Proposed 2011 ASA Rule Changes Part I

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by Bandit

I have been told that this rule has been presented mulitple times in the past at the national meetings. Only to be shot down by umpires. Why?

If you were told that, and believe that, then both you and your source(s) have very little knowledge of how things work at ASA.

Of the almost 300 voting members, only 15 are the ASA NUS. While other voting members (Commissioners, Player Reps) are also umpires, the simple fact is that the umpires do not and cannot kill a rule proposal like this that primarily affects and/or benefits the JO program if the JO Committee takes a strong stand in favor.

In the several years that I was a voting member (resigned earlier this year), that proposal never had the full support of the JO Committee. I can say that confidently, because one of my Committee assignments was on the Playing Rules Committee, which voted after hearing the recommendations of the various subcommittees. Until and unless that happens (the full support of the group charged with knowing and implementing the JO program), proposals like this will continue to fail.

The majority of Commissioners vote JO issues based on the level of support their own JO Commissioner has, or based on the JO Committee recommendation. The Player Reps, by and large, vote based on JO Committee recommendations, as many claim to little or no familiarity with JO issues. And so on.