Bad News, I didn't.....

[Dakota]

It has been stated to me that umpires should avoid posting opinions on rules interpretations on the internet. As I understood the rationale, it was that the opinions are not official, could be misunderstood, or used to cause problems in actual games.

To quote an old TV commercial, "To this I politely answer, 'Bunk!'"

One highly placed umpire that I greatly respect, when asked by coaches about rules questions - I'm talking away from the game, not during - will usually ONLY pull out his rule book and read the applicable rule, providing little or no further commentary.

I really don't understand the reluctance by some to offer views, and I very much don't understand the resistance to recognize the huge benefit to training, self-improvement, and dissimenation of official interpretations between rule book printings that the internet is.

Perhaps it is related to "internet culture." I was doing some research on proper web site design (nothing to do with softball or officiating) and came across a consultant in the field who categorizied 3 kinds of internet cultures:

1) natives
2) immigrants
3) foreigners

Natives do not know life without the internet. For them it is relational - used for social interaction like those before them used the post office, telephone, the back-yard fence, and social gatherings. It is where they tend to go first for information.

Immigrants have adapted to life with the internet. For them, it is mostly a tool, used for information when needed.

Foreigners don't understand, don't like, distrust, and don't use the interent.

I suspect many of those fine people in the upper levels of our avocation fall into the foreigner category, or are immigrants who look with suspicion on the natives.