[PeteBooth]

The aforementioned seems to be a BIG problem with posters on the internet Forum these days.

You ask "Your thoughts" Receive them and then feel the need to respond to those thoughts because you are not getting the desired response.

When you ask for someone's thoughts, opinions etc. that's what they are going to give you.

You in turn either accept or reject, yet you keep responding so "in effect" you did not want their thoughts but wanted answers to agree with your perception of what happened to you.

Why the negativity in some responses?

For the most part people do not know you and can only judge on the quality and content of your posts. As Garth said your answers to various rule / mechanic questions throughout your time here leave something to be desired.

IMO, in order to answer properly we need to know what kind of umpire organization you are in and is there an abundance of baseball where you live.

Case and point: I am 51 but in my early years it was virtually impossible to get tournament games etc. no matter how good you were.

At that time there was HS, Legion and the rookie league - That's it. There was not the plethora of travel teams etc. which we have today. At that time the Vets wanted all those games to themselves. It was the good ole boy network at work and at that time they could cover all the games.

Here's my advice and this is what I did.

Seek out a mentor, one whom is fair and "knows the ropes" not only from a rules / mechanics situation but for game management.

I kept a note-book when I started not only on rules / mechanics but on coaches as well. I would "pick my mentor's brain" on how to handle certain coaches.

Also, a MUST if you want to improve - Be able to take constructive criticism which from your post here seems you have a problem with.

Seek out work no matter where. Again as I said above I do not know the "make-up" of your association or how many games there are to umpire.

Summary: If you want to "change your perception" seek out a mentor, read the rule book, study mechanics so that when you post in the future you not only give responses but something that "supports" your answer rather than give "off the cuff" responses which you have a tendency to do.

Pete Booth