Yes, that was my impression. And they should be proud!

My comment was aimed at the apparent criticism of the kid in the first post.

What a great video. I like the serious demeanor the kid seems to have....very professional for his age. Calls his pitch, changes his indicator, and crosses his hands waiting on the next pitch. I'd love to have the opportunity to train a kid with that interest level at that age.

I have to mirror that.

What a gas! That kid's going to be leaving his friends tickets to his games in 20 years. Bravo to him!

And I too would love to watch his ascent. When I first got going, I umpired with a 22-year-old kid who had started like that guy, umpiring his 10-year-old peers. That kid was one of the best partners I ever had and one of the best umpires in the area.

It's good to see him developing at such an early age. I still would like to see him tuck the shirt in and learn proper plate mechanics. He probably hasn't been trained.

Props to the kid. I only saw three pitches, and the catcher hasn't stopped one yet.

He did miss a great chance for a punchout on that last pitch. Gotta ring him up!

I'd wish that on some of the adults I've watched umpire.

It's really tough for some kids to tuck these umpires shirts in. First, the chest protectors are pretty huge, and getting an umpire shirt small enough isn't easy. So they're wearing a big shirt, and big gear, and trying to fit into a pair of pants that were designed to handle one, much less two shirts tuck into it.

Plate pants for a 10 year old? Not happening. Just roll with what you've got, and be happy they're out there.

As for training, he's just emulating what he's seen adults do. Could he do better? Sure, but couldn't we all? At 11, I was gunning Caps kids out like Ron Luciano, so which is worse?

What I dig is his enthusiasum. You can't train that.

That said, I DO require my 11 and up umpires to wear some sort of gray pants, and the shirts are always tucked in. Black shoes, belt and socks. Hats forward, etc.

Any uniform standards is better than no uniform standards. I don't expect this kid to have plate pants, but I would expect the league to give him some small shinguards that can fit under a cheap pair of grey pants. For the chest protector, he might be better off using an outside one for these little kids. The shirt should be easy enough to tuck in and use a belt.

I would expect better from an umpire at any age, even doing 5/6 year old t-ball games. The fact that he's a kid doesn't matter. Once you step on that field, you're an umpire, and you represent your league, the game of baseball, and the umpiring profession. If he is not ready to dress with a modicum of professionalism, his parents shouldn't have signed him up.

cc6,

And I would expect anyone posting on this forum to have the common sense (not to mention consideration for fellow members of this forum) not to post a link to a YouTube video of a 10 yr. old in order to criticize him for his appearance.

Just goes to show you how easily expectations can lead to disappointment.

Why don't you post some video of yourself working the plate, and we can all offer you some constructive criticism - instead of picking on some little kid.

JM

Kid is having a good time. Kid is apparently doing a good job.
So lets screw that up and criticize him about trivial crap. Geesh.....
(I really dont think the players care how he's dressed)

cc6, AKA Candaump6 did post a video of him calling balls and strikes in his Grandmother's dining room...remember?

What I find interesting is his statement: "The fact that he's a kid doesn't matter. Once you step on that field, you're an umpire, and you represent your league, the game of baseball, and the umpiring profession."

When a similar argument was made about him (he was around 19 or so) he complained loudly that he was being picked on by coaches and posters because he was a kid.

He may have changed his name, but that's all.


__________________

From cc6's profile:

About cc6
Biography
Formerly canadaump6

Mr.Umpire,

Very good observation. Yes I changed my name, as I clearly stated in my profile.

CoachJM,

I did post a couple videos of my umpiring, used the feedback I recieved on here and incoporated that into my game.

Wrong. I said age affects how one is percieved. I don't know where you came up with what you said.

Nonetheless, this isn't about me. Why can a person not tuck his shirt in and find pants to fit smaller shinguards before he goes on the field? We are so quick to attack lack of professionalism (most recently the mask clip-on thing). We all agree that age is irrelevant when it comes to umpiring. So why has what I have said generated so much anger?

You miss the main point, which is to encourage a kid to join the ranks and express general approval of everything and raving about what he does right, with a healthy dose of overlooking what he does wrong.

No, we never all agreed that age is irrelevant. Certainly there is a difference between a ten year old and a 19-20 year old.

I guess Shakespeare was right....What's in a name...

The same allowance that is made of a 10-year-old player versus a 20-year-old must be likened to the slack you give an umpire of equal seasoning. A hell of a lot is expected of a 20-year-old.