goes to his mouth without wiping it off

[Jim Porter]

Originally posted by David B
That's the problem with umpires letting things go and then along comes one of the umpire who has guts to make the call.

Some calls don't take guts. Some calls require a total lack of game management skills, a complete and utter failure to recognize common sense and fair play, a total misunderstanding of custom and tradition, a highly over-officious manner, and an utter lack of feeling for game flow.

For example, let's look for a moment at the 20 second rule in the OBR. Suppose I was enforcing that rule religiously with a stopwatch. Would you say, "Gosh, what guts that guy has," or would you think, "What an oaf, he has no feel for the game at all." If you picked answer A, I feel terrible for you.