Tim Tschida

[BigBlue4u]

With all due respect to Tim, I'm getting tired of seeing his quote: "Any umpire who collects a fee to work a game...is a professional umpire." Does that kind of thinking also mean my son should be called a professional paper boy?  Or my daughter called a professional baby-sitter? If someone is labeled a "professional umpire," it generally means that the players who are playing the game he or she is umpiring, are being paid to play.   

[SeeingEyeDog]

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, of course...I'm sorry you're tired of seeing his quote. I saw him speak a few years ago and that was his opening remark. Admittedly, when you take one sentence of a 30 minute speech out of context...something is lost.

His point was...if you are being paid to do a job...umpiring a baseball game, delivering papers, baby-sitting children, etc...then your approach to that job should be to give your very best each and every time. Because that's what it means to be a professional. And particularly for young people, learning how to be a professional at whatever you undertake is a life skill. The earlier it can be learned, the more potential for success and the amount of success achieved is increased. Take pride in all that you do. Give your very best effort you are capable of giving on that day, in that moment. How is this an undesirable or sub-optimal take?

For what it's worth, he closed this portion of the speech by saying that he thinks the umpires most deserving of the highest respect in the profession are those that work for free because their only motivation is to serve The Game.

~Dawg

[MadMax]

3 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

if you are being paid to do a job...umpiring a baseball game, etc... then your approach to that job should be to give your very best each and every time.

🤨 Then what about... 

5 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

he thinks the umpires most deserving of the highest respect in the profession are those that work for free because their only motivation is to serve The Game.

Ah. Yeah. These guys. 

Now, while I don't disagree, nor do I give any less respect to these (let's face it, Little League) umpires, I do not give any more, unduly. Why? It has nothing to do with them (the umpires), it has to do with Little League as an institution; there is no way – no way – that you can expect your officials to produce high-quality work, unpaid and voluntarily, while your institution has media deals and revenue streams that rival several financial institutions. 

[Marcus6]

11 hours ago, BigBlue4u said:

With all due respect to Tim, I'm getting tired of seeing his quote: "Any umpire who collects a fee to work a game...is a professional umpire." Does that kind of thinking also mean my son should be called a professional paper boy?  Or my daughter called a professional baby-sitter? If someone is labeled a "professional umpire," it generally means that the players who are playing the game he or she is umpiring, are being paid to play.   

interesting thing to focus on and then make a post about your displeasure with it 

[SeeingEyeDog]

53 minutes ago, MadMax said:

🤨 Then what about... 

Ah. Yeah. These guys. 

Now, while I don't disagree, nor do I give any less respect to these (let's face it, Little League) umpires, I do not give any more, unduly. Why? It has nothing to do with them (the umpires), it has to do with Little League as an institution; there is no way – no way – that you can expect your officials to produce high-quality work, unpaid and voluntarily, while your institution has media deals and revenue streams that rival several financial institutions. 

We're splitting hairs and quite frankly so is Brother Tschida...

Kindly notice he did NOT say, THE BEST or THE MOST SKILLED umpires are the guys who work for free...no. He simply said those "most deserving of the highest RESPECT in the profession".

Frankly, I agree. I love umpiring. I still get a charge on game day as I am packing up and heading out the door and driving to the ballpark. I'm also not here strictly for the cash. But, I don't work for free.

Someday, very soon, LL's model of not paying ALL of its umpires a game fee from local to the LLWS is going to end. Either that or LL is going to end...

~Dawg

[Velho]

57 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

Someday, very soon, LL's model of not paying ALL of its umpires a game fee from local to the LLWS is going to end. Either that or LL is going to end...

I have no doubt LL is missing out on good umpires for Regions and WS because of not even paying for travel and lodging.

But, given that about 50% of Regional/WS umpires are now the same every year (willingly, happily doing it year after year on their own dime), plus LL being oversubscribed in applications such that they are leaving some decent to very good umpires unassigned but those umps reapply year after year, there is no pressure for change.

Local level is more well, localized, and a different debate imo.

[DevildogUmp]

On 4/14/2026 at 12:21 AM, Velho said:

I have no doubt LL is missing out on good umpires for Regions and WS because of not even paying for travel and lodging.

But, given that about 50% of Regional/WS umpires are now the same every year (willingly, happily doing it year after year on their own dime), plus LL being oversubscribed in applications such that they are leaving some decent to very good umpires unassigned but those umps reapply year after year, there is no pressure for change.

Local level is more well, localized, and a different debate imo.

Maybe it isn't the same for all regions, but at each Regional tournament I've done lodging was provided and meals were either provided or they gave us a meal stipend. I've also had lodging provided for state tournaments when I traveled out of my local area. 

[Velho]

15 minutes ago, DevildogUmp said:

Maybe it isn't the same for all regions, but at each Regional tournament I've done lodging was provided and meals were either provided or they gave us a meal stipend.

You're right, I've since learned I was misinformed (not rrr,rrr,rrrrrrong but 'misinformed'  

I think most meals but not all were covered for the guy I talked to though (may have just been that one location though)

 

[stevis]

I've never had meals reimbursed at a LL state tournament in Virginia, though we have been feed en masse a few times (sandwhich spreads, crockpots) and it's much appreciated. 

Lodging here is you get half; so either you get a roommate or pay half a room for your privacy.  That may be swinging in favor of paying for single rooms I hear.