What is a Good Umpire

[Carbide Keyman]

In my area, (central Massachusetts), varsity baseball is assigned on seniority and being a drinking buddy of the assignor.

There are many fine umpires are never allowed to do varsity games, while there is a confligration of poor umpires doing the bulk of the varsity games due strictly to their "longevity".

Playoffs are handed out to the best rumpswabs, as coaches are in charge of "nominating" the umpires who do playoff work.

We can't grow our associations' membership due to this artificial ceiling. Younger umpires who have worked hard, taken clinics, and worked the dregs of the baseball schedule, have seen no opportunity to advance to do "better" baseball and have taken their talents to other sports. In the past four years, we added 41 new umpires to our membership rolls. Of that number, only 7 remain as of this writing.

"Good" and/or "Fair" ? Doesn't matter.


Doug