Great discussion y'all (to use a term from my southern relatives). I'm glad to see politics happen everywhere.
Several years ago, when I was starting out, I just wanted to call games...get some experience. So I, living just outside a METRO association, contacted the UIC of this METRO association. That individual asked me where I lived, I told him, and he said, "I'll register you, but you'll never work inside the METRO area...I only use umpires that live inside the county." I, being the kind of guy that I am, said "fine, I'll go somewhere else." And I did. I found out later how POLITICAL the metro association was...rumor is the UIC would send himself to a national every year. For a fact, I know of two years in a row where one guy went to two different nationals EACH YEAR. And it wasn't like they didn't have qualified umpires, just sent the ones on the "A" list.
Two years later, that METRO organization folded and was combined with the state organization. This UIC had nothing to do with the State organization for a couple of years...bad feelings or something. All of the sudden all these unknown, "B" list umpires from the former METRO are working state tournaments and national tournaments...and getting great reviews.
Two years ago, the former METRO UIC was looking for umpires to work games he was assigning for (still assigned umpires at two large complexes). He asked me to do games, and I said, "send me a schedule, and I'll let you know if I'm open." He responded, "No, I don't let umpires pick and choose. I'll assign you dates, and you take all of them or none of them." I said, "none of them."
Best decision I ever made.
He e-mailed this year looking for some college game coverage. I told him I could do two of the five dates, but was closed on two others, and didn't want to drive five hours for a game (and I couldn't get the day off of work, anyway). He told me, "I'll let you know." A month passes, no call. I e-mailed to close the dates, and filled them with other games. No response.
Best decision ever made.
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