n reality, the umpire was only reacting to his training; his trainers told him that he must stand in a certain place, so he simply didn't think he could umpire as well from another spot. The coach didn't see it that way. Sometimes we all have to deal with coaches who perceive reality a bit differently than we do.

Steve's a redneck

While living in Tennessee, I developed a close friendship with Stevie, a very personable high school umpire who also assigned some youth baseball in the summer. Stevie was proud of his position as a "Tennessee redneck," which made it even more unlikely that we would become friends.

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