Quote:
Originally posted by WhatWuzThatBlue
Yes, I know how this sounds, but maybe there is a reason why it is difficult to break through.
How many of us would have loved being a movie star, but the gene pool and desire led us astray? Rather than put those souls down for having been accepted into a special fraternity, accept the hand dealt.
We tell newbies to work harder, hustle more and work more challenging games. We've discussed it before, but quality is much more important than quantity. Soon, some JUCO, D-2 or 3 coach will see you and want to chat. Make the effort to be professional and approachable before or after a series. You'd be surprised how many scouts or assistants can assist your career. Getting that first big game is an accomplishment. The time to be proud is when you get the next call.
The next factor is for every guy that group accepts, someone is likely being pushed aside. Some day, the new guy will do it to you. Enjoy the ride and teach what you learn.
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I don't know if you were addressing me with this or not, but gene pools had nothing to do with my not getting a shot at college ball. I was slated to get a look "next season" back then, and when next season rolled around, this group of renegade college umpires, who deemed themselves better than the rest of us, broke away and procured the college contracts for their new group. If you weren't in that "click," you were SOL. I'm not the only qualified umpire that this affected. Many others were in the same boat, and were slighted as well.
I worked really hard to hone my skills as an umpire to the point where college ball was looking like a reality. The president of the association told me that if I kept getting good ratings, that I would get some college ball next season. Of course, next year never came.
Now I'm nearly 50, and nobody is going to be beating down my door to work NCAA ball. Out here, we certainly don't get assignments just because we are a warm body, like in Rut's case.