Replacing Umpires Won’t Be That Easy

Bill Plaschke is right on the mark in his July 18 column. While a small minority of umpires are overly confrontational, less than competent, or too out of shape to perform the job, the overwhelming majority do an excellent job--as evidenced by subsequent replays. That the occasional blown call is so newsworthy speaks for their general accuracy, which is taken for granted.

Replacing veteran umpires with major league novices at the pinnacle of the season would tarnish the season and be an embarrassment to the game. What is needed is a better system for removing and/or demoting the poorer umpires, regardless of seniority. We cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater because of a few bad umpires. I suspect the majority of major league players would agree.

DANIEL KULICK, Dana Point