I was not at the Finals. I cannot comment on any of the specifics. I have friends on both teams. To truth is, I find it sad -- but by no means unforeseen -- that a championship game has ended this way. These events are not without CONTEXT, and I feel it's important for our league members to see these events contextualized, rather than in isolation.
As a former board member (I resigned in frustration early in my second year on the board, tired of being cursed at, ironically enough), one of the last things I was involved in was helping to write a brief "Code of Conduct" for the league. Regrettably I no longer have a copy, though it exists somewhere.
The basic idea was this: We, the board, were deeply troubled by some of the behavior we witnessed on the field over the years. To our eyes, a select few were ruining the atmosphere of the games for the many. We felt that we needed to step forward and EMPOWER the umpires to draw the line. We had seen that in the past many umpires put up with what we considered to be too much abuse. We wanted, very much, to send them the message that "we had their backs." We instructed the umpires to issue a clear warning, then eject the offending player/s if the behavior persisted.
This effort was made in behalf of the overwhelming majority of players who "get it." That we are incredibly fortunate to play in this league. That with jobs, wives, children -- in sickness and in health -- in times of war and profound national tragedy -- we were fortunate to be able to play ball. To compete with everything we've got, but also with real-life perspective. I am CONVINCED that the vast majority of our players hates the protracted carping and complaining that has at times marred some of our contests. The idea was a protect the many from the behavior of the few.
In addition, there are other factors: At times there is family in attendance, young children. Fields are hard to come by, and we could be denied access at any time. Our games are our best advertisement, for they document what we are all about. And what, hopefully, we are not about. Believe it or not, some umpires don't want to have anything to do with us -- and elect not to do our games. And so on.
To that end, I firmly supported (and still support) a near-zero tolerance approach. The "Code of Conduct" that I wrote was revised and approved by the Board. It was supposed to be delivered to the managers, but I'm not aware if it was or wasn't (as a manager, I don't recall receiving it). It was supposed to be given to the umpires. Supposedly it was going to be articulated by the managers to the players. In essence, the "Code" itself was uncomplicated: A one warning rule, then a call for the umpires to take action.
One final point:
A good friend of mine once explained to me the 10/80/10 rule. He said it was true in business, at home, in sports, in all walks of life. That is: 10% of the people do all the work. 80% just want to get along (but do nothing). And the last 10% complains about what the other 10% does.
That's our league, except I'd make it a 5/90/5 rule. The staggering apathy in this league is our greatest failing. All too many never lift a finger, never attend a meeting. In the end, each of us has to weigh the demands of our own lives, then decide which category we're going to fall into. Life is hard. We're busy. Many of us just want to play. But I'll tell you, that last 5% isn't where you want to be. You don't want to be the guy who complains about the people who do all the work. Get involved. Make things better. Contribute something. Do what you can to help. Or shut up.
