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Originally Posted by David B
As far as calling the games, I find its a lot easier to call higher levels than to call say HS or small college.
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Yes, this is exactly the point. It is much easier to work higher levels of baseball. It's easier to work HS than to work Pony League or Little League. The higher the level, the better the pitching, catching, and defense.
I would love the legitimate opportunity to set up behind a Mike Piazza, for instance, rather than the catchers I get that just let the ball hit me every other pitch. I wouldn't even blink, much less flinch as I have seen some pros do. I have umpired many of today's major league star pitchers, so I know I can handle big league pitching no problem. And except for the occasional bang-bang play, the calls on the bases nearly call themselves at the top level. What a joy it would be to not have a nut-cutter on every other play!
ATI62 echos my viewpoint on the subject. It is not rocket science, and the schools in Florida are not the only way to become an excellent umpire. Some umpires have 1 year of experience 20 times, but some of us have 20 or more solid years of good experience, and are not the Smitties that guys like Jiggy seem to think we are.