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Originally Posted by PeteBooth
The main problem IMO, is that for the most part these guys/gals have never worked together. Also, 6 umpires on a 60ft. diamond - Overkill
Pete Booth
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Respectfully, I'd have to disagree. With six umpires, they don't have to work together! All they have to do is get their own calls right! The main problem is nobody ever tells people what they're doing wrong. Remember this is LL. They are volunteers. UICs don't want to lose umpires, so many take the "It's better to have a bad umpire than no umpire" approach, and don't criticize for fear of losing the few volunteers they do have.
I can almost guarantee their local evaluations said they were flawless. I've personally seen critical evaluations that never made it to the evaluatee because the District UIC took it and trashed it.
So all these "flawless" umpires get recommendations for regionals, and most are chosen sight unseen, based solely on these recommendations. That's why I can understand Regionals getting some bad umpiring, but Regionals send recommendations for Williamsport assignments.
My state UIC was behind the plate today for the Mexico game, and talk about a tea-cup strike zone.... 3 pitchers, 5 walks, and 68 pitches in 1/2 inning. There's no way he gets that game if someone has actually seen him call before. Regardless of what anyone says, the good-ole-boy network still influences these assignments.