A Reintroduced of Sorts

[BaltimoreUmpire]

Hi everyone. 
 

Not new here but returning, with years of college and working retail being an umpire fell to the side, but now that I’m working a 9-5 I’m picking it up again.

 

I’m excited to hit the field again and to be back in this community again!

[LRZ]

Will you be getting PIAA-certified?

[BaltimoreUmpire]

3 minutes ago, LRZ said:

Will you be getting PIAA-certified?

I’m considering that, I probably need at least one season of rec ball/travel ball back before I would do that. I umpired from like 15-18 I was basically a kid my whole time as an umpire. So I think getting my feet wet is gonna be important. 
 

Why do you ask? Is there a shortage?

 

And when do PIAA games happen? I work 8:15-5 so i don’t know  if I’d be in a position time wise for that. 

[LRZ]

I am familiar with Bucks and Montgomery counties, but if York is anything like them, there is indeed a need caused by not enough umpires and an aging crew, at that.

If York is similar to Bucks/Montgomery, school ball is a weekday/afternoon affair, so your work schedule would be an obstacle. But you might consider umpiring summertime junior American Legion, which, again assuming it's the same, involves evenings and weekends.

[BT_Blue]

Dude, welcome back!

[Aging_Arbiter]

On 12/4/2020 at 7:15 PM, BaltimoreUmpire said:

I’m considering that, I probably need at least one season of rec ball/travel ball back before I would do that. I umpired from like 15-18 I was basically a kid my whole time as an umpire. So I think getting my feet wet is gonna be important. 
 

Why do you ask? Is there a shortage?

 

And when do PIAA games happen? I work 8:15-5 so i don’t know  if I’d be in a position time wise for that. 

YAIAA (York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association) baseball games start at 4:15pm.  

[stevis]

5 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

YAIAA

[conbo61]

Here in PIAA District XI we are CRTICALLY short of umpires. (Somewhere around 100) We will see how things shake out after last spring was lost due to COVID.

Most games start in the 3:45 to 4:15 range, so that is often a common issue in getting new officials.  Their jobs just don't allow them to leave early.

Welcome back and good luck!!

[Umpire in Chief]

2 hours ago, conbo61 said:

Most games start in the 3:45 to 4:15 range, so that is often a common issue in getting new officials.  Their jobs just don't allow them to leave early.

Once leagues and school districts realize this half the problem will be solved. Schools don't schedule football games for 3:30, they're in the evening. 

[MadMax]

1 hour ago, Umpire in Chief said:

Once leagues and school districts realize this half the problem will be solved. Schools don't schedule football games for 3:30, they're in the evening. 

Won’t be solved. Identifying the problem doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. There is no financially justifiable way to fund the installation of lights and other accoutrements (locker rooms / changing rooms) for a sport wherein the season of sanctioned competition is only 2-3 months. Then, if you install any of those features, you must double it because of Title IX (I’m not against equal treatment & opportunities for both sexes; I’m against Title IX’s draconian enforcement on a near line-item to line-item basis). 

Football benefits from being played on a surface that can be shared – year round – with not only other sports for both sexes, but other activities as well (marching band, drum & bugle corps, etc. ). The unique layout of baseball, and the presence of that 18-foot-wide small mountain in the middle, present a challenge to cash-strapped districts. 

This is where we need to see more flexibility in all parties involved, and some enterprising support from the communities (plural). Oh, I’ve got more to wax on about this topic... 

But alas, I’ve nearly hijacked @BaltimoreUmpire‘s Welcome Back party! Good to see ya back! You’ve missed a lot of posts and some really good threads, so you’ve got some catching up to do. Ask @Thunderheads for a key to the Library so you can do some after hours searching... and pick up your Freshman Pool Pass from him too. 

 

 

 

 

Ha, yeah, we don’t have a pool here at the U-E campus. 

[Umpire in Chief]

@MadMax agreed on the cost an single use aspect. From my experience working at the waterpark, I do know lighting is expensive, but the prices are coming down significantly. So with the costs going down, that could possibly help, but with school budgets being what they are in the pandemic I doubt we'll see much capital investment for any purposes much less athletics.

[conbo61]

On 12/7/2020 at 10:46 AM, Umpire in Chief said:

Once leagues and school districts realize this half the problem will be solved. Schools don't schedule football games for 3:30, they're in the evening. 

Understood. However, there are very few schools around here that have lighted baseball fields. All of the football fields have lights (natch), but not the diamonds.

Still not enough light in early in late March through April for a 6 PM start.

[BaltimoreUmpire]

Thank you everyone for welcoming me back so warmly! I'm excited to learn more and become a better umpire.

 

 

On 12/7/2020 at 8:10 AM, conbo61 said:

Here in PIAA District XI we are CRTICALLY short of umpires. (Somewhere around 100) We will see how things shake out after last spring was lost due to COVID.

Most games start in the 3:45 to 4:15 range, so that is often a common issue in getting new officials.  Their jobs just don't allow them to leave early.

Welcome back and good luck!!

Yeah that'd be the issue for me too. I work an 8:15-5 job in the insurance business and am already the newest guy in my division so that kinda flexibility isn't available to me. That's what I love about the little league, recreation and travel games I'll get to work, nothing but 6pm starts and weekdays only. It'll let me work the day job, get a solid chunk of games and do my continuing ed requirements on the weekends.

[Aging_Arbiter]

are you already connected with your local little league?

[BaltimoreUmpire]

20 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

are you already connected with your local little league?

I am, two little leagues around here have informed me I can join them in the spring. And I’m waiting on the travel league to get back to me, I’m hoping they do because that’s the bulk of the work at these levels.

[Aging_Arbiter]

7 hours ago, BaltimoreUmpire said:

I am, two little leagues around here have informed me I can join them in the spring. And I’m waiting on the travel league to get back to me, I’m hoping they do because that’s the bulk of the work at these levels.

Sounds good.  Just wanted to make sure I got you a contact person, if you didn't have one.

[FranklinT]

On 12/4/2020 at 3:33 PM, BaltimoreUmpire said:

Hi everyone. 
 

Not new here but returning, with years of college and working retail being an umpire fell to the side, but now that I’m working a 9-5 I’m picking it up again.

 

I’m excited to hit the field again and to be back in this community again!

Welcome again!

Umpiring as much as one can handle during their college years and then trying to fit it in while balancing a professional full-time career is really really hard and something I struggled with as well.  Best of luck to you!

[aaluck]

On 12/7/2020 at 9:46 AM, Umpire in Chief said:

Once leagues and school districts realize this half the problem will be solved. Schools don't schedule football games for 3:30, they're in the evening. 

They are going to need to do something. Our HS baseball association is turning down contracts because we do not have enough guys to send out.  I cannot imagine we are the only ones having to do this.

[cyclonehokiece]

I know here, they are having issues with sub-varsity ball (the level I choose to pursue this year because I am coming off a back injury and didn't want a setback to tarnish my reputation with conference commissioners) as many officials are opting out due to a certain disease that everyone should know about by now.  I wonder how many of those guys will just say "I haven't done it for two years now why will I go back".  I know if my work schedule wasn't so flexible, I would be out of high school ball because 4:30 games are hard to get to.

[scrounge]

Very similar, it's been awhile, so long that I feel like a newbie! Between the horrendousness of the past year and the rise of the facebook forums, haven't been around too much but it's nice to return to the stability and continuity - and sanity - of U-E.

[Umpire in Chief]

No doubt the Facebook sites have a lot to offer... AND I'll acknowledge my bias obviously, but I think dedicated forums, on virtually any topic, are much more engaging than FB sites.

[BT_Blue]

On 4/5/2021 at 10:10 AM, Umpire in Chief said:

No doubt the Facebook sites have a lot to offer... AND I'll acknowledge my bias obviously, but I think dedicated forums, on virtually any topic, are much more engaging than FB sites.

I can count on one hand (both if I really want to stretch it) the number of people who's opinion and such I care about on those FB forums! Oddly enough... I would say 85-90% of those people are or were regular contributors to this here website. And others I wish that were (looking right at you Gosney)!