Finishing up my first full year

[Mike Prince]

I just started umpiring last fall after a long stint as a coach. Fortunately my son got to the point where he needed more specialized instruction than I could ever give him and that got me into umpiring last September.

I worked a good amount last fall and it was quite the "feet first" approach - I felt like I learned a ton. I probably worked 30-35 games, I didn't even think to keep track as I was having so much fun and I got a check at the end of the season so I was happy!

This spring I spent most of that check getting real gear (Douglas CP, many other upgrades including Reebok plate/base shoes and real plate pants) and jumped right back into it - I did 69 games in the spring including a call to do an early round State Cal Ripken tournament which was a nice honor. I did my first solo games and had one Saturday in searing heat and humidity where I did 6 games, 5 of them behind the plate. I loved it and my game checks all went into paying for a week-long family vacation. It was a gratifying spring.

Now we are winding up fall league here. The big difference for me this fall has been consistency, confidence and respect. Consistency comes from the repetition of doing more games and working on my timing and technique. Confidence comes from experience and learning from mistakes and weird scenarios first hand - I feel like I am light years ahead of where I was just a year ago. Respect is from and to my peers - we have a really great group of "core" umpires in our association and I've seen us come a long way in the past year. Respect has also come when we take the field, I have had coaches and fans tell me repeatedly that they are glad when they see not just me but my partners take the field for their games. I learn something every game (some games more than others) and am only sorry that I did not discover umpiring earlier in life.

I just got my final assignments for the fall season this week, I picked up the last semi-final games as well as the championship games for both our 7/8 machine pitch Rookie League and 9/10 Cal Ripken Minors League. (I also got selected to do the plate for all 3 rounds of our 11/12 Majors tournament that concluded yesterday). Those games got me to 50 games this fall for a total of 119 games this year.

I've also been asked to do a couple All-Star tournaments later this month that require Babe Ruth certification, so I may eclipse 120 games for the year.

Can't wait for Spring 2011 to get here!

[benrosen]

5 plates in a day are you crazy??

[Umpire in Chief]

Keep it up, keep learning, keep looking for ways to improve