You make the call

[UmpTTS43]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

Okay, you are obviously not reading everything before you respond.

I have the thickest skin possible. It's not a complaint, it's an observation. And mostly, the shoe doesn't fit. That's the point you missed by crafting your folksy slogan before getting the message.

Some kids know it all and don't accept help. It's the first time they've been put in charge of something and they go nuts with it and it takes over their ability to be humble and accept discipline or instruction. The game needs to do a better job of training players and umpires. It's a borderline disgrace. But when the game allows slouches like this to continue to infect it just to save a few bucks, it's pathetic.

There's a league around here that has three current major leaguers and a current major league umpire that all played there in the 1990s. The league is full of wealthy families as well as their major league graduates. They allow umpires like the slouch in the film routinely and allow some of the most slovenly and lazy and disrespectful umpiring you'll find. They have state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, and a full restaurant for a snack shack, but they do nothing about having decent umpiring. It's shameful.

I hope your high horse bucks you off instead of me asking you to get off it. You don't know the situation with these games.

Why is it that "established" umpires always want to pick apart someone because of thier appearance, mechanics, etc. especially at low level games? Where I live, there is hardly any training that is substansive for the umpires that are already in the game let alone new guys. Instead of taking this kid aside and telling him how bad he looks, help him out and train him. You don't like his appearance, give him one of your shirts. You don't like how he clears the catcher, show him. When was the last time you visited a baseball game in a non-umpire capacity and offered your advice to a new umpire?

Finally, if you are getting grief because you believe that undertrained umpires are influencing the observers, then it is probably not the fault of that poor unfortunate undertrained umpire, it is you.