[ozzy6900]

Well, the original poster is unreadable due to my ignore list, but after reading the posts from all those that still try to talk to this individual..........

In reference to looking young -

You may look young and that cannot be helped. People look at you and judge; there is nothing that you can do about that. My son is 19 and still looks like a young man. When he gets on the field, he gives the perception of an older, experienced umpire in his manner and the respect that he shows to others. He doesn't care if they do not respect them, he sets the standard for that.

I've seen him in ugly situations where I was not on the game. I watched him defuse many situations and when necessary, eject when needed. Not once has any coach complained to the association about anything. As a matter of fact, many HS coaches have asked why he does not do Varsity until they are told that he is only 19.

When the assigner feels that my son is ready, he will be put on some Varsity work but until then, my son doesn't complain! He works what he gets and does so in a professional manner. When he is on the field, he gets the same respect that I do. Not because of the uniform but because he earned it from the coaches in the area. When he went to the State's Babe Ruth, he faced coaches that never saw him before. His UIC had nothing but good things to say about his work and his interaction with the staff and coaches.

He is in college so doing NCAA is out of the question in this area. I would not even approach Nick about putting him on NCAA without Varsity experience.

So here we have two people in the same business, the same age, looking the same (young looking) with two different attitudes. One will take what he gets and still remain professional. He will take criticism and work with it. He will work with other umpires good and bad and still remain professional even in the post game remarks. He gives honest ratings when asked by the assigner (we are all asked to rate our partners at times). He comes to the rules meetings and participates in the discussions and exercises. He interacts with other umpires in our association and outside our association on and off the field like a young man, not a hot shot. And when it is time, he still acts like a typical 19 year old - asks for money, stays out late, raises hell (only slightly), plays golf with his friends and still pi$$es off Dad now and then.

Then there is our poster from the North!

Finis