How would you do on TV

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Pete...this is an interesting topic, but I have an easier way to judge your abilities. Have a group of your umpire colleagues evaluate you while working a BIG game. Give them the NCAA eval form and tell them to be honest. Get a family member or friend to video tape you...not just in game situations, but follow you around between innings, etc.

Collect the evals and watch the tape - yes, you will look lumbering, not as sharp as you remember and definetly fatter. Pay close attention to how you act when play is relaxed. Did you bust out from behind the dish correctly? Did you clean the plate like a pro? How did you look on foul tips and foul balls? Any flinching...wavering...delayed calls?

The very idea that we scrutinize the guys on TV is the same if we were sitting in the stands. Umpires enjoy being critical and showing their mastery of the game. Ego plays an important role in umpire development. Being able to decipher and adapt to an accurate eval is another.

I've had many games covered by television and never saw one of mine that didn't make me shudder in some respect. Like listening to a tape of yourself singing or looking back at old photos, we're never as good as we like to think we are.