Umps

But dang, some calls the umps are making recently are making it difficult to maintain my case. ❋ Unknown (2009)

A real sport may require umps or refs, but you know who won when the contest is over. ❋ Grrm (2010)

OK, the umps blew the call, but Joe Torre said the final score stands because Yankees manager Joe Girardi didn't protest. ❋ Len Berman (2011)

Justin Klemm , the executive director of the Professional Baseball Umpire Corp., the entity responsible for training and evaluating umps for pro baseball, said he rehearsed his motion before a mirror to see what looked right. ❋ Jared Diamond (2011)

Better idea: have the umps learn the rules before enforcing them. ❋ Len Berman (2011)

By the time umps reach the midlevel minor leagues, though, their supervisors and trainers take the reins off and encourage them to start developing more intricate calls. ❋ Jared Diamond (2011)

Audio from umps, like that from miked managers and players, never airs live. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Baseball swears that umps are selected on merit, so maybe the answer lies in better training. ❋ Cindy Boren (2010)

Joe Torre, the Major League exec in charge of such stuff, says the umps blew the call the other night in Kansas City when they awarded Billy Butler a homer. ❋ Len Berman (2011)

That's why Mr. Evans has one crucial piece of advice for all young umps before acting too crazy: If you plan to use a wild strike-three mechanic, you better make sure you get the call right—at least most of the time. ❋ Jared Diamond (2011)

I think most umps try to judge whether the bat crossed the plate, not whether the “wrists broke”. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Triple-A umpire Shaun Francis said young umps, after the games, ask their colleagues on the bases to critique their mechanics, hoping to earn a coveted promotion to the big leagues. ❋ Jared Diamond (2011)

That, says Macheska, could even happen with miked umps when, say, they drop by a meeting on the mound between a manager and pitcher and hear what's going on: You don't want to give away strategy. ❋ Unknown (2010)

Before any of that, prospective umps must learn the fundamentals, prompting umpiring schools to ban students from performing complex strike-three calls. ❋ Jared Diamond (2011)