StrasburgUmp80136

My apologies, the $75/$100 is for a one umpire game. Two man games are $60 each for youth games & $80 each for High school level games. We earn $50 for machine pitch, but at this time, neither son nor I are planning to call that level.

I'm new to this, but can you define low-paying? I'm getting $75(9-14yr)or $100/game (HS age) for one man games in my area.

Just wanted to reply and say thanks to everyone for the great welcome. My son & I got our first games last weekend. I was behind the plate & he was in the field for two 9/10U rec games. It couldn't have been a better experience, although I was not prepared for 3ish hours of squats. My legs are TOAST today. I'll be working on that fitness once I can move normally again. Already looking forward to this week's assignments.

Is there a good site that has the rule books & case books? I am definitely interested in learning more. I want to be the best ump I can, the game deserves it.

Thank you both for your replies. We are located in Colorado, about 20 miles east of Denver, in a town called Strasburg. Strasburg sometimes has trouble finding umpires b/c of the distance to our fields from Brighton/Denver, which is what initially piqued our interest. Strasburg LL plays the bulk of their games in Brighton, which is where we took our class. We will initially be calling games in the Brighton League (BYBSA). Hopefully as we gain more experience, will branch into the Denver area with USSSA, et al. As I understand it, fall ball is the place to learn, both as players and as umpires. The guys that run the BYBSA seem to be on top of it and we're excited to get going.

Thank you MadMax for the warm welcome. While I like this answer, it leads me to another, albeit similar question. At what point does the attempt stop being an attempt? As a coach, I teach my players to have a YES YES YES (NO) approach to hitting. From what you posted, should I as an umpire interpret that as long as the attempt stops before the pitch crosses the plate, the hitter is "good?"

When does a half swing/check swing become a strike? I've seen a couple of different answers & am curious. Is it when the barrel head clears the front hip or front of the plate or crosses the foul line?

Hello everyone, I'm a brand new umpire. haven't called a game yet. I have 4 sons and have coached a ton of baseball over the years. My 14yr old wanted a way to make some money & learn more about the game, so he asked to become an umpire. Since he's 14 & I'd have to drive him to games anyway, I figured I'd do it as well. We had our initial umpire class a couple weekends ago & had a lot of fun learning how to call a game from a couple of former MLB/current NCAA umpires. We're supposed to get our assignments for fall ball this week. Looking forward to it!! Howard Smith