Author Topic: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."  (Read 7507 times)

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Offline Ralph Damren

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"Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« on: May 28, 2014, 08:26:06 AM »
Being the off-season with little to argue about, I felt I'd share with you guys a message that hit home some thirty years ago. My company used to sponsor an Old Timers Game in each Major League city as a prelude to a regular game. The previous night there was a banquet for retired players, retired umpires and several of my associates held in skyviews during the game.

             SITE : Fenway Park, Rangers vs Red Sox, Nolan Ryan vs "Rocket Roger" (I assume
                      pre-rocket fuel) Clements.

SITUATION : Bottom of 7th, Sox runners @ 2nd & 3rd w/2 outs,scoreless game....(1) Ryan throws pitch in the dirt; (2) catcher blocks pitch & directs ball back into glove with his handheld mask; (3) I yell, " HE TOUCHED THE BALL WITH DETACHED EQUIPMENT, SCORE BOTH RUNS >:D >:D"; (4) I was standing next to Ed Runge, a retired umpire, to whom I'd boasted of my umpiring skills. His response sent me a message I'll never forget :"I'd never want to work with you if you would call that :o, you'd ruin a great game---Ryan's a hothead, you'd toss him and his catcher & skipper, for something that didn't gain anybody anything. Son, don't be a 'walking rule book waiting to happen' >:(" (5) the Sox skipper approached the plate ump and inquired -ump had a short answer & smiled, skipper also :) smiled & returned to dugout. I assumed ump's answer was similar to Runge's; (6) the baseball gods must have been watching for the batter then hit a 2 run double nAnA!

Thank you, Ed Runge, for those words of wisdom :bOW; and thank you, guys, for taking the time to read. If you're a  P_S cop, don't ticket those going 28 MPH in a 25. If you are an official let the kids decide the game, just keep it fair.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2014, 12:47:58 PM by Ralph Damren »

Offline bama_stripes

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2014, 10:01:30 AM »
If you are an official let the kids decide the game, just keep it fair.

Oh, Ralph..... you didn't really just say that, did you?   :!#

The kids do decide the game.  They decide whether to "cheat" or not.  I'm just a reporter.

Offline VALJ

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2014, 10:28:08 AM »
The VP of training my first year said two things that have always stuck with me in that regard:

1.  You can memorize every single rule and be able to recite them chapter and verse.  And you can be the best non-working official that this association has. 
2.  The rulebook is in black and white.  Football is played in shades of gray.  The more shades of gray you can see, the better an official you'll be.

Offline Atlanta Blue

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2014, 10:56:47 AM »
In every class of baseball umpires that I taught (and there were 30 years worth), I always used the line:

Call WITH the book, not BY the book.

Offline Rulesman

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2014, 11:56:22 AM »
"See everything you call, but don't call everything you see."
"Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence. I am not remotely interested in just being good."
- Vince Lombardi

Offline Ralph Damren

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2014, 12:55:05 PM »
Oh, Ralph..... you didn't really just say that, did you?   :!#

The kids do decide the game.  They decide whether to "cheat" or not.  I'm just a reporter.
    Yep, 'Bama, I said it :). To me, our part is keeping it fair P_S :)

Offline Atlanta Blue

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2014, 02:48:07 PM »
Actually, I think all officials SHOULD be a walking rule book.  They should know it backward and forward, everything in it.

But there is a huge difference in KNOWING the rule book and APPLYING the rule book.

Another old bromides: It's more important to know what the rule MEANS than what the rule SAYS.

And what we have always said about the baseball rule book: it was written by gentlemen for gentlemen, not by lawyers, for lawyers.  It's not about parsing every word and misplaced comma, it's knowing how the game should be called.

Which takes us down the road of replay, which is ruining baseball, but that's a rant for another day.

Offline Ralph Damren

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2014, 08:17:08 AM »
Good point, AB, maybe rephrasing Ed Runge's statement to : " Be a walking rulebook, just know when to happen ^talk!"  yEs: yEs: yEs: PS : Thanks to the ole' Boston Braves/Beaneaters the Red Sox have their longest winning streak of the season (3 games) nAnA :).

Offline prab

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2014, 09:28:50 AM »
I guess that this means I should probably quit my pre-game practice of measuring the numbers on players jerseys to insure that they are at least 8 inches and 10 inches high on front and back respectively as per
1-5-1c2. 

Offline Ralph Damren

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2014, 10:24:06 AM »
I guess that this means I should probably quit my pre-game practice of measuring the numbers on players jerseys to insure that they are at least 8 inches and 10 inches high on front and back respectively as per
1-5-1c2.
  :) If, in the interest in worldwide harmony, the dimensions went to the Metric Scale and numbers became Roman Numerals ; rule 1-5-1c2 would need to be adjusted accordingly. You would still need 5 offensive linemen numbered / numeraled between L and LXXIX. Hopes this helps to explain a dilemma you may face ;D!

Offline bossman72

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #10 on: May 29, 2014, 01:37:12 PM »
Seems as though in baseball that they don't want you to call anything but ball/strike/safe/out.  This is why rules makers have such a tough time with making new baseball rules - nobody wants to enforce them.

I'm just speaking in generalities and not necessarily to the play Ralph provided...

Offline HLinNC

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #11 on: May 29, 2014, 01:40:26 PM »
Quote
You would still need 5 offensive linemen numbered / numeraled between L and LXXIX. Hopes this helps to explain a dilemma you may face !

Better start teaching the WH's Latin.

Offline VALJ

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #12 on: May 29, 2014, 03:27:57 PM »
I haven't studied Latin in almost 25 years.  And I don't think I ever learned how to say "interference" in Latin.  :)

Google Translate turns "Holding. By the player of the offense wearing number 79.  We will replay third down." into:

 ^flag  "Habentes. Per delicti gerens felis numerum LXXIX. Nos repetere tertius."
« Last Edit: May 29, 2014, 03:30:57 PM by VALJ »

Offline prab

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #13 on: May 29, 2014, 03:33:24 PM »
Learning to deal with Julius Caesar H.S. and its Roman numerals should be easy enough.  Carrying two different colored flags and using semaphore signals comes to mind.  However, when IT Prep School insists on using binary numbers and having 5 offensive linemen numbered 110010 thru 1001111, then ???  And people laugh at the "slippery slope" theory!

Offline Etref

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #14 on: May 29, 2014, 03:33:44 PM »
But how would the Latin translation sound with a Southern accent?    nAnA
" I don't make the rules coach!"

Offline VALJ

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #15 on: May 30, 2014, 07:20:06 AM »
True.  I forgot to add a "y'all" at the end of that.   ;D

Offline Osric Pureheart

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Re: "Don't be a walking rule book waiting to happen..."
« Reply #16 on: May 30, 2014, 04:09:39 PM »
Romanes eunt domus? People called Romanes, they go the 'ouse???

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbI-fDzUJXI )