A ringing alarm

ow many left-handed pitchers did you look at last season? Southpaws used to be rare occurrences back in the 50s and 60s when I was a cub umpire. Since we didn't see them very often, they had a distinct advantage. They could do things that were rare and unseen. Since most of our umpiring knowledge came from the experiences of the game and not from clinics, DVDs, or even VHS tapes, it was a seat-of-the-pants experience. That was true for both umpires and coaches, at least coaches at the high school and lower levels of play.

Lefties got away with things that righties never imagined. I think that's why a lot of us old timers still say to this day: "Lefties cheat legally!"

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