It's All About The Money

[Jim Porter]

I've seen my fair share of Smitty's who are in it just for the money and take little or no pride in their work. Those are the guys that go along to get along, don't touch the tough situations, and tolerate just about anything thrown at them. They generally wear a faded dark blue shirt that they bought years ago, it doesn't fit them quite right because they've put on weight, and it's all wrinkled because it lives in the trunk of their car.

But I'll be the first to admit that if I wasn't paid to umpire I wouldn't umpire. I do take pride in my work. Because of that, it costs me an arm and a leg to keep up with my uniforms and gear. Not to mention the price of gas these days. The cost of living has me making life decisions based on income, and that includes whether I can afford a hobby or have to get a part-time job.

I do work for top game fees, but game fees are not how I decide where I'll work. I'd much rather make a few dollars less to work a wooden bat men's league with former professional ball players than make the extra money to work a metal bat amateur-independent league with a bunch of hot-headed JUCO and summer collegiate rejects.

But money has never influenced my decisions on the field -- absolutely, positively never. Nor does money have any influence on utilizing my so-called, "burnt sienna," philosophy. That is strictly an advanced technique for helping umpires in higher level games achieve the correct decision when faced with a specific set of circumstances.