Quote:
Originally posted by Jim Mills
If someone expresses an interest in umpiring, I encourage it and point them toward training, toward job opportunity, toward equipment suppliers--even toward umpire bulletin boards. I don't recruit. I encourage those who express interest on their own. What can we do as a vocation to recruit more umpires? I couldn't care less. I don't need umpire services. When I do, I guarantee you I won't have a shortage.
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Interesting philosophy, Jim. And it will work, too, but only up to a point. At that point, when the leagues still can't find enough umpires despite the highest fees they can manage, they may start looking for ways
to do without umpires. Maybe they might make it the responsibility of teams to provide their own official. Maybe they will loosen the accreditation requirements for those officials. And just maybe they'll do the recruiting for you. Who cares, you say?
That course is guaranteed to ensure there are a LOT more officials who think about nothing but the money when they approach their occupation in baseball. It is NOT likely to produce officials who have a great sense of the history and tradition of what baseball is all about, and are thus committed to ensure that the game's laudible ideals are properly carried out by the earnest application of the principles embodied in its rules.
In short, Jim, it is a philosophy that will ultimately produce more HHH's and less truly committed officials. No wonder Peter is all for it! He would be the majority he always believed he was! (grin)
Remember the story about the goose that laid the golden egg? What killed that goose was the unceasing demand for more, more, more... with little or no thought for the goose's welfare. If someone doesn't take care of the goose's needs, everyone loses in the long run. Baseball, in all of its many and varied forms, is OUR goose that lays the golden eggs. If we don't care about the game's history and traditions, and take care to recruit other officials who feel the same responsibility, pretty soon it won't exist.
I can see it now; the managers turn up to the plate meeting in New Baseball and decide based on how they feel today as to whether we have balks, obstruction or interference, etc. And the officials say "
Sure! Do what you want as long as you pay me!" That ain't baseball, guys. That simply AIN'T baseball! The goose is DEAD!
Jim umpiring selfishly for money is ok. Refusing to participate in ensuring the care and welfare of the living, breathing source of that money is just plain dumb, IMHO!
Cheers,