"All I can speak for is my personal experiences...so I'm not going to generalize and say "all MiLB guys are like this"...but the ones i've met are great guys, who are down to Earth, very personable, and have a love for umpiring that goes beyond anything i've ever seen. I have yet to meet a professional umpire who acts like he's above me or the level of baseball I work."
On the surface this is a nice sentiment. Ask some of them to work a high school game some time. Better yet, when their season is over, ask them to work an underlevel game. Don't get me wrong, I was the same way when I got done. There was no way you would get me on a high school field. It took a long time before I figured out that if I was that good, I would have been noticed by Fitz and Co. I am really friendly with a few AA and AAA crew. We shoot the s*** once in a while. Sometimes it's at the ballpark when Brinkman gets us free tickets or sometimes after when he and his crew are in town. (Joe and Bruce take care of those they liked at their old school.) It never amazes me how often the younger MiLB guys put down college crews. They joke about their lazy mechanics and lack of discipline. Maybe these are the bad seeds, but I've been around too long and seen too many to know better.
Again, I hope that they get their act together and wise up before walking away from ST assignments. Those with seven years or more invested will be throwing it all away. Did anyone see the WUA's position on the matter? I haven't seen them being to vocal about their brethren. A few misguided members insist that we should rally around them. Yeah, I can't wait for you to do that when the local teacher's union walks out in your town. You'll be screaming for them to get back to work. Shortsightedness has no place in an umpire's kit bag.
TAC - I have to admit, that was a nice catch.
