[QUOTE=PeteBooth]
Quote:
Not necessarily true.
We could start an entire thread on the reason for shortages of umpires at the amateur level.
Depending upon where you live some Umpire Associations are as Political as Washington DC
At one point in my life I inquired about umpiring at the Collegiate level until I spoke to a friend of mine who was in a Collegiate Association (ECAC). He travels "all over God's creation" to do games as his goal is to get to a World Series.
The Problem - The word NO is not in your vocabulary if you want to advance.
Therefore, for the most part the so called "top games" are not necessarily given to the "top officials" but to the "good ole boys" especailly to those who are ALWAYS available.
I would take comments from members of an "adult mens league" with a grain of salt. They would "wine" no matter who was umpiring. The reason for the so called "high" Fee in mens adult league games is because for the most part no one would umpire these types of games if it wasn't for the FEE. The contsant "crap" that goes on in these type games is also a distraction.
Case and Point: My partner and I umpired an adult league men's league semi final game. Close game. R1 trys for third ball from out field gets by F5 and gets "stuck" in the fence. I call TIME as soon as I see the ball "stuck" and award R1 home.
Coach goes balistic saying "how can you give them a "cheap" run etc etc.
Therefore, as mentioned take the comments from a mens adult league with a grain of salt. They are "lucky" to have umpires to begin with.
Pete Booth
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The college umpire you speak of is doing what is necessary to meet his goals. How is it political for an assignor to expect that people that want to work at his level take what he assigns? Also, the supply and demand situation is inverted at that level. The assignor has plenty of guys who WANT to work that level. In my personal small college experience, I CAN say no -- first, I am not driving 6 hours to work a baseball game, consequences be damned. Second, there is still a shortage of good umpires available during the day from time to time and I've helped out there when I can.
Adult leagues aren't the same everywhere. I was sharing my experience. I assign the league and have a closer relationship with managers and teams than most umpires would. Some umpires are stunned that I would sit and drink beer with the teams after the games, but as far as I'm concerned, we are all there because we enjoy the game and most of the good teams appreciate good umpiring. I'm smart enough to know when a controversial call or situation means I should get in the car and drive away.
Thinking that all adult ball involves "tolerating crap" is not productive, either. I ejected a LOT of people my first 3 years in the area. My third year I started assigning the games, BTW. Since then, virtually nothing. No ejections at all in 2007. I've even heard managers remind players before games that it doesn't pay to screw with the umpires because it will just get them run. In other words, anyone that puts up with crap deserves it. We all have the tools necessary to put a stop to bad behavior.