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That reminds me of a post from the basketball board where someone decided to volunteer to ref kids at a low level. He figured since it was volunteering, he would get less flak from coaches, parents. He quickly decided there was too much grief to do it for free. Later, when those same refs started charging for their services, the coaches etc... were more respectful towards the officials. Food for thought.
This is my first year umpiring. In fact, this week, I had a game similar to Mick's story. A veteran umpire worked with me. We pregamed for 30 minutes, met between half-innings (I realize you do not do this on a regular basis) and talked in the locker room after the game for another 45 minutes about various rules and mechanics. This is so valuable for young guys when veterans share their knowledge and experience.
By the way, I have invested some $600 in umpire gear. I would not have done that if we did not get paid.
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