I figured since the season for most amatuer umpires is on the downward slide, I would put up my 1st annual top ten reasons to umpire baseball. Here they are as follows:
10. Pay isn't the greatest, but its a paycheck.
9. Its the only time I ever get to look like a hard ass : )
8. Its a great way to meet new people.
7. It keeps you active.
6. I look good in dark blue.
5. You can do more than one game in a day.
4. You get a chance to stay in touch with kids.
3. You get to see a lot of different ball parks.
2. I love baseball. I love to be a part of it
1. Its not a democracy, I am one of two people that have absolute control of situations occuring on the diamond for two hours (more or less).
Those are my top 10. Let me know what your top reasons are. If I get some responses, I'll put them on a later post.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Dark Side of Summer Baseball
There are a lot of great things about summer baseball. It is an opportunity for players to work on skills against players that are the same age level. The competition is pretty good. It is a place where potential college players can get discovered by a college. It is USUALLY a relaxed atmosphere.
However, there is a distinct, disturbing darkside to summer baseball that all umpires are (or at least should be) aware of and need to exercise caution when officiating these contests.
Now, before I talk about the negatives (for umpires) about summer baseball, let me say that I am talking about travel teams/leagues main for high school aged players. Little League and high school conference (like the NLC here in Indiana) summer leagues are exempt from most of these negatives.
1. The biggest reason to be concerned about summer baseball is the lack of accountability. These coaches and managers can basically do anything, say anything, act anyway they want with basically no consequences for those actions. Coaches that an umpire ejects will be right back coaching the very next game, quickly forgetting the reason he was removed in the first place. It is a tough situation for umpires to be in. Trust me, there is a reason I am writing this kind of post.
2. Because these teams have basically no oversight, the players attitudes are much worse during the summer. They talk back to umpires, don't hustle as much, and act more like professional ballplayers than the high school players they really are.
3. The umpire abuse is much worse at these games. Parents, players, and coaches don't have to respect the umpire because there are no consquences.
4. For umpires, the pay isn't worth the games. Most of these teams wait either until the end of the game to pay you or mail the check to you which always makes me nervous.
5. As umpires all you end up doing is getting worn down.
Work some summer games, just be careful with the amount.
However, there is a distinct, disturbing darkside to summer baseball that all umpires are (or at least should be) aware of and need to exercise caution when officiating these contests.
Now, before I talk about the negatives (for umpires) about summer baseball, let me say that I am talking about travel teams/leagues main for high school aged players. Little League and high school conference (like the NLC here in Indiana) summer leagues are exempt from most of these negatives.
1. The biggest reason to be concerned about summer baseball is the lack of accountability. These coaches and managers can basically do anything, say anything, act anyway they want with basically no consequences for those actions. Coaches that an umpire ejects will be right back coaching the very next game, quickly forgetting the reason he was removed in the first place. It is a tough situation for umpires to be in. Trust me, there is a reason I am writing this kind of post.
2. Because these teams have basically no oversight, the players attitudes are much worse during the summer. They talk back to umpires, don't hustle as much, and act more like professional ballplayers than the high school players they really are.
3. The umpire abuse is much worse at these games. Parents, players, and coaches don't have to respect the umpire because there are no consquences.
4. For umpires, the pay isn't worth the games. Most of these teams wait either until the end of the game to pay you or mail the check to you which always makes me nervous.
5. As umpires all you end up doing is getting worn down.
Work some summer games, just be careful with the amount.
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