Gotta Rant!!!!

[Andy]

Steve's right....

I learned a long time ago to try not to let this method of selection bother me publicly. I will keep my opinions to myself.

When I first started officiating basketball 25 years ago, I was told to keep my mouth shut and work my games. Unfortunately, I did not heed that advice and I'm sure that it was a determining factor in some of the regular season and championship assignments I received, or more accurately, didn't receive, over the years.

When I started doing softball some years later, I just decided to work to be the very best softball umpire I could be, not worry about other umpires and the assignments they were getting, and let things fall where they fell. I will say that I am much happier as an official and that by letting my work on the field do my talking, I have progressed much further as a softball umpire than I ever did as a basketball official.

[NCASAUmp]

I agree with Andy here. I take whatever my assignor or UIC gives me. If it's a great assignment, wonderful. If it's the worst ball imaginable, wonderful - they still need a good umpire.

And if I don't get the assignment, hey, that's fine. If someone else earned it, they earned it. If not, well, it's their chance to rise up to the challenge as an official. If they don't make it, their assignor will probably hear about it, and I doubt they'll make that mistake twice.

The people an assignor sends to cover a game or a tourney have their respective assignors' names attached to them. If the official performs poorly, it reflects poorly on the assignor. So I do the best damn job I can for my association and for my assignor.

[BuggBob]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

I agree with Andy here. I take whatever my assignor or UIC gives me. If it's a great assignment, wonderful. If it's the worst ball imaginable, wonderful - they still need a good umpire.

And if I don't get the assignment, hey, that's fine. If someone else earned it, they earned it. If not, well, it's their chance to rise up to the challenge as an official. If they don't make it, their assignor will probably hear about it, and I doubt they'll make that mistake twice.

The people an assignor sends to cover a game or a tourney have their respective assignors' names attached to them. If the official performs poorly, it reflects poorly on the assignor. So I do the best damn job I can for my association and for my assignor.

Well said.

[rybo]

Andy...ditto