the "umps are terrible" posts. First, discussions around procedure. Any official is going to blow a call, but there should be an expectation that proper procedure is always followed. There were some disagreements but my takeaway is the same thought I had in the moment, that the check-swing appeal should have been directed to the 1B umpire who was positioned between 1B and 2B. The umpires follow procedure in terms of positioning based on runners on base, and verifying that runners touch every base on home runs. (I can certainly understand the umpire verifying ***an touched home plate given the whole team was swarming but I have to chuckle watching them STARE at the bases when a runner is going by.) So I would expect that the HP umpire would follow proper procedure on appeals 100 times out of 100. Second are the rules clarifications. There were a lot of fans screaming for a video review on the disputed home run. I wasn't one of them only because I figured there was no chance of anything close to a definitive angle given the limited number of cameras. But I learned that the play is not eligible for review when the ball is higher than the foul pole when it crosses the fence. So that's good to know. A lot of the other comments didn't add much but it's great to see so much passion from the fan base for softball.