Last weekend, I did an interview in Salem of NCAA umpire Lindon Baptiste, who is considered by some to be one of the best umpires in the NCAA. I wrote a story about him that will be posted on TSL early next week (it would have been posted this weekend, but we had story overload, especially when MBB turned down the NIT). Baptiste works primarily in the SEC although an open date brought him to Salem last week and he was kind enough to sit down with me and give me an interview. Among other things, we discussed the instant replay system that the SEC uses, which is executed at a central location. The umpires don't see the video until after the game - they are simply told whether the play is upheld or overturned. Contrast that with the other conferences (i.e., the ACC) where the umpires go behind the curtain and review the play themselves. I have always had a personal concern that some umpires are reluctant to reverse a call that they made on the field - that takes a humbleness that may not be part of many umpires' DNA. Lindon confirmed that I am not totally crazy in my way of thinking. So...let's take that general thought process one step further. I didn't ask, but my logical assumption is that the SEC pays better than any other conference. Lindon works every weekend but four in the SEC and this weekend is doing the Arkansas at Alabama series and will have the plate Sunday, which is the ultimate assignment/compliment for an umpire. The SEC also has a very thorough review process, part of which includes a postgame report that reviews EVERY pitch that the umpire calls (excluding swings). I don't know if the ACC does that. My thought is this: I saw Lindon work the plate in VT-Michigan as well as VT-Penn State. He was dang good. That's the opposite end of the spectrum of what we saw this weekend with ACC umpires. So that raises some questions? Is it pay? Is it training? Is it the evaluation process? I have no idea, but this "may" be a situation where the SEC gets the best of the best and everyone else gets the leftovers. Just some rambling thoughts as we were driving back home tonight. To be clear, Duke made plays and absolutely won the two games. Still, there was some real inconsistency in balls and strikes.