Looking Young

[GarthB]

1. If you aren't ready for the answer, don't ask the question.

2. It is near unanimous that your posts on this board do not reflect the thinking or ability of an umpire ready for college ball. Your rules interpretations, opinions of mechanics and history of game management have all been brought into question by your own words.

3. There are coaches who umpire and umpires who coach. There is a vast difference between the two.

4. If you think you have already arrived, you've missed the journey.

[BoomerSooner]

While I'm certainly not going to play the role of the wise, old, advice giving sage (I'm only 24), I will pass on some of the best advice that ever been given to me.

I had been working at my current job for about 2 years, had passed my board registry (I'm in the medical field), and felt I was due a nice raise. My yearly evaluation came and went with only the standard yearly pay raise (this is about the only time anybody gets pay raises). Thinking that my efforts were being overlooked I got pissed and debated going to my supervisor with my complaint. My dad, however, informed me that a better idea would be to continue working hard, because as he said, "hard work doesn't get overlooked" and that "anything worth having is worth waiting for".

Well, turns out he was right and about 6 months later my supervisor informed me that he wanted to see how I responded to the additional responsibilty of being board registered and whether or not I could handle the relationships between my co-workers, who in most cases were older and not registered. He said that I had handled the situation in a mature fashion and had earned a much more significant raise that he actually had to wait for the new fiscal year to start because it wasn't something that would fit under the old budget. So ultimately by listening to my dad, constantly working hard, and letting my actions do my talking, I have advanced according to what I've earned.

If I would have walked around with a chip on my shoulder thinking I was being overlooked or treated unfairly I wouldn't be where I am today. Canada, I've been where you are in both my professional life and with officiating, and the key is maturity and understanding that things happen when they are supposed to and for a reason. Being a 24 year-old husband and father of a 4-year old has probably pushed me that direction more than anything, but I've learned that life is too short to worry about what's wrong and so much more fun when you look at what's going right. Relax, don't worry about the big games, concern yourself with the moment you're in, and take pride in doing what you are doing whether its the big game or the game between two 0-14 middle school teams. I know it may not be PC to quote Bible verses but check out Matthew 6:25-34. It's is a great passage to remind us that we all too often worry about very unimportant things and miss out on the good stuff.

[canadaump6]

I have read through the posts and taken them into account, whether agreeing with them or not. Will respond in further detail later on.

[TussAgee11]

As a 20 year old (young enough to be a son of almost all members of this forum), I feel the need to respond on several fronts.

CanadaUmp: I feel the same way as you at times in regard to assignors. I too think I'm a good official, and get praise after I work a game from my partners. That being said, I still have loads to learn, mainly about game management and quirky rules interps. I do my best on the rules stuff, as that knowledge can be attained just be reading and rereading. Regarding game management - some naturally have it. Stories like ozzy's son show that. I do not have it yet, but constantly work on it. Its difficult to manage a game well when you have a lousy partner, which is what I am most of the time stuck with since I can't do HS ball due to being away for college. By the time I get home, the season is almost started, and I work my way into the crap shoot of umpires that is summer ball. I'll work with good partners occasionally, and not good ones other times. My experience tells me that you just have to keep working hard and if you deserve it, you'll get it.

Last year I got slightly upset when I wasn't working any adult league games. I thought my assignors were just assuming I couldn't handle it, even when they never saw me umpire (honestly, I've never had an assignor for big field ball evaluate or observe me). But then I realized, its not that he doesn't think I'm good enough, its that he already has good enough guys to do these games!

So you have to break into that threshold, which can be hard because politics could be played depending on your association. The only way to do it is through hard work and constant, honest vigilance on your performance.