An Indiana Player Is Suspended For The Hoosiers' Regional Final Because He Brought A Chain One Step Out Of The Dugout To Celebrate A Go-Ahead, 3-Run Homer

We have an umpire epidemic in this country. Not only are many of them incompetent at their jobs much of the time, they also seem to think people pay to go to the ballpark to see them instead of the players. This is a prime example.

Tyler Cerny, an All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection this season, will be ineligible for Indiana in tonight's Regional final against Kentucky because he brought the Hoosiers' home run chain out of the dugout after his teammate Peter Serruto hit a 3-run homer to give IU a one-run lead on Saturday. The chain is apparently fine inside the dugout, but gets you a one-game sussy if you take one step onto the field with your entire team.

This shouldn't be a rule to begin with, which is most of the problem here, but who is benefitting from this being enforced by the umpires? It had no bearing on the game whatsoever and now you may have shifted the course of a team's season because you wanted to be the tough guy. It's just nonsense.

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We had a similar incident in Clemson last night, too, when Cam Cannarella was tossed in the 13th inning of an incredible game against Tennessee for some seemingly innocuous chirping on his way back to the dugout.

Just let the kids play. College baseball — even more so than professional baseball — is supposed to be fun. We don't need 50-year-old men taking matters into their own hands to protect the "integrity of the game" or whatever it is they've made up in their heads.

Call balls and strikes and leave everything else alone.