Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteBooth
MLB has no-one to balme but themselves. Until they take an active and serious role in umpire development we will not get the "best of the best" officials.
They should take a page from the NFL. We saw what happened in the NFL when replacement officials were used. I'm no so certian there is that much of a drastic differrence between the Minor league officials and the MLB officials. The beiggest difference is they hardly ever get a chance.
Pete Booth
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Actually, MLB has dramatically improved their umpire development in the past few years. I can remember a time when there were "career" minor league umpires who clogged up the system & took spots from those trying to climb the ladder. Now, with injuries, in-season vacations & personal days-off, there are many more opportunities for rising AAA umpires to show what they can do in The Show.
The biggest difference (and it may not qualify as "drastic") between MLB and MiLB umpires is in the area of game management. As always, that requires lots of time to gain the necessary experience .