New Umpire School

[johnnyg08]

Well, sounds like PBUC is starting it's own umpire school to compete with Jim and Harry. What are your thoughts guys?


Vero Beach Sports Village | Umpire School

[dash_riprock]

Bad news for Jim and Harry.

[rcaverly]

Fair competition between suppliers (the two, now three, again, pro-schools) in the marketplace is good for the product (the selected pro-candidates, and all others that graduate.)

Fair competition between buyers (PBUC for the selected pro-candidates, and all other attendees) in the marketplace is good for the price (hopefully, lower) and quality (improved, if possible, ha!) of the product offered.

The obvious problem: PBUC, one of the suppliers, is also PBUC, the only buyer of selected pro-candidates.

How could a logical person conclude fair competition is achieved among sellers in the marketplace, when the sole buyer for the selected pro-candidates is also one of the suppliers? It would appear to be like GM, no matter what they do to demonstrate fairness, trying to decide which brand of automobile to buy for its own fleet operations.

[realistic]

Originally Posted by rcaverly

Fair competition between suppliers (the two, now three, again, pro-schools) in the marketplace is good for the product (the selected pro-candidates, and all others that graduate.)

Fair competition between buyers (PBUC for the selected pro-candidates, and all other attendees) in the marketplace is good for the price (hopefully, lower) and quality (improved, if possible, ha!) of the product offered.

The obvious problem: PBUC, one of the suppliers, is also PBUC, the only buyer of selected pro-candidates.

How could a logical person conclude fair competition is achieved among sellers in the marketplace, when the sole buyer for the selected pro-candidates is also one of the suppliers? It would appear to be like GM, no matter what they do to demonstrate fairness, trying to decide which brand of automobile to buy for its own fleet operations.

In this case, why would it make any sense for PBUC to worry about fair competition? PBUC has the ability now to staff a camp and definitely the talent to teach it. They can cut out Hunter and Jim immediately out for the people that want to get into pro ball. Since they run their camp after the other umpire schools let out, why not cut out the middle man and make money on it. A problem of the umpire schools is that there are people promoted there to PBUC that doesn't belong in pro ball in the first place.

I think that the people that will still go to the other schools can/will get their money's worth as many are going for the exposure to big league umps. It could actually make those schools better by getting rid of the competition in the schools.

[Chris Viverito]

From what I read it sounds like they think they can do it better than the existing schools...and they want to give it a shot and see how it goes.

Vero Beach is a nice destination for this. ANd Dogertown is an interesting facility. Should be cool.

[JJ]

Think how many more well trained umpires will join the college and high school ranks after coming out of another school.....us old guys have more reason than ever to work hard and keep looking over our shoulders!

JJ

[GerryB]

MLB has complained loudly for years that they have "no control" over the training of their umpires because MLB umpires own the schools. Looks like this is their attempt to take over...

[Publius]

There is a predictable ubiquity of the order of operations by businesses which attempt to vertically integrate their suppliers.

1. Business becomes dissatisfied with either the quality or the cost of the inputs of their operations.

2. Business hires new management, who determine they can produce better inputs with a different business model, or by using their own people to better manage an existing model.

3. Business acts on its beliefs, ending the existing supplier relationships, or at least drastically curtailing them.

4. Business spends a ton of money in several rounds of failed attempts to produce better inputs than the specialists who theretofore provided them.

5. Business goes to great lengths, due to egos and internal politics, to deny those failures, sometimes lasting for years while the product languishes.

6. More new management is hired. Vertical integration attempts are scuttled, and a press release is issued, stating the company is going to "concentrate on its core operations."

'Twas always thus, and thus will ever be.

[johnnyg08]

Wow, seems like a no brainer to those who want to go to work in the minors should go to this school. Even if it costs more money. Why don't the other schools tell a candidate that they might be too young for the pros and to come back to camp again? Seems like somewhat of a bait and switch...question to those to know more about this than I do...will PBUC actually take an 18 yr old if they're one of the top students? Or will they make them come back when they're older, spend another $3,000+ only to say...sorry, better luck next time. If an 18,19 yr old has no chance to make it to PBUC, they should state that in their ads to wait until they older before coming to umpire school if their goal is to work MLB. Or is it truly all about the money? I don't know the answer.

[GerryB]

No doubt about that Publius, from MLB's point of view. What I could never get is that the School's trained them for what, two months? But PBUC and UDP before them had them for 8 - 13 years. While the school is the core, couldn't they do some shaping in the monors?

[yawetag]

Originally Posted by GerryB

While the school is the core, couldn't they do some shaping in the monors?

Old habits die hard.

[ChrisH]

As a graduate of the 2011 Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring, there can be numerous others schools out there. However, if you decide to go to JEAPU, you will find out after 5 weeks, there is only 1 school out there.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

As a graduate of the 2011 Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring, there can be numerous others schools out there. However, if you decide to go to JEAPU, you will find out after 5 weeks, there is only 1 school out there.

If PBUC ends up hiring only grads of its own program, I'm sure you'll be proved correct.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

As a graduate of the 2011 Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring, there can be numerous others schools out there. However, if you decide to go to JEAPU, you will find out after 5 weeks, there is only 1 school out there.

The same could be said by a graduate of Wendlestedt. There's nothing quite like rooting for the school you went to.

Like others have said, if PBUC gives preferential treatment to graduates of their OWN school, people with dreams of pro ball would be silly to go to any other school.

[UmpTTS43]

With the announcement of the new school, things are going to get ugly.

Thanks little birdy.