Ease of umpiring games

[Sal Giaco]

Bottom line...

The higher the level, the less BS you have to deal with, ie "rah rah" baseball, whiny coaches (especially base coaches) who don't have a clue, etc.

HOWEVER, when sh!t happens, you better have the experience to deal with it because the higher the level, the more that is on the line for both players and managers (scholarships, signing bonuses, salaries, livelihood etc).

For the most part, players and managers can tell if you can work or not within the first couple of innings. They may even test you early (a little sniper fire from the dugout or a manager may come out on you just to see if you give him the right answer). If you pass the "perception" test, they pretty much leave you alone and let you do your job - that's what is good about working higher levels of baseball. But BEWARE, you're only ONE play/mistake away from being the lead story on sport center