Admittedly, I didn't spend much time looking but I can't find a verified article about an umpire actually being found guilty for negligence. I emailed a couple friends and both said the umpire's need for liability insurnace is fear mongering.

Rain turning to snow here today. I don't think that first game will happen after all. Good luck to those of you working today.

The odds of being successfully sued are tiny but the odds of being sued are a bit better. That still costs money and for the price of NASO membership, which is a deductible expense, it is cheap peace of mind. Besides I also get several pages of fire starting material in the form of Referee magazine every month.