[lawump]

There is nothing more satisfying (and I mean nothing) than having your "A" game with you when you are working a BIG game. Nothing. It is addictive. It is like a drug I crave. After working such a game ...I swear I have an out-of-body experience for several hours.

To rise to the challenge: [whether it was working my first pro game in a real stadium (and overcoming more nerves than you can imagine); my first pro game with ESPN/CNNSI present and recording; my first college game on the plate between two top 10 teams in a packed stadium; or working a Class AAAA state championship game in front of thousands of people] and to deliver a solid performance that makes your assignors say, "we had the right man on the job for that game" is what it is all about.

Those are the games for which I umpire all the other games for.

I swear that in the middle of a BIG game...when I KNOW I have my "A" game going...that I can actually feel the hair on my neck begin to stand up.

That is why I'm addicted to umpiring.