[kellerumps]

I(We) agree with your sentiments as umpires who also personally knows and works regularly with 3 of the 6 WCWS Umpires. I thought they(the umpires) did one hell of a job working this tournament.

However, tonight as I played a round of golf with my dad I saw the light regarding the Other side. My dad(average older man who just enjoys all types of sporting events), who only knows softball based on the conversations we have, thought that ESPN's presentation was entertaining and enlightening. He watched several games, not as an umpire but as a spectator and he was entertained. Did he find some of the comments asinine? You bet......But no more so than any other sports broadcast(He refused to listen to Dick Vitale).

In the end, he was entertained AND despite the announcers 1-sidedness against umpires, gained new respect for what my wife and I(along with thousands of others) do for a hobby.

If dad is part of the demographic ESPN was trying to reach, then they succeeded. I personally hit mute and just watched the game while listening to a music cd. My dad, on the other hand became a fan.

Womens softball on T.V. is in it's infancy and will endure alot of growing pains. However, if they can reach more open-minded sports viewers like my dad, then the future is very very bright.