[Panda Bear]

I agree with others, paid or not has nothing to do with it. But it isn't just training either. As a fireman in the real world, we see this same argument there as well, and it is just as shallow. And the issue applies to baseball as well as softball. There is probably just more total softball country wide, due to adult leagues.

People have to be reasonably trained and experienced to do well at anything. But being trained, paid or not, doesn't guarantee a 100% effort. And there are some that are in this for the $s, and don't seem to care about the quality of their work. They aren't the ones reading and posting to this forum, or doing extra research on rules, etc. either. We are preaching to the choir, when we really need to get the message to those that are the problem.

As far as paid, or how much paid, any judgement of whether to pay umps, or how much, must first look at the economics surrounding the league and community in question. If the choice is volunteers or no program for kids, churches, etc., I hope some of us will always step forward.

And I wouldn't even blast the untrained parent from the stands who is making the difference between no game for the kids or not. (Or the person who happens to be an umpire who just wasn't assigned to the game.) He/she didn't create the problem. I would blast any organization that allows that to happen very often, or worse, counts on it.