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I've umped a lot of years, and have often thought about what makes a good umpire a great one. Tee has most of the elements well covered, and I agree with what he says. I would like to add one ingredient - something I have discovered doing D1 Regionals the past two years. That ingredient is AWARENESS. I've been fortunate enough to be able to watch some excellent college umpires, and this is the one thing that seems to keep manifesting itself with the cream of the crop. They know what's going on, where the crap is coming from, where it's liable to come from, who doesn't like whom, past history, who the "players" are, who the "rats" are, who they can talk with and who they can go to to get things done. They know what the score is, who is frustrated (coaches AND players), which partners need "guidance", when to listen and when to raise their voice, when to warn and when to dump. They know the direction the game is headed at any given moment. They pay attention to "message" pitches, chirping, bench-jockeying, and even "eye-balling". They watch the weather, the fans, and they know where security and game management is. If you ask them, they can even tell you where the bathroom is, and the best hot dog in the league, the most economical hotel, and the best local steakhouse.
For me it's all about awareness, and in 2006 that's the one thing I'm going to focus on improving in MY umping career.
JJ
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