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Pete:
Nearly two years ago, in Ocotober of 2000 to be more precise, you asked a similar question and it became the basis of an article I wrote for RightSports. In it, I compared my feelings and observations of baseball offciating and football officiating. At that time I was a 16 year veteran of umpiring and a rookie football official. Two years later, my opinions remain the same.
Many umpires do not play well with others. Partners are often viewed more as competitors, even in amateur ball. It is said, only half in jest, that your parnter would step over your dead body if it meant a better assignment.
Umpires are trained not to get help. Individualism is encouraged. It's YOUR call, make it and, right or wrong, live it with it.
Baseball is becoming a solitary sport at the amateur level. Most HS games have crowds in the two figures and youth ball seldom has hundreds of fans except in the post season. Even college games in my area are lucky to have over 100 fans in attendance.
I average over 130 baseball games in a seven month season. Just from the exposure, the rules become second nature quicker and umpires are more apt to engage in third world possibilities discussions and contests.
The membership of my baseball association is sharply divided between high school and summer ball umpires. With high school games starting at 3:00, officials have to have the kind of jobs that are over by 2:00 or have the type of position that offers them the freedom to come and go as they please. However, in the summer, everybody can make the 5:30 and 6:00 games.
In football, partners are real partners. We work together during a game...ALL the time. Questions are welcomed. Help is welcomed. your partners are there to work WITH you and support you. The attention is to the CREW, not the official.
And if the backjudge saw something that you as the wing did not, you can change your call without being made to feel like an idiot.
Even junior high football games have larger attendance than varsity baseball. Varsity football games in my area have 5,000 plus fans. You feed off the crowd. The enthusiasm of the spectators and their enjoyment of the activity is contagious. You have fun. A visceral kind, not just cerebral.
I average around 75 football games a season, but I am told that is the exception. Most officials in my association average 40. There is not the frequency or exposure to the rules that one has in baseball, but this doesn't mean we don't study them or know them. What it does mean is that we usually don't spend a lot of time on esoteric, one chance in a gazillion made up plays. We spend our resources on what DOES happen and prepare for it.
And, with most games occuring at night and on week-ends, there is more of a mix of personalities working all the games. We don't have to rely heavily on those individuals with the freedom to come and go as they please to do many games.
Baseball is my first love, aside from my bride, Joanne. I won't give it up until I have to. But I have to admit that baseball season seems to drag on while football season is far too short.
Last year I also began working basketball. But that's another story.
[Edited by GarthB on Sep 9th, 2002 at 01:50 PM]
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