"Earning Respect"

[Striker991]

I originally posted this in the softball forum, but want to get as much feedback as possible. The article series is found on Officiating.com. So, here it is for the baseball group, too....

Stefan Campagna, as you all are probably aware, has been writing a series about becoming a better umpire. I was reading this with great interest as I am a fairly new umpire and want to better myself at every possible opportunity. However, I was completely put off by a statement he made in the section titled "Typical Softball Umpire." At the end of the section, he wrote, "Everyone appreciates those umpires who give it 100%; no doubt, we've all seen plenty who gave only 75%. But the bottom line is ... I'd rather pay someone to give me 50% effort and be impartial, blown calls and all, than have volunteer umpires!" As a volunteer umpire, I am a member of an all-volunteer association that is well-respected in our community. In addition, many umpires from paid associations donate their time to our association. I find this statement to be insulting, degrading, and completely divisive in our umpiring community as a whole. If our goal is to help each other to become better umpires, especially through an article series designed to do that, then we shouldn't make comments like this that are detrimental to a large segment of the community, especially a segment that Mr. Campagna feels could benefit from his writing. I find it interesting that the very next segment is titled "Earning Respect." Mr. Campagna has certainly lost mine. E-mails to both Mr. Campagna and Carl Childress have gone without reply. This is why I bring this up here.

Before any of you get started, I have read several messages in the forums of experiences you have all had with volunteer umpires, so no need to repeat them again. For that matter, if I wanted to take the time, I could provide an equal number of stories about bad experiences I have had with paid officials. But that would not accomplish anything and only create further division.

My reason for posting this is simple. I would like to get some feedback from you about the concept of promoting unity and assistance to our volunteer community. How do we help those improve that are providing a needed service? Do we just make fun of them and hope somewhere along the line they will get help? Do we work with them and point them to training opportunities (camps, clinics, etc)? Do we work with their leadership to make sure that the training opportunities are available? Do you automatically, as does Mr. Campagna, assume I am inferior to you in skills because I am a volunteer or do you watch my game to find out? If I am lacking in some areas, do you respectfully offer assistance after the game you just watched?

One last point. I will take a volunteer umpire that works their butt off for their community any time over a paid umpire that shows up to a game late, blows half his calls, and sits on his heels in the field. (i.e. the 50% effort mentioned above). In fact, I would take a volunteer umpire over any paid umpire that doesn't give 100%.

Well, that's my two cents. What's yours?