Umpires accosted off the field following Midwest Collegiate League Game

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by youngump

That's not redacted (it's just black). If you're not comfortable with making the details public and I'd say you're probably right not to, you need to actually delete the words out of the doc, or change them to x's or something.

That is what redacted is--blacking out certain specifics or information. Have you ever seen a document redacted by the government when they turn over said document? Sometimes it's laughable how little information is left after seeing almost everything covered in black.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

People at the NCAA really believe that? They really do not have much perspective if that is the case.

Peace

I was told this by a D1 conference assignor himself. In addition, 2 veteran D1 college umpires whom I assign to spring college ball (D3) and summer college ball made this same statement. Quite interesting.

One of the comments was, "Why do you think that there has been only one CWS Umpire to have come from the Chicago metro area when there are many very qualified college umpires living here?"

The discussion further touched upon his observations that in the Chicago metro area, there are probably some 70 or 80, give or take, college umpires. Of that number, only an estimated 8 umpires receive a consistent D1 schedule in the spring. Of that number, only 1 has received any D1 post-season assignments (I'm referring only to Regionals/Super-Regionals/CWS) recently (meaning this year and in immediate preceding years). Only 1--a different person who no longer gets such post-season assignments--has been to the CWS.

It isn't difficult to notice something here. BTW, I am absolutely NOT complaining or whining about anything. I am simply stating observations made by one of my partners, observations echoed by a couple other veterans as well.

Note: The term Chicago metro area is meant to refer to only those Illinois counties in northeast Illinois the include and surround Chicago. No Indiana or Wisconsin counties are included in the aforementioned description.

[johnnyg08]

Except for the fact that you didn't convert your redacted Word document into .pdf or view only, all of your redactions are uncovered by simply changing the black highlight to a white highlight or removing the highlight altogether since the report remains editable, not just viewable. Oops.

[UMP25]

Hmmm. Thanks for informing dumb @ss me of that. I'll have to change that, despite that it's kind of like closing the barn door after the horses have left.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by UMP25

The discussion further touched upon his observations that in the Chicago metro area, there are probably some 70 or 80, give or take, college umpires. Of that number, only an estimated 8 umpires receive a consistent D1 schedule in the spring. Of that number, only 1 has received any D1 post-season assignments (I'm referring only to Regionals/Super-Regionals/CWS) recently (meaning this year and in immediate preceding years). Only 1--a different person who no longer gets such post-season assignments--has been to the CWS.

That's not out of the norm. In fact, that's probably in line with the distribution of D1 and non-D1 teams in the area.

[UMP25]

Well, I can't say whether it's out of the norm or not. It's just his observation (shared by a couple others).

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by UMP25

I was told this by a D1 conference assignor himself. In addition, 2 veteran D1 college umpires whom I assign to spring college ball (D3) and summer college ball made this same statement. Quite interesting.

One of the comments was, "Why do you think that there has been only one CWS Umpire to have come from the Chicago metro area when there are many very qualified college umpires living here?"

Could that be because we have very little good baseball in this area of the country? I would not think for one second that in the overall picture we see nearly as good of baseball as those see in the south and the western part of the country. Now "qualified" is always going to be a judgment call. And I do not sit around wondering why guys from this area are or are not in that pipeline. Unless I am missing something, there are not many Midwestern teams that make it to the College World Series as a norm and I would think the fact we do not see that kind of ball might not help either. I am not saying he is not right, but that is my first guess based what I see.

Originally Posted by UMP25

The discussion further touched upon his observations that in the Chicago metro area, there are probably some 70 or 80, give or take, college umpires. Of that number, only an estimated 8 umpires receive a consistent D1 schedule in the spring. Of that number, only 1 has received any D1 post-season assignments (I'm referring only to Regionals/Super-Regionals/CWS) recently (meaning this year and in immediate preceding years). Only 1--a different person who no longer gets such post-season assignments--has been to the CWS.

It isn't difficult to notice something here. BTW, I am absolutely NOT complaining or whining about anything. I am simply stating observations made by one of my partners, observations echoed by a couple other veterans as well.

Isn't that on the assignor or supervisors of those conferences? They can only work games they are assigned. And I do not know many that are getting a shot realistically than what is going on here. It is the same issue that we have had in other sports at the D1 level. If the assignor are willing to hire and use people here they can. If they choose not to or limit the number they will. I do not attribute that to just what people think here. Heck the one guy I know that is working NCAA D1 Post Season is not even originally from here. I honestly do not know anyone that is really that influential to who gets hired from this part of the state in the first place.

Peace

[Publius]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Could that be because we have very little good baseball in this area of the country? I would not think for one second that in the overall picture we see nearly as good of baseball as those see in the south and the western part of the country. Now "qualified" is always going to be a judgment call. And I do not sit around wondering why guys from this area are or are not in that pipeline. Unless I am missing something, there are not many Midwestern teams that make it to the College World Series as a norm and I would think the fact we do not see that kind of ball might not help either. I am not saying he is not right, but that is my first guess based what I see.

Peace

That doesn't explain the three guys from metropolitan Lansing, MI who each go once every three years. It's very much a who-you-know system in the midwest.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Publius

That doesn't explain the three guys from metropolitan Lansing, MI who each go once every three years. It's very much a who-you-know system in the midwest.

It is that way anyway. No one is coming out to see you work baseball in the Midwest or a camp where everyone has to prove they deserve to be hired.

Peace

[UMP25]

You mean the camp(s) where you pay for the privilege of being assigned non-paying fall ball games, which then gets you an automatic assignment to next spring's D3 conference tournaments, conveniently assigned by...well, lookey here...the guy who ran the aforementioned, previous fall camp.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by UMP25

You mean the camp(s) where you pay for the privilege of being assigned non-paying fall ball games, which then gets you an automatic assignment to next spring's D3 conference tournaments, conveniently assigned by...well, lookey here...the guy who ran the aforementioned, previous fall camp.

No I mean a camp run by the D1 conferences where they identify talent that can work the conference in the future.

Peace

[UMP25]

I know what you meant.

BTW, those camps don't always do what you think they do. It still is a lot of whom you know or how much of a buddy-buddy one is to certain people.

Anyway, enough of all this. Back on topic.