[Tru_in_Blu]

"Those" umpires are everywhere.

I've even run into them at Nationals.

No matter how much USA makes training and clinics available, "those" umpires simply don't care enough to attend. They don't read the new rules that come out each year, they don't attend local meetings, they don't take the umpire exam.

They are "warm bodies" that every local, district, region needs to cover games. It's nice when there is a choice to not to have to use "those" umpires, but sometimes it's unavoidable. And the continued existence of cliques in various circles ensures that "those" umpires continue to get games they otherwise shouldn't have been assigned.

Our local group continues to see our average age creep up without seeing any new influx of officials. Five or ten years from now USA Softball will likely be in a real quandary.