You cannot have it both ways.

LL is supposed to be about Volunteering. If you were ever a UIC or a scheduler of umpires for a given LL season, you have your guys / gals that you can count on. They might not necessarily be the best but they are willing and able.

Then you get to the districts / sates etc. etc. and then the Distric administrator gets involved and brings in their "heavy-weights"

The "other group" who busts their buts all year round gets nothing or at the very least maybe a couple of first / second round All Star games at best.

Then we wonder why ABC LL organization can't get umpires. Hey it's ok for me to work games all week maybe 3-4 games on Saturday but when the "big" games come I am not good enough.

You said it best "we had a guy from our college group"

This guy should be polished.

I am not saying this college umpire did not donate games for free to LL but if he was doing college ball he was not there each and every night.

Also, LLWS umpire bashing has been going on for quite some time now. In a Forum I used to visit quite frequently (eteamz) it was a yearly event.

The problem: LL "sold their sole" to the network

Instead of LL doing the right thing and pay for umpires, they want to "hide" behind the notion that it's all Volunteer but when the "show" starts they want the cream of the crop umpires. I too knew some college guys that umpired at the districts etc. Yeah they were good but they should have been.

In a nutshell you "cannot have your cake and eat it to" If it's truly volunteer then allow the guys / gals who bust their butts all year to officiate, otherwise simply pay for the officials.

Pete Booth

It's the safe sign with an optional verbal "no catch" or the strike point held until there is an out. Correct?

I think it is understandable when the PU makes the 3rd strike mechanic then stands there. YMMV.

Pete, when I was UIC for a league several years ago we used to use the local HS association umpires for our SR/Big League games and yes, we paid them for it. It was very difficult to get competent 90' umpires for those levels. We supplemented them with a few LL volunteers (myself included). I don't think I ever was looked upon with favor by the true "volunteer only" purists in our district because of hiring 'outsiders' to do LL games.

Pete, your post is full of crap, in 2 ways.

(1) I give away over a month of prime money games every year to volunteer during the LL tournaments. I should be thought of as no less a volunteer because I work college baseball in the spring than these umpires are. In the end, we all meet the LL criteria for post-season assignments.

(2) Cream of the crop? Have you been watching the LLWS this year? :rolleyes:

[QUOTE][QUOTE]Rich you made my point by saying during the LL tournaments That was my point.

What about the regular season? You come in during the tournaments which I also do, but if I was one of those regular season umpires and did not get any Tournament games because you and other college / FED umpires wanted them I would not like it and I do not think you would either.

My main point is this

It's LL and it should be umpired by the people who officiate day in and day out no matter how bad / good BUT LL has sold out to TV.

Also, here most are bashing the LLWS umps

We had a PRO umpire this year allow a pitching change without the original F1 throwing a pitch a basic rule.

Pete Booth

And I've been the "hired outsider" numerous times and am constantly baffled by the utter lack of umpiring coming from my partners. Including "TIE!!!!" from one of the guys, and including 2 umpires at 2nd base, both of whom missed a blatant (collision) obstruction near first. I could go on.

Let's just leave it at this ... if you want volunteers, fine. But in umpiring as everywhere else, you get what you pay for.

I doubt LL asked any of you for your opinions on their umpiring - although you are entitled to them....................

That is what is being taught.

Rita

[QUOTE=PeteBooth;902878][QUOTE]The local leagues pay their umpires during the season. Mostly teenagers.

We sure are. Not sure what the point of your post is, though.

I watched a few innings of the Taiwan/Puerto Rico elimination game yesterday. I believe the same umpire from the video in post #53 did the plate for this one. Someone must have given him a good critique of his first game, because he tightened up his zone; in fact, at times it seemed too tight. But it was certainly much improved.

This is how I got my start, for whatever it's worth. I was making $20 on the bases, $25 on the plate, for a $45 DH. Sometimes I'd just do two plates if the other kid didn't want to suit up.

When tournament time came, any of us who had our head halfway screwed on and saved enough of that cash to call up +POS and order a shirt and pants would sometimes work the District tourneys as volunteers. Here and there one of us would make it to Sectionals (or whatever's after District). I think this was partly because we had a few full-time volunteers who were trusted and able to vouch for us.

This is almost exactly how I got my start. Calling Little League for cash was a great gig as a teenager and beat the pants off of working a real job. We had a pretty good cadre of adult and older high school umps that helped bring us along. We always sent several to at least Districts each year though it never occurred to me to try and make it above that.

I echo Rich Not certain of what your point is.

The point of having a discussion Forum is for all to share their opinions whether you like them or not.

Pete Booth

The game deserves the best it can get........
 

[QUOTE=PeteBooth;902878][QUOTE]Pete -

I totally disagree with your opinion. If supervisors at any level can get someone whom they feel is better the so be it.....

It happens at every level...

For example, your from NY so I will use this example. The guy that assigns the MAAC Conference for basketball uses three guys that work a lot of Big East games to work the final and those guys dont work a lotta of MAAC games during the season, but they are better than most of the other guys and maybe the supervisor trusts them.

You have only said that becasue you work all season long, that you are entitled to those games (playoffs). Don't the kids deserve the best officiating the league can get them regardless.

More often than not, those guys supervisors are bringing in are just more talented and sometimes as officials we need to accept that they may be better.....

Assigners face the challenge of availabilty vs. ability. AS someone who has assigned at the hs level for 15 yrs, I'll take ability all the time. And to the umpires who are honest with themselves they will admit that more often than not they aren't working a certain game because I have chosen someone better,,,,,