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Tim C:
You don't need to apologize about the ball bags. Your critic can't read. This is what you wrote: "7) Little League umpires brush off the pitcher's plate, wear ball bags and fanny packs when umpiring the bases." You DISTINCTLY said BASES. If a FED, NCAA or pro ump came out with a ball bag to work the bases, he'd be laughed off the field.
I agree with most of what you wrote about LL 'umpiring'. I volunteered in my Grandsons' league for a few seasons, when I didn't have a HS or college assignment. The 'instructors' WR sent to run a clinic were clowns. They insisted that if a fielder trapped the ball between his arm and body, it was a catch. Even quoting the rule book definition didn't help. I saw one of WR's 'instructors' take a home run away from a player because his teammates came out of the dugout to congratulate him. Yeah, the ball cleared the fence. Interference on a dead ball.
Most 'volunteers' are a joke. Usually Dads dragged kicking and screaming from the stands. I went to watch a friend's son's game the other evening. Two HS boys umping. Neither wore anything resembling an umpire's uniform. PU had a full-brim cap, worn backwards. Chest protector and leg guards worn OUTSIDE. BU wore his cap backwards. Both had horrible mechanics. My friend told me there was no pre-season training for the umps.
Some leagues hire an association, and their people are trained. To use non-trained umpires cheats the players. Every game, someone has their own idea (99.99% wrong) of the rules.
Bob
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