Buying yourself (and your partner) trouble

[Publius]

This thread shows again how different baseball is in different parts of the country.

Where I live:

The adult leagues (+30 & +40) generally are fun to work, with the exception of Musial (+18), which I will not do for any money. The caliber of play is far below what the players think it is, and good umpires are rare. They'd rather golf and pay $60 than earn $60 listening to whine, whine, whine every night.

All, and I do mean all, the better college players head for the coasts. Even the second-liners play CICL, Great Lakes or NBC. Our college league consists 90% of D3, JUCO and future (HS grads who have signed, but have yet to play a college game) players.

U18 summer ball is vastly superior to HS ball, both in quality and in pay. I understand in most parts of the country, that is rare on both accounts.

The HS fall league pays 20% more than HS varsity, largely because once football starts, they'd be umpiring their own games otherwise.

Blanket statements concerning the quality of both specific leagues/levels of baseball and umpiring that are intended to encompass what one finds throughout the USA are either careless or ill-informed. What you find varies greatly by region, and even within regions.