School question

[bobbybanaduck]

at some point in the first few days of school jimmy will ask the group at the end of the day to break into two groups; those that are interested in pro jobs, and those that aren't intersted. in my experience, the first time he asks this there are only a couple of guys that identify themselves as not being candidates for pro ball. if you are interested even in the slightest, stay with the big group. whichever group you choose, your training will not differ. i think he does this just to make a point that will be evidenced a few weeks down the road.

sometime in week 3 or early 4 he will ask again and you will see a difference in the number of guys that move to the non-candidate side. that is the time to make that decision, as that is when the evaluating begins. there is truth to what he says about the evaluation process. the instructors don't start discussing who to send until the last week and a half of school.

with all that being said, the answer to your question in the OP is yes. there are always guys there that are not interested in pro ball and are just there to improve. from my history of teaching there, those guys were some of the best to work with. they garner a lot of respect for making such a huge commitment to being there to improve themselves as umpires.

finally, if you decide that you want to pursue a job in pro ball, don't let the naysayers bring you down. if you demonstrate you are good enough, the instructors will send you to PBUC. getting out of PBUC, however, is another story altogether...