New to site

[IHSAUmp08]

Hey guys, I'm a 3rd yr ump. I just discoverd this site today and am looking forward to many posts for as long as I put on the shoulder pads and face mask. Just want to leave everyone with one thing I've learned and would like to pass along. This is a great game and we have a responsability to the players to be pros out there. It's always better to work your way up than to work at a level above your head. I've done it and it's not the easiest thing to handle coaches and managers when you don't have the experiance. Thanks guys and I look forward to the back and forth communication.

[JaxRolo]

Welcome! :D

[Big Red]

IHSA,

Welcome to the site! I just joined recently and it's been great....I've found a wealth of great advice, experience and recommendations here. Definitely a diversity of experience here, and all willing to help.

Good words BTW and I agree. As I mentioned in another post tonight, not only does working the younger kids games give you that baptism by fire, you'll see so much out there that you don't normally see in the older/more experienced leagues. Lord knows we've all been in situations such as you describe and sometimes, as in my case, without people around who really care enough to take you under their wing. I wish this sites such as this had been around back when I first got into it.

Good luck and good season to you!

[Umpire in Chief]

Welcome !

[IHSAUmp08]

IHSA,

Welcome to the site! I just joined recently and it's been great....I've found a wealth of great advice, experience and recommendations here. Definitely a diversity of experience here, and all willing to help.

Good words BTW and I agree. As I mentioned in another post tonight, not only does working the younger kids games give you that baptism by fire, you'll see so much out there that you don't normally see in the older/more experienced leagues. Lord knows we've all been in situations such as you describe and sometimes, as in my case, without people around who really care enough to take you under their wing. I wish this sites such as this had been around back when I first got into it.

Good luck and good season to you!

Thanks for the advice. I'm learning more and more that the hardest part about umpiring isn't calling balls/strikes, fair/foul, safe/out, it's handling the coaches and players. Taking control of the game is vital to success in this business. I want to do this for a long long time, but I want to do it as close to perfectly as possible. We're the only ones on the field that are expected to be perfect. The players and coaches aren't held to the same standard.

As for this season, I've done 8 games (2 weekend Double Headers) and had 3 rainouts so far (3rd one today). Better than last yr where I only did 2 games in the first 3 wks because of the horrible rainy Mar/April we had. Good luck to you too.

[Big Red]

Many thanks and you hit it on the head about the game management part of it!

Yeah, I forgot to mention in my earlier post the corollary to working those younger games. I've found more often than not that the coaches are on as much a learning curve as the youngsters, and it can make for some very interesting "discussions!"

Heck, just as I started umpiring at some point, I was a rookie coach once and after coaching various ages in LL for 11 years, I look back on my first couple of years and just have to laugh sometime! I also look back and use my perspective as a coach in dealing with various umpires to help guide me from the other side of the coin.

I've heard some of the wackiest "inputs" at these games, and try my best to educate to a point...I find most coaches are simply ignorant about the given situation/rule, but at the same time open-minded and understanding if you work with them a bit....some not, ever. But, I found it really helped me in "finding" myself, so to speak, as an umpire and what I was comfortable with, which really helped my confidence.

Matter of fact, one of the first tournament games to really test me from the "game management" perspective was a Pinto (8 & under) regional tournament game, specifically the championship game. This was a very close game between two long-standing rivals and the fans just kept getting ramped up and up to the point of a mad frenzy with insults flying everywhere, every play! Something inside said, "This has reached the breaking point!" I finally had to stop the game, confer with both coaches about the conduct of their fans and get extra security at the field. Mind you, this is for 8 & younger!!!! But, I got alot of praise after the game from both teams, the regional director, even the cops!

Anyways, point being it also helped me define my limits as well as getting coaches/players to know those limits...thankfully, in 4 years of umpiring LL, I've only had one ejection (don't ask me about adult league ejections, such as the many I've given in ASA...I've given up on umpiring a bunch of World Series wanna-be's who think their beer league, Tues nite intramural slow-pitch game is going to determine whether the world ends or not!!!)

Bottom line: You nailed it in regards to the professional aspect of our job, including the respect portion....I respect them for being a coach and taking on all the responsibility associated with it. I simply look for the same from them toward me as the umpire. And that's one thing about this site I don't see on others...folks are pretty respectful, even if they flat out disagree on something. Hope you enjoy your time here.

To close, I remember what an old Chief told me when I was a young officer, which I've found applies perfectly in many things, especially umpiring....don't cross your "P's": P's standing for "professional and personal." No matter our personal opinion of someone or something, we have certain professional obligations that transcend personal opinions.

[mstaylor]

Welcome to the site, I think you will find it a pretty good place. I agree 100% that you never move up before you are ready. It is better to move up a year late than a year early.

You only have one chance at a first impression and if that is a bad impression it will take five years or more to overcome it.

[Stan W.]

welcome to the site..........its easy to agree with MST....moving along faster than your growth can hurt your career for years......

But using resources like this site will allow you to develop without making those rookie mistakes that can harm a career....

read, learn and share...then take the knowledge back to your chapter and be a force for change within the chapter.......

welcome!

[D62 blue]

Hey guys, I'm a 3rd yr ump. I just discoverd this site today and am looking forward to many posts for as long as I put on the shoulder pads and face mask. Just want to leave everyone with one thing I've learned and would like to pass along. This is a great game and we have a responsability to the players to be pros out there. It's always better to work your way up than to work at a level above your head. I've done it and it's not the easiest thing to handle coaches and managers when you don't have the experiance. Thanks guys and I look forward to the back and forth communication.

welcome , iam recently new as well . i have browsed this site for about a year , then jumped onboard . there is a wealth of intel here , have fun .

[umpire78]

Hey guys, I'm a 3rd yr ump. I just discoverd this site today and am looking forward to many posts for as long as I put on the shoulder pads and face mask. Just want to leave everyone with one thing I've learned and would like to pass along. This is a great game and we have a responsability to the players to be pros out there. It's always better to work your way up than to work at a level above your head. I've done it and it's not the easiest thing to handle coaches and managers when you don't have the experiance. Thanks guys and I look forward to the back and forth communication.

For a 3rd year ump, you have learned perhaps the greatest lesson EARLY in your career. Having been in the military for 20 years, I spent 14 of them on a softball/baseball diamond SOMEWHERE in the world. I started in Maryland, then on to The Netherlands, New Mexico and finally, Germany. After that, back to Maryland, then Pennsylvania where I umpired until my last season, 2011. I'm here mainly to observe and offer my "two cents." If what you read makes sense, try it. If not, no problem. I've had to prove myself in a total of SIX associations over 32 years. I've worked my way up to higher level ball and believe me, that is the best way to do it. EARN your promotion. You gain knowledge and experience with every game. Keep plugging away at it. It's a great way to reduce stress and get some exercise.