So after 3.5 hours and 9 innings of little ball hell, I had an epiphany
 

Softball is SO much better than baseball..

9 innings for 18 y/os!! argh.. .. for chrissakes hurry up the warmups!! Stop trying to pick off the runners, you will NEVER get them.. just play.. for the love of God play.. slow oh so very slow..

Defenseless - make an out.. please...
Hitting
Blah pitching
=
holy crap this game takes forever.

I admit I had forgotten a little, but now I know why i work softball..

There is no comparison.

Since februari I can watch MLB on the NSAN-network in the Neth.'s. It will constantly remind me never ever get involved in baseball!

Last week I was assigned in a two man crew for a 3rth level play in Holland. My partner and I wondered where the BB-ump's were; on the BB-field two team were almost ready to play. At the moment we entered our field, a player from the hometeam BB came over to ask one of us taking the BB-game.
Hell NO! We are not allowed to start on our own (1-man crew) in this level and I don't like BB. A clown from the stands came down to umpire the BB-game. In game 2, the BB-game was over. Now the players came over to the SB-field and made our game a hell by their remarks. I'm happy in softball. Will never quit umpiring, unless I'm unable to work the games anymore...
This afternoon a doubleheader, DSC'74 vs Terrrasvogels. Both teams deliver players to our national team and have some US-girls over. Ranking nr 5 vs nr 1 in competition. It will be great games, I hope...

Been there, done that!

Keep telling yourself softball is better. Whatever it takes, folks, whatever it takes.

I worked a great baseball game Sunday - 9 innings, 2 hours, crisp defense, great pitching. Played with wood bats, by adults.

Not all softball games are 55 minute, 1-0 pitching battles. I remember a 4 hour varsity HS game when I lived in Tennessee. Matter of fact, too many of those and not enough of the well played games and the ongoing, never-ending singing is why I gave it up.

(Before you ask, I read this board because there are situations in both sports where one can learn. I just find these threads funny.)

I cannot stand the chanting, either. To call it singing is being extremely kind. I don't mind the cheers so much as the screaming which accompanies it.

A 4-hour softball game? I'm sorry, but the umpires must have really screwed up that game. No one plays a 4-hour game without a rain delay of some sorts. :D

I quit doing baseball because of the prima donnas who all thought that there were 30 pro scouts at every game and there was an urgent need to show-off for them.

And yes, this even seemed to be true at the adolescent stages of their life only with mommy and daddy being the motivators of stupidity. Unfortunately, too often this is the problem with youth sports.

There are probably very few softball umpires on this board that haven't encountered, and taken pride in, a catcher or pitcher looking into the stands and screaming, "Shut up, dad/mom/grandpa. You're embarassing me." Sometimes, probably quite often, the kids are smarter than the adults and know how to handle playing the game WITHOUT help from others.

The difference between the baseball stars and the SP stars is that in baseball, the umpire's abilities are often not taken into account in how they react in a certain situation (for clarification, I base this opinion on personal observation and conversation with my umpire buddies from the dark side). In SP, much of the crap you get will depend on the hustle, effort and knowledge of the rules. Yeah, you will still get your idiots and the better umpires will just get rid of them, often with approval from the idiot's team.

I think that regardless of the sport you work, the ability to choose wisely (I work college baseball, HS varsity, and adult ball mainly, and avoid a lot of the youth ball on purpose, with the exception of Little League, which I support on numerous levels) on your schedule is key. Once we stop looking for reasons to go to the park and dread going is the time we should cut back or hang it up.

I believe that if you are an umpire, you should work all levels possible and treat every game with the same amount of respect and dedication. I don't prefer FP, but I would jump on the field and do the best job possible when necessary. I prefer the higher level of SP and don't mind working the recreational level, but I work both with the same intensity and commitment. I don't like working the fake players. You know, the guys who when talking to a girl in the bar is an A/B player that routinely carries his team to victory, but when talking about classifications, couldn't possibly play higher than D without getting their tail ends shellacked(sp?). But when working, I am routinely assigned to those games, and I work them the same as I would any other game.

The only time I have refused to work a certain game is a particular church league which lied out their ***. I had two absolutely terrible teams playing the back end of a cross-over (teams rotate fields after 1st game) DH. It was the 3rd inning at 8:20 PM on a field that loses light quickly at dusk and the sun had already dropped beyond the horizon. Visitors were up by 9 and there was absolutely no way I was going to get in two innings. The two other fields and the parking lot were already empty.

One team were players who had been around for a while didn't want to stop, but understood why. The other team called me every name in the book (y'all know how nice these young fundamental Baptist can be). They called the league president, told them I just called the game and left while the other two fields were still playing. Well, instead of actually picking up a phone and checking it out, he just rescheduled the game and called for an umpire.

I asked the e-board of the association to get the complaint in writing and that I would be anxious to address the accusations. Never happened. To the best of my knowledge, the league president had less backbone than Millard Filmore.

To this day, I will not work that league simply because of the lies. I can handle a lot of things, but I will not tolerate lies.

The difference between the baseball stars and the SP stars is that in baseball, the umpire's abilities are often not taken into account in how they react in a certain situation (for clarification, I base this opinion on personal observation and conversation with my umpire buddies from the dark side). In SP, much of the crap you get will depend on the hustle, effort and knowledge of the rules. Yeah, you will still get your idiots and the better umpires will just get rid of them, often with approval from the idiot's team.


Huh?

I can sit and watch MLB all day.

American Legion 18U.. not so much. And I could have made 50% more working the worst beer league softball you can imagine, and not had to put on all the gear.

I'll give you points on the chanting, but that is at least evened out by the lame pick off attempts, which waste my time, as they suck at it .. and the excessive warm up time the pitchers pretend they need.

Dont worry about being caught reading this board, I read the BB board quite a bit for exactly the same reasons!

And I read the BB board because all the flame wars and big egos on display are hilarious. That, and they actually sometimes have some interesting topics. And, I like MLB. It is my favorite professional sport by far.

Understand that where I live there are no central assignors. I have to go out and find assignors (who only assign one league or conference), so it's easier for me to pick and choose what I work.

When I lived elsewhere, I worked what was assigned to the best of my ability. As should everyone -- it's called professionalism.