Blue Collar Umpires; Where Are The White Collared Execs?

[SpokaneBlue]

In the association I once belonged to (I'm currently in Germany) we have/had folks from every conceivable occupation from lawyer, university professor, active/retired military, HS teacher, realtor, insurance adjustor, etc. These are just those I can personally remember. However, NONE of this mattered once they showed up at the game site!! What mattered was how experienced they were, what they could teach their partner and whether they hustled!

[jicecone]

Wouldn't it be great if we could just go through the world and hand select those people we would like to to officiate in our organizations.

I would tend to believe that most organizations are ecstatic if they have enough members to cover all the games they have. Being selective, based upon the color of their collar or any other parameter is not something organizations can enjoy.

I agree BC boys tend to run organizations like a union business hall and WC tend to run it more like a corporation stockholder meeting with pluses and minus's in each however, just remember, BC mentality may not be to your liking but there would probably not be many WC without them.

Then where would be?

[kylejt]

If you're seeking WC umpires, look no further than your local Little League organization. I've got a bank president, airline pilot, and lots of "suits" volunteering as pretty decent umpires. These folks don't do it for the money, yet go through a lot of training, buy the best gear, and are sharper then most local association umpires. Here in SoCal, most LL guys go through the one week school in San Bernadino.

In my area Joe Lunchbox works for the association, gets little or no training, fifty bucks for a Pony game, and gets yelled at a lot. On the other hand the LL suits get lots of training, perhaps even a Desert Classic or the one week, and are motivated not by the dollar, but to do better.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by kylejt

If you're seeking WC umpires, look no further than your local Little League organization. I've got a bank president, airline pilot, and lots of "suits" volunteering as pretty decent umpires. These folks don't do it for the money, yet go through a lot of training, buy the best gear, and are sharper then most local association umpires. Here in SoCal, most LL guys go through the one week school in San Bernadino.

In my area Joe Lunchbox works for the association, gets little or no training, fifty bucks for a Pony game, and gets yelled at a lot. On the other hand the LL suits get lots of training, perhaps even a Desert Classic or the one week, and are motivated not by the dollar, but to do better.

This varies drastically by region. Here, the typical LL umpire shows up in jeans or shorts with shinguards on the outside, a blue shirt of some kind, and a baseball cap on backwards. He doesn't flinch, he actually backs up three steps with ever pitch and calls plays on all bases from behind the catcher.

Here it is the association members who take in the camps, clinics, proschools and local mechanics training sessions and work to move up.

[fitump56]

Originally Posted by SpokaneBlue

In the association I once belonged to (I'm currently in Germany) we have/had folks from every conceivable occupation from lawyer, university professor, active/retired military, HS teacher, realtor, insurance adjustor, etc. These are just those I can personally remember. However, NONE of this mattered once they showed up at the game site!! What mattered was how experienced they were, what they could teach their partner and whether they hustled!

All that matters, proof in performance. Calling any ball in Germany?