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mcrowder,
I've seen the same thing in my area. Becoming certified for FED baseball was like a freakin' boot camp! My local association goes to extremes to provide training, testing and evaluation.
Last month, I got my ASA certification- or, more accurrately, became registered by ASA. As IrishMike has pointed out before, ASA does not certify umpires. Rather, it registers them.
To become an ASA umpire all I had to do was show up for 3 out of 4 rules meetings, pay an ASA registration fee and pay the local association fee. No tests were required. I could be the biggest yahoo in the state, but I'd be registered just the same.
Aside from classes and training, I've spent countless hours studying on my own, in hopes of polishing my own game-calling skills. When I run into these misinformed "experts" you describe, or see other umpires with sloppy mechanics or poor rule knowledge, here's how it affects me:
IT MAKES ME WANT TO TRY EVEN HARDER TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY!
[Edited by BretMan on Apr 7th, 2005 at 02:05 PM]
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