Are you kidding me?

[Big Slick]

Originally Posted by Reffing Rev.

So to be an ASA umpire you have to attend an annual clinic.

I'm not sure if you have an ax to grind with ASA, but what you describe is not unique to the ASA or any other organization. ASA national, if that is what you are trying to implicate, is only in charge of national tournaments. If what you describe happened at a ASA/USA national, then by all means, show disdain.

What you failed to mention if this was a state/metro tournament, an invitational tournament, or local league games. My ASA association does require that you attend a state approved clinic to umpire in state/metro tournaments only. I'm the UIC for a state tournament this weekend, and I'm only using umpires who attended a clinic. And while attendance at the clinic does not make one a good umpire, that's why there is a protest procedure, and why some work on Sunday and some don't. That's how I get paid as a UIC. By all means, protest if you are a state tournament. I'll encouraged coaches to do that when I am a working umpire.

For invitational tournaments or local leagues, a clinic is not required. We will be having an invitation in 3 weeks, and there will be umpires working that tournament that did not attend a state clinic. And there are some umpires who only work in the local leagues.

Some thing tells me this was a local league, considering you are playing on a Thursday night. If your league as a protocol, please let the umpiring chapter know.

Andy replied best as a general reply. My point is that it isn't "ASA" - look at the people involved, not the organization. All organizations have their good umpires and bad umpires.

Originally Posted by Rich

I'm coaching a "travel" 10U team this summer.

We pay the same fees as 12U, 14U, 16U....we get the worst fields, worst umpires, worst time slots.

It's tiring getting umpires who wouldn't know a rule book if someone handed it to them. In just 2 months, I've seen and heard it all.

You have your choice of which tournaments to play and which tournaments not to play. My experience is that if you play in multiple age groups in the same tournament, 10U will get the worst of everything. And as I said above, invitationals will get lower quality than if you are in a "state" tournament.