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My highest level assignment to date has been the plate for the opening game of the 2001 PA State Big League Tournament.
It's worth noting that 2001 was the first year I'd ever done any 90-ft work (I had 3 years of small-diamond experience). I went to the LL school at Williamsport and worked HS-JV; LL Juniors, Seniors, and Big League; and some MSBL prior to getting that assignment.
I got the assignment because of a combination of:
* Luck (being the right place at the right time)
* Working for and with the assignor all season
* Being perceived by the assignor as a competent umpire who worked hard, was reliable, and deserved the opportunity.
You could make a strong argument that the assignor was crazy, irresponsible, and/or desperate to give such an assignment to a guy with only one season of big diamond experience. But I think the consensus was that I was better than your average 1st-year umpire.
For what it's worth, I did fine and had a great time working in a four-man crew (another first for me).
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Charlie Breuninger
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