[Tim C]

"By "top level" do you mean the largest schools? We have five classifications, and working the final in any of them is an equal honor. By the time you get to the finals, all teams are fairly equal in talent, and, as a matter of fact, one of the smallest schools is currently ranked 1st overall in the state."

Oregon has six levels (for baseball the two smallest groups are combined) of baseball at the championship series.

Every now and then we have team from a lower level that may be the best team. This usually happens when that team has a pure D-1 type pitcher and has been able to fill in the gaps around him.

Nothing should be taken from any team that makes the final. They are all deserving. Last year all five championship games were decided by one run.

"Why require college experience in a high school game? I meet that requirement, but I have some high school partners who are very, very good (better than some of my college partners), but do not have the time to devote to college ball."

It is not a requirement to work college baseball to work the tourney. It is most common, however, that the better umpires in Oregon are in a college association. Rei's point is that "normally" when you get this high in the playoffs that the nature of selection falls to better umpires and they are in a college group.

Trust me . . . every one of the college umpires that have been selected in recent years worked a FULL high school schedule.

"Why exclude an umpire from working a classification just because he does not work that classification during the regular season? Are the rules different?"

The Oregon School Activities Association and the Oregon Athletic Officials Association passed very strict rules about the necessary qualifications for state tournament officials.

The thing you might find interesting is the rules were made to assure that officials that worked smaller schools were insured to get fair treatment at tournament time. Some groups were sending "highly rated" officials to work state tourney games that included size and genders they did not work the entire year.

In Oregon an umpire must have worked games in the division he is selected to umpire at the finals. If I came from an area that did not have a 6A (Oregon largest sized schools) then I could not work the 6A Final. (It just happens that this year I worked ONLY games at the 6A level and that would mean I could not work ANY other game at the finals.)

If I am reading your tone correctly you don't necessarily care for our system.

It is better than what was in place before.

BTW, I do not work college baseball.

Regards,