Quote:
|
Originally Posted by GarthB
1. I did not mock LL umpires. I tried to make the point that if you love doing LL then you owe it to yourself and LL to become the best umpire you can.
|
Fair enough.
Quote:
2. My experience is that if one is good enough to do something, they usually do. Coulda woulda shoulda is meaningless.
|
This is silly. As a college student, I was good enough to achieve a bachelor's degree in English, American History, and given enough motivation, probably Math. I chose not to.
Quote:
3. No one will become the best umpire they can be by working nothing but LL. That's a fact.
|
It's a fact that doesn't mean anything without an agreed measurement of umpire quality, but possibly true. I submit that no one will become the best umpire they can be by working nothing but any single level of baseball, including MLB.
Quote:
4. Like it or not, experience will make one a better umpire.
|
Agreed again. But the regulars on this board don't really follow an ecumenical path. For example, I could assert that working some softball would be an experience that helps you become the best umpire you can be. (I've seen a rising fastball, for example. If any overhand pitcher ever throws one, I'll be able to track it and call it correctly.
) We all pick our spheres.
As a LL umpire, I've worked 8U to 16U (probably JV HS level) ball. At district and state tournaments, I've seen quite a high quality of play and managed games under pressure. I've worked with umpires better than myself and learned from them, and I've taken all of the local (association-level) training available.
I have a number of ways I could improve, but the only experience I think I desire right now is managing games with professional coaches who know how to work the game against umpires. LL volunteer managers don't really present much of a challenge.