Quote:
Originally Posted by bobbybanaduck
if you can afford both the personal and financial sacrifice it takes to attend the 5 week school, you will be an entirely different umpire upon completion. and that goes for all levels and ages. from the mouth (or fingers as the case may be) of a former instructor, i can tell you with absolute conviction that the staff at jimmy's has great respect for older umpires that attend the school with no aspirations of going to PBUC, and are simply there to better themselves as officials. every student gets the same training, same attention, and same level of commitment from the staff...whether they are there looking for a job or not.
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I can attest to that as a student of Jimmy's in '08. I was older, but still had aspirations** of PBUC. (**the English pronunciation of that word, in this context, is "dee-looo-shuns". The "aspirations" is silent.) I'm not really THAT old, but sure felt it as I looked around that room.
Anyway, I got treated the same as anyone else - a 'good job' when warranted, and a "boot up me", as Aussie friends would say, when needed. And was given the attention, commitment and feedback Tom speaks of in his posting.
And if the attaboys were based on pity, that's okay - they came from guys in the pro game, and it still felt good, so I'll take it. Does that make me needy?
