[NCASAUmp]

I read derwil's post a little differently here. What he's actually weighing isn't so much the money, but whether it's worth putting forth all of the effort, blood and sweat if the rumors about treatment of umpires are true.

I've been to two Nats so far and have signed my contract for my third this year. At both Nationals, all umpires were treated with the same respect they gave the UIC, tourney and the game. If they were slouches, they heard about it. If they were professionals, they got their kudos.

I'm a firm believer in that you can't build yourself up without doing some tear-down first. The UICs I worked for in these tourneys were not out there to knock some heads around just because they can. If they did, it was for good reason: umps showing up late, umps not hustling, umps not using the proper mechanics. Their suggestions and criticisms, in my opinion, were largely constructive with the intention of making us all better umpires.

But if you do your homework, study your rules, sharpen your mechanics and develop good game management skills, you'll have a VERY enjoyable SP tourney. The caliber of players is better, the "chirping" is considerably lessened, and you'll have some very good partners to work with.

Is it worth it? I say so, and my certificates and patches are my badges of honor.