Eye On Illinois: In baseball, and government, measured reflection tops instant reaction

“It isn’t a good thing to have to change decisions and earn a reputation for being premature.”

If you identified the source of that quote as Silk O’Loughlin, I award 10 bonus points. O’Loughlin died at age 46 in 1918 during the global flu pandemic, cutting short his promising career as an American League umpire. He started in 1902 and worked five World Series.

I use that sentence and several of O’Loughlin’s other thoughts in a training document for my role as director of youth umpires for my local Little League, which puts me in charge of about 50 teenagers. I’m also a newly certified Illinois High School Association arbiter, and although I haven’t worked any high school games yet, I called about a dozen house and travel league games this summer and watched another 60 or so with my kids playing.

O’Loughlin’s advice always sticks in the back of my mind, especially when I forget to heed his words and start to make a call before a play is completely resolved. The throw may well have beaten the runner to the base, but if the fielder drops the ball, there’s no out. There’s no reward to an umpire for being fast. Making the right call is all that matters.

Having just completed an online clinic for IHSA officials, the same guiding principle came across time and again from multiple experts: Take your time and be sure. If you call the strike as soon as the ball hits the catcher’s mitt, that means you decided while it was in the air, even as you know the concern is where the ball crosses the plate. Make the call silently, replaying what you saw, and then say something out loud. That one second may seem like an eternity, but the silence and reflection communicates certainty to players, coaches and fans.

This tenet is vital to umpiring. But all summer, I’ve thought about its application to my job here of analyzing the way our state government operates. There’s no value in rushing to judgment, especially if I later have to reverse course and admit I didn’t fully understand something before issuing praise or criticism.

Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem worked in the National League from 1905 to 1941. I use some of his quotes to lead my charges, as well, but one stands out as it relates to government: “Your job is to umpire for the ball, and not the player.”

Commentators – and taxpayers – are well served to think about how legislation and policy affects individuals and communities, not merely the impact on a given political party. We all can scream instant reactions, but a measured reflection is of far greater service.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on Twitter @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.