When an umpire becomes a coach

[Porch Dog]

I started coaching my son when he was seven years old and continued to coach him through legion. I believed, like most coaches, that I knew the rules pretty well, and in comparison to my fellow coaches I did. It is really quite an advantage over the other team if your familiar with "the book". After my son graduated I wanted to stay in the game so I began umpiring. I did jv, high school and American Legion. The problems began when I started coaching again, a local junior varsity team. I never questioned fair/foul safe/out etc... I knew that the jv level is a learning level for umpires as well as players. But the average age of these guys was well over forty and I knew most of them had been around the game for a long time. As a group they demonstrated a lack of knowledge of the rules, they showed little effort to be in position (hustle/mechanics) and their appearance was less than appropriate. They were there to get a paycheck and get out as soon as possible. In the three years I coached we won the conference each year and the worst record we had was 23 and 6, so this is not sour grapes. I observed 40 to 50 different umps during this time. Had I not umpired before returning to coaching I'm sure I wouldn't have made these observations. Thanks! Porch Dog