3 and You're Out!

[zm1283]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I did not say that you could run anyone out there and they would be better. Of course this would be dependent on the person you bring out there. I even think it is easier to make that transition because baseball rules are not that different. Baseball does not have the complicated rules that football has with the college level and NFL level. There are not on a regular basis the kind of situations NFL guys have to face with very complicated and once in a season situations. Even the basic situations are complicated in football. What does a baseball umpire have to do the most? Call balls and strikes; get an occasional tough call at a base? Even the speed of the overall game outside of the pitchers is not going to be that drastic, if you have good timing and good concept of what your strike zone is. Again, I am talking about Davidson specifically more than anything. I do not think he is at the top of his profession at that level. I think he is at the lower end or a guy many would not miss. Again my opinion and certainly you have the right to disagree with me (be my guest), but I have seen talented guys that could replace him now and I am sure there are guys at the AAA level that certainly would do just fine in his spot.

Peace

Of course there are AAA guys that would do fine in his spot. Most of the callups are very competent and some would be in the top half of MLB umpires if they were full time.

I disagree that the overall speed of the game at that level is not drastic. The difference between lower level college games and D1 is drastic, and then there is a difference between D1 and the higher levels of MiLB. There is a HUGE difference in the speed of the game from HS to MLB.

Another part that would tough for most HS umpires is going from 2-man to 4-man mechanics without a good amount of training/instruction. (Or even 3-man)

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by zm1283

Of course there are AAA guys that would do fine in his spot. Most of the callups are very competent and some would be in the top half of MLB umpires if they were full time.

I disagree that the overall speed of the game at that level is not drastic. The difference between lower level college games and D1 is drastic, and then there is a difference between D1 and the higher levels of MiLB. There is a HUGE difference in the speed of the game from HS to MLB.

Another part that would tough for most HS umpires is going from 2-man to 4-man mechanics without a good amount of training/instruction. (Or even 3-man)

What speed? Until recently we were using metal bats where the ball was coming off of the bats at a higher rate of speed than MLB in many cases could produce with wood. And that is only about the ball, not the players for the most part. Actually older players tend to make many plays routine that younger players make much more difficult.

This is not a sport where you have to move faster because the players are faster and we have to keep up with them. The speed of the game in other sports where the ball is not factor is harder to officiate. In baseball we are mostly in a fixed position and only move when the ball is hit. I do not see that as a hard transition for anyone with decent and good training.

And I have seen an umpire get hurt in the MLB and was forced to 3 man to cover the game and those umpires looked lost on how to cover basic plays, which is understandable considering that is not a regular thing for them. But do not tell me a guy that now does not have to move that much is at a huge disadvantage. We will just have to disagree on this one. Considering that all of this conversation is because MLB umpires did something that is basic more than once and would make an HS umpire look very bad, that is not a good reflection on their ability to do their job. Yes we all make mistakes, but not those kinds of mistakes if you have been to any training. I do not think I have ever done this personally and I cannot think of 3 times where a partner did this at the HS level. I have never seen this at the college level. It does not make me perfect, it just means that I know that I have to wait and so do my partners before we make a call. It is a vital part of our job especially at a close play at home where collisions and the ball comes out frequently. Either it is ability or apathy.

Peace