I would like to address the commissioner of the umpires used by the CDMSBL. I know that, all too often, you receive complaints about your staff and only on the rarest of occasions get recognized for the hard work you and your staff perform. I would, at this time, like to compliment two of your staff for the exemplary work in the Nationals v. Cardinals game last Sunday (July 15).
First, let me say that I was on the losing side of the game, so this is not some back-handed compliment for handing us a win.
Next, let me address the home plate umpire. Every person logging onto this forum has a different idea of what is a ball and what is a strike on any given pitch. Umpires and players will never agree. However, the one thing an umpire can do is call a pitch, call it with conviction and make his or her call loud and clear so there is no questioning the decision. This umpire did just that. I don't recall one National ever asking "did he say ball or strike?" His calls were clear and concise. And any time a player took exception to his call, he heard the player's case, acknowledged the issue and moved on. There was never a question about who was in charge of the game. On top of that, I felt his calls were consistent; which, at the end of the day, is what every player should expect.
Lastly, the gentleman on the basepaths called an equally as effective game. He put himself in seemingly the best possible position to make every call. Obviously it is difficult to call a game with only one basepath umpire, but he always seemed to "hustle" to get himself into the best spot to get a clean look at the play (despite the fact that both teams struggled with defense which added to potential chaos).
I don't know their names (nor do I believe I should), but I would recommend wholeheartedly to the commissioner of the umpire association that he look up who it was that worked the Cardinals v. Nationals game on July 15 and ensure that this is the crew that works the championship games of all three divisions.
I wholeheartedly agree with that review. Jim Dalton would be thrilled with positive feedback. Thanks Hurricane, for taking the time to point out the positives.
