A lot according to this thread. I like this umpire's passion for baseball, even if he hasn't received a lot of training.

Now that's baseball they way it used to be. Love it! The umpire was just as good was Weaver was. Love it when he says "I aint going no where Earl", classic line...

Thansk
David

Which is cooler, his velcro-closure hat worn backward, or the ultra-hip zip front shirt ? :rolleyes:

Apologies for not being here 24x7.

Plus, I can only edit or delete posts -- I can't remove users.

canadaump6,

I agree.

JM

He was referring to some inane comments from a well-known ignoramus that have since been deleted.

I think the guy in the videos would be a great umpire if he could only get some quality training. He definitely has the desire.

He is not talking about the guy in the video who thinks that the center fielder needs to hear the count.:rolleyes:

Well stated. However, deleting doesn't seem to phase this person, as he has sent me the usual nasty, vile private message under his new, creative name (see above).

You don't seem to be able to look at this from an umpiring viewpoint, so lets try something more familiar to you.

What if someone, with a great passion for psychology, your field of study, but no training, hung up a shingle and began giving advice to people who believed him because of that passion?

The clown in those videos, if you read the posts at that site, is actually influencing people. His so-called passion and his nerve to post those ridiculous videos makes him, in the eyes of some neophytes, credible. This is another, more modern way, to perpetuate myths and make the lives of umpires who work to really improve their craft, miserable.

Passion, my young friend, must be tempered with some amount of reasonableness or knowledge in order to positively benefit someone.

The only positive attribute of those videos is their comedic value.

Maybe I just don't feel the same way some people do about his videos. To me they were good for a laugh, but in a fun way. I don't think the videos will make umpires look bad as a group, and I don't think umpires with basic training will imitate what they see in the videos.

I think comparing psychology to umpiring is like comparing apples to oranges. The result of someone taking the umpire seriously is that they might develop some bad habits. The results of someone taking the amateur psychologist seriously could be much more costly. Baseball is just a game afterall. I really don't think the posted videos will cause any harm. The people responding are probably being sarcastic.

People complain about flowerchild's insults in the same thread that they diss the guy in the video. It doesn't work both ways.

I don't know what is motivating this flowerchild guy to do all these nasty things. There probably is an anger component to his actions. I don't miss Garth one bit.

Good to see we're on the same page for this one.

The guy in the video needs to umpire L.L. games in Queens. He will do a fine job, and I'm sure they need umpires and appreciate him.
He doesn't, however, need to be doing instructional videos on the internet. By doing so he opens himself up to pats on the back or laughter.
Would you go to a clinic if this youtube hero was the featured instructor? I hope not.
I have no idea how to play the piano. If I get on youtube and try to show people how - with passion - I suspect I would deservedly be ragged on some message board somewhere.

On a side note, I respect this guy and small-ball umpires everywhere. I don't have the patience to work these games, but I'm glad some of you guys do! Thumbs up!

I think the disses are a bit much in the same thread that people complain about flowerchild making disses. It would be nice if the insults would stop period and we could all share a laugh over the guy's enthusiasm combined with naivity.

I believe small-ball umpires deserve as much credit as those who do big-boy ball, because those younger kids deserve good umpires just as much as anybody else does. This Len guy probably works for nothing and they are happy to have him. He did say in one of his videos that safety is the most important thing, so even if he has stuff to work on, at least everyone is going home in one piece.

Sure, he deserves credit. I help coach my son's nine year old team. We have HORRIBLE umpires. I would never make fun of them.

But THIS guy is an arrogant SOB. He posted videos with an outfit called EXPERT VILLAGE. He announced to the world: Hey World! I am a moron...Please ridicule me!