Al,
One more thing to remember and consider when you're thanking us & offering to pay & all that.

I think I have made just about every mistake that an umpire can make over the years - and those that I haven't made, somebody else here probably has. I think each wil commend your desire & effort to learn - so learn from the mistakes of the past - and, when you have the opportunity, pass it on to the next "generation" of umps. That's your thanks & repayment - pass it on.

One more example of why lower-level ball is so much more difficult to officiate. Last week I alternated between college doubleheaders on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and REC leagues Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. The REC leagues are genuinely harder, and not just because they're one-man games. The kind of stuff described in the opening thread is almost inconceivable in a college game.