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I think the premise of being invisible is desirable but it isn't always practical. The premise, in my eyes, is that you hope that the game goes smoothly and even on the close plays or rulings, people can say that the umpire was merely doing the obvious. It also means the plate umpire had a consistent, fair zone all evening and didn't have a gross miss that affected the game. We all have the above game from time to time. It's easy on the umpire but does it help us improve or gain a better rating from coaches, evaluators, or whoever decides your fate in a given league? Probably not....
As has been said in other places, "Sometimes you just have to umpire". You are going to make some people mad and some happy. I've had teams/fans that thought I was the best umpire they have ever seen and some that thought I was the worst. Sometimes that is a consistent theme throughout a season and sometimes it fluctuates between games. It comes with the territory. There are times when you have to step in and do something that isn't popular but it's the right thing to do. Game management is mostly proactive than reactive and mastering it takes time. But trials under fire, which can drive you nuts at the time, only serve to make you better if you take the situation and learn (and improve) from it.
There is a cautionary note here: while I would agree that invisibility is just not practical, interjecting yourself to the point that you become bigger than the game can be worse than being invisble. Umpires that have to let everyone know how important they are to the game often cause more trouble than they will ever fix. There was an incident this year in my area during a FED game where an umpire who is notorious for being bigger than the game ejected a HS head coach who was helping out with his JV squad's game. I know this coach and while he will throw in a chirp or two, if he comes out to argue he generally has a point and he is tactful in his manner. I normally give the umpire the benefit of the doubt when a coach complains about getting dumped, but honestly knowing the umpire in this case I would have to lean towards the fact that he was trying to show everyone what a great umpire he is and how he is in control. I'd take invisibility over a swelled-head any day.
Lawrence
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