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Umpire Shortage
Scott,
We have an extreme shortage of umpires in our area especially during the HS season. AlabamaBlue has documented some of his experiences on this forum. Like he stated, we have a number of umpires that don't belong on the field due to health issues, lack of interest, or inexperience. Many of the HS umpires that call after their season is over don't even crack the Dixie rulebook before calling games. There are very few umpires in our association that aggressively study and discuss the rules. I don't know the best way to correct the situation since I am not in a position to legislate changes. Since I have two young daughters playing, I feel obligated to continue umpiring to help make a difference for the girls. As a manager of a team, I try my best to educate the team parents but I understand their (parents) frustration when an umpire calls a batted ball resting on home plate "foul", not allowing a girl to advance to first after HBP because the ball hit the ground first, etc. I can't wait for the civility of football season!
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