If I had my druthers, every player and owner would be forced to read this.

Settle your differences or suffer the consequences like never before

You're not asking for TOO much, are you, Joe?

As someone directly and intimately a part of the game, I am saddened by the BS that goes on by a select group of folks. It's not easy for me to simply go out and do my job when it's being run by such rocket scientists, especially considering that I love the game so much.

[Edited to clarify its meaning.]

[ April 25, 2002: Message edited by: Ump25 ]

[quote] It's not easy for me to simply go out and do my job when I love the game so much.

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Ump, could you explain this please? Wouldn't that make it easier? I must be missing something. Are you being asked to do something contrary to the spirit of the game? Then it would make sense. I'm sorry, I am just curious.

Just guessing, but I think it's a misplaced modifier problem in ump25's post. The difficulty in doing his job comes from his sadness at the BS perpetrated by the billionaires and multi-millionaires (as stated in the previous sentence), not from his love of the game (which would appear to be the case if that sentence were read in isolation).

I had wondered if the meaning of that sentence would be a little unclear, but it was late and I was too tired and lazy to worry about it. I've since fixed it to clarify it.

What I was basically getting at is that many of my peers and I, while we try to truly ignore everything that's going on with the ML honchos and simply do our jobs, it's difficult, because we look at the game from a sort of wide-scale or objective viewpoint.

I like to stand back and look at the game, so to speak. This also allows me to not have any preconceived feelings about any specific team or city, etc. However, with what goes on with the Owners, the Players Association, and their incessant battles, it often is challenging to truly ignore all that.

If I looked upon umpiring as "just another job," yes, it would be easier. However, I truly do love the game, its history, its traditions, its nostalgia--you name it. I am first and foremost a fan of the game, and to see it damaged--perhaps beyond repair--saddens me.

Over the last umpteen number of years, it seems that there has always been a battle going on, whether between the Owners and Players, or between management and umpires.

How long this can go until the game literally implodes upon itself we shall see.


On a completely unrelated note: How come the clock here is way off? Just wondering why my posts are always several hours off, much earlier than actually written? This seems to be the only board where this happens. Hmmm...

[ April 25, 2002: Message edited by: Ump25 ]

[quote]Originally posted by Ump25:
: How come the clock here is way off? Just wondering why my posts are always several hours off, much earlier than actually written? This seems to be the only board where this happens. Hmmm...
]

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The board is on California time (Pacific Standard) I believe.