Looking Young

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by canadaump6

I've taken a lot of good stuff from this thread, and taken it all into account. However I do think there is some bad mixed in with the good- a couple people claimed that it is not my age and appearance holding me back, it's my lack of skill. The thing that gets me there is that these people have never seen me work. Now I do take some blame for that. A while ago I said I'd get some kind of video up of me calling a ballgame so that I could get some critique, and I have yet to do that, so for now you guys are stuck with assuming whether or not I am in fact decent.

You're right. We haven't seen you work. All we're provided with to judge are your posts. These have included mistaken rule intepretations, incorrect mechanics, examples of terrible game management and whining over your treament by your fellow umpires.

What other conclusion can one draw from the evidence submitted than you are not ready to move up?

If you're looking to place blame some where for the tenor of the replies, look to yourself and what you post here. If you want an instant improvement to the perception people have of you, shut up and listen; stop preaching and start learning.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by canadaump6

Jurassic Referee, just realize that this is my place to vent and act spoiled, so that it doesn't carry over into real life. Now I am going to politely ask that you stop lecturing and judging me as you so often like to do. If you can't contribute or gain from this forum, go back to the basketball and football ones as those are the sports you officiate.

Yup, exactly as predicted.

'Nuff said and 'nuff time wasted.

[SanDiegoSteve]

I like the way he says this is "my place to vent and act spoiled."

What on earth gave him the idea that a forum made up of macho, manly, ego driven umpires is a place to act like a two-year old?

[LomUmp]

Hey all,

Canadaump's demeanor reminds me of LLDAN and his wristband issue. He couldn't take the "heat" of being anonymous on an internet forum, either. If, as i suspect, Canada's umpire skills are as "great" as his ability to take criticism, he should stick to umpiring T-ball and machine pitch games.

LomUmp

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by LomUmp

he should stick to umpiring machine pitch games.

Classic!

[waltjp]

Originally Posted by GarthB

You're right. We haven't seen you work. All we're provided with to judge are your posts. These have included mistaken rule intepretations, incorrect mechanics, examples of terrible game management and whining over your treament by your fellow umpires.

What other conclusion can one draw from the evidence submitted than you are not ready to move up?

If you're looking to place blame some where for the tenor of the replies, look to yourself and what you post here. If you want an instant improvement to the perception people have of you, shut up and listen; stop preaching and start learning.

Let's not forget this comment. Long before any player, coach or partner has judged you by your actions on the field they've already made a judgment on your appearance.

Originally Posted by canadaump6

I doubt coaches and players are going to care or notice if I am not wearing real umpires' pants. At this point in my career, learning the rules, positioning and making good judgement calls are much more important than wearing the right kind of pants.

[PeteBooth]

The aforementioned seems to be a BIG problem with posters on the internet Forum these days.

You ask "Your thoughts" Receive them and then feel the need to respond to those thoughts because you are not getting the desired response.

When you ask for someone's thoughts, opinions etc. that's what they are going to give you.

You in turn either accept or reject, yet you keep responding so "in effect" you did not want their thoughts but wanted answers to agree with your perception of what happened to you.

Why the negativity in some responses?

For the most part people do not know you and can only judge on the quality and content of your posts. As Garth said your answers to various rule / mechanic questions throughout your time here leave something to be desired.

IMO, in order to answer properly we need to know what kind of umpire organization you are in and is there an abundance of baseball where you live.

Case and point: I am 51 but in my early years it was virtually impossible to get tournament games etc. no matter how good you were.

At that time there was HS, Legion and the rookie league - That's it. There was not the plethora of travel teams etc. which we have today. At that time the Vets wanted all those games to themselves. It was the good ole boy network at work and at that time they could cover all the games.

Here's my advice and this is what I did.

Seek out a mentor, one whom is fair and "knows the ropes" not only from a rules / mechanics situation but for game management.

I kept a note-book when I started not only on rules / mechanics but on coaches as well. I would "pick my mentor's brain" on how to handle certain coaches.

Also, a MUST if you want to improve - Be able to take constructive criticism which from your post here seems you have a problem with.

Seek out work no matter where. Again as I said above I do not know the "make-up" of your association or how many games there are to umpire.

Summary: If you want to "change your perception" seek out a mentor, read the rule book, study mechanics so that when you post in the future you not only give responses but something that "supports" your answer rather than give "off the cuff" responses which you have a tendency to do.

Pete Booth

[umpduck11]

Originally Posted by LomUmp

Hey all,

Canadaump's demeanor reminds me of LLDAN

You mean he's not ???

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by canadaump6

Actually I have been very good about keeping my feelings on these other officials to myself. I've seen tons of bad umpiring ie calling the pitch before it hits the mit, calling it way too low, etc. I do mention some of these things to one of my umpiring friends, and sometimes my assignor and I discuss other umpires, but I would have to believe that just about everyone else in my association does the same thing. Do you never discuss other umpires' weak points?

I seriously hope you can see the contradiction here. You're obviously not doing a very good job of keeping your feelings to yourself if you're discussing them with everyone else.


Tim.

[Jurassic Referee]

Everybody's wrong and he's right.

Same old, same old.

Got a whole lot of growing up to do, and it may never happen......

[bob jenkins]

I was at a basketball camp this year and the topic of a lecture was "moving up." The key point was that sometimes we don't know why we get, or don't get, the "promotion" or "big game" -- we can have a "great year" by any objective standard, and still find our schedule reuduced the next year.

All we can do is control what we can control and let the rest take care of itself. Note that this applies not only to how we work the games, but how we comport ourselves in person and on-line.

[NFump]

Wow, it must have been inflammatory. Well, more inflammatory than what everyone else has posted so far.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by msavakinas

when you are as young as we are, you have to A) pay you're dues for longer than most because we started younger and B) understand that you have to be twice as good as you're supposed to be. You have to hustle twice as hard as someone double our age would have to.

Some valid comments, but I can't agree with these.

It's not a matter pf paying your dues longer; it's a matter of paying your dues period! It's no different starting at the age of 36 than it is at 18. You have to gain knowledge and experience at both ages before you will be ready to do higher level ball. What you eventually do out on the field will determine your future assignments.

You're mistaking youth with inexperience imo.