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Tim,
As I've said before, I've had more frustration with partners that "make up" mechanics than I can count. I recently had a partner making calls on routine outfield catches (catches that were clearly in the V) while I was in B and C. It scared me to the point that I went in and talked with him between innings. We had two catch/no catch calls and luckily we had one umpire make one call but I was waiting for trouble.
If someone who knows me is reading this post, they'll say "I remember Lawrence when he would go out from the middle of the infield or when he hustled all over the place to get in position". They would be correct. I did those things and more. It wasn't until about 1998 when I started seriously studying two-man mechanics. I've attended 2 clinics since then as well. I've also worked with better umpires who are none to shy to let me know where I needed to improve. I took their advice and ran with it (I certainly didn't brush it off and think they were nuts).
I take a lot of pride in trying to get better. I also take pride in trying to learn new aspects of umpiring. I am far from perfect and wouldn't pretend to be a "Big Dog".
What really chaps me is guys that don't want to learn or take the time and money to hone their skills. They look at umpiring as a check. As an example, we beg and plead each year (heck this year we fed everyone for free) to come to our Dixie Baseball meeting in March. We only had a handful of folks who took the time (it was only half a day on Saturday) to stay for the whole meeting. Guess who the guys are that get the big games?
I could go on and on...
Lawrence
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