Standing on field with hands on hips?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by topper

Then what is the point/problem? If a coaches perception of how I stand in between innings causes him/her to change the way they handle something that happens during play, I can and will deal with that appropriately.

The coach is going to complain to the UIC, assignor, AD, whatever authority will listen and who can affect future assignments

Comparing softball officiating with a real job doesn't hold water IMO. I'm there to worry about the consequences of the softball rolling around on the field, not how a coach perceives my posture at rest.

Are you accepting remuneration for your efforts? Have you not agreed to work under standards set by either the sanctioning body or association with whom that body has contracted your services? Do you not risk the loss of opportunity to continue should you fail or refuse to follow those rules and standards?

Sounds like a real job to me.

I completely understand what you and Steve are saying about the way things are - I've dealt with it for years. I just wonder when softball officials became second class citizens to softball coaches and the "powers that be" decided to make us so.

I worked an ASA national-level tournament (Men's SP Major) where the two teams set to play the championship game, along with the tournament reps approached the UIC (still a member of the NUS) and asked to have the umpire who was due to rotate to the plate to be moved to another position.

It had nothing to do with his skills. He was a good umpire, ISF certified with a Men's Super coming up the following month. From what I gathered, they didn't tell the UIC who they wanted on the game, just stated who they didn't want on the dish for that game.

The reason they asked for and were accommodated with a change was because he was so laid back, the teams did not believe he could appreciate the high competitive nature of that particular game.

I don't think there was an umpire there that believed he couldn't handle the game, but I also understand how the teams got that perception.

[topper]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

The coach is going to complain to the UIC, assignor, AD, whatever authority will listen and who can affect future assignments

And the UIC or assignor should consider the validity of the coach's complaint. I don't expect that from an AD.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Are you accepting remuneration for your efforts? Have you not agreed to work under standards set by either the sanctioning body or association with whom that body has contracted your services? Do you not risk the loss of opportunity to continue should you fail or refuse to follow those rules and standards?

Sounds like a real job to me.

By "real job", I meant what one does for a living. While I know there are some out there officiating full time, I think they are a huge minority. My "real job" pays ~25 times what I earn officiating softball. It's safe to say that I'm considerably more willing to put up with ancillary BS from my superiors.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

I don't think there was an umpire there that believed he couldn't handle the game, .....

Then the UIC did a disservice to the umpire as well as the entire umpire community by allowing the teams' perception to change their assignment.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by topper

Then the UIC did a disservice to the umpire as well as the entire umpire community by allowing the teams' perception to change their assignment.

The UIC did what was necessary for the customer and the organization he represented (ASA) in this case.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by topper

A
By "real job", I meant what one does for a living. While I know there are some out there officiating full time, I think they are a huge minority. My "real job" pays ~25 times what I earn officiating softball. It's safe to say that I'm considerably more willing to put up with ancillary BS from my superiors.

The remuneration should have zero impact on how one approaches or treats the profession. I approach umpiring every bit as professionally as I do teaching. (Which, sadly, pays about the same as umpiring )

[topper]

It seems this thread is all about priorities in more ways than one

[Andy]

Sorry guys, but how you are perceived is often the difference maker in evaluating umpires.

When you have a group of umpires that are all mechanically sound, know the rules and do the signals properly, there has to be a way to differentiate them to move to the next level or fill a finite number of assignments.

I once had a UIC tell me that he made decisions on what umpires received final day assignments at a national tournament by seeing who had cleaner shoelaces. A bit of an exaggeration, but the point is that he had too may outstanding umpires for too few assignments.

He had to use all of those "perception" items to make decisions.