[greymule]

I don't have any problem moving between baseball and softball. To me, the games are so different, there's no confusion.

In the late 1960s, I used to play semipro baseball on some nights and slow pitch softball on others, and people would assume that SP would mess up my timing for baseball. But the difference between hitting a baseball fired from 60 feet and hitting a SP lob is so great, it's like thinking that playing billiards could throw off your tennis game. In fact, SP might have helped me keep my eye on pitches in baseball.

I started at 16 in 1966 umpiring the 13–15 league I had played in. Four bucks a game. In fact, I still have my indicator from back then. It's a Rawlings, made of stainless steel, and I think it cost 49 cents. Embossed on it is something seldom seen today on an indicator: "Made in USA."