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I am somewhat confused. First, I don't understand what a volunteer umpire is and why a volunteer umpire would be working a game with a paid umpire. Secondly, I quess in different parts of the country there are groups of people who call themselves umpires but actually don't belong to any kind of association. My association does not tolerate behavior that isn't totally professional and consistant from any of our umpires. We are all trained not only the rules of the game and the mechanics, but also where to go and what to do between innings. We all must also pay the utmost attention to our appearance. We cannot ware anything that is not association approved, and we also have a grooming policy that prohibits long hair and facial hair (Like the NY Yankees). If we don't follow policy, we are fined and of course don't get assigned games. We cannot work any game if it is not assigned by the commisioner of assignments, and we are required to contact our partners at least 24 hours before the game to make sure we are on the same page. I do volunteer my umpiring services on my own. During summer ball, I am assigned by my association as usual. I then choose to not accept payment from a certain number of games from a certain number of teams. It is my way of helping out the various youth leagues that are seeing rising costs hurt them. I guess not all areas are the same as mine.
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