The Decline of Umpiring

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Jul 12, 2019
32
18
I am surprised that there is not more 18 to 25 year old umpires. In So Cal an ump makes minimum $50 per 1:20 DD game. Start at 8:00 am and finish at 5:00 (6 games). $300 tax free cash (mostly). That's pretty good money. Beat the crap out of working at Starbucks.
This.

Especially If you were a catcher, umpiring would be a great weekend college job.
 
Nov 1, 2013
62
8
You really believe a 6-game schedule of games will be completed in 8 hours?

Even if a game stops @ 1 hour 20 minutes; you have to clear the dugouts; new teams have to enter the dugouts; line ups have to be exchanged; pre-game ground rules need to be covered between coaches and umpires. Maybe even some fresh batter boxes & base lines (in our dreams...right?)

Even time has to be allowed for umpires remaining on that field to suit up plate gear if needed...two person crews if utilized. My experience has always been that game schedules are not realistic even with time limits.

Minimum of 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 40 minutes between games is doing very well.

Math shows me a minimum total time for 6 game schedule is actually closer to 9 hours plus.

And then you expect the umpire to work without a break or a meal to rebuild their energy (no hot dogs please!).

Seems some of us are not realistic in their expectations. :)
 
Jul 19, 2021
630
93
You are flat out wrong. Why else would they quit? Hell even the real old guys that cant even brush the plate are still out there.
Do you see the contradiction there? If there are still old guys out there doing it, why haven't they quit long ago if it is so bad?

If it were so bad, the only umps doing it would be new ones and they would only do it until they got fed up.
 
Jul 19, 2021
630
93
Well thats not consistent is it.
That said
Wonder what the results of human eye consistency is in comparison?
That graphic is an example of human eye consistency. Or lack thereof in this case! lol.....

That is an analysis of a MLB ump who called the plate the other night in a playoff game. It shoes how many calls he missed.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
That graphic is an example of human eye consistency. Or lack thereof in this case! lol.....

That is an analysis of a MLB ump who called the plate the other night in a playoff game. It shoes how many calls he missed.
Ohhh thot it was the technology machine doing it.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
Do you see the contradiction there? If there are still old guys out there doing it, why haven't they quit long ago if it is so bad?

If it were so bad, the only umps doing it would be new ones and they would only do it until they got fed up.

I think you have this slightly wrong; it is not that they didn't quit because it is not so bad out there; but because YEARS and YEARS of umpiring allows them to manage everything better.

One of the things that come with being an 'old umpire' is experience. Not just in knowledge, but also seeing a huge variety of situations and learning how to game manage the whole experience and avoid the vast majority of issues. These 'old guys' are the survivors.

I have been umpiring various sports for 30+ years - I can manage a game, coaches, players., etc, etc... That is HARD earned experience and knowledge and I had a lot of good mentors/evaluators/umpiring orgs/clinics/etc to add to the game experience to get me to the point I am at today.

It means I have WAY fewer issues than new, less experienced officials, and not much bothers me. Fewer people yell at me than newer officials and when they do, I have a variety of ways to minimize it. That includes just not caring what someone says especially when they are wrong. I've had 20,000 college fans believe I was wrong BEFORE I took the court to umpire a college basketball game - Little Susies mum's tantrum over a call just isn't a big deal to me.

My experience officiating a game is totally different from an official just starting out.

New umpires just don't have those tools. I used a new driver analogy in an earlier post... it is all good until something unusual happens - and then what happens? Experienced drivers avoid the obstacles - new drivers crash into it.

And on top of this, there are lots of these old very experienced umpires who are leaving as they can't physically do it anymore and they are not being replaced.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
I think you have this slightly wrong; it is not that they didn't quit because it is not so bad out there; but because YEARS and YEARS of umpiring allows them to manage everything better.

One of the things that come with being an 'old umpire' is experience. Not just in knowledge, but also seeing a huge variety of situations and learning how to game manage the whole experience and avoid the vast majority of issues. These 'old guys' are the survivors.

I have been umpiring various sports for 30+ years - I can manage a game, coaches, players., etc, etc... That is HARD earned experience and knowledge and I had a lot of good mentors/evaluators/umpiring orgs/clinics/etc to add to the game experience to get me to the point I am at today.

It means I have WAY fewer issues than new, less experienced officials, and not much bothers me. Fewer people yell at me than newer officials and when they do, I have a variety of ways to minimize it. That includes just not caring what someone says especially when they are wrong. I've had 20,000 college fans believe I was wrong BEFORE I took the court to umpire a college basketball game - Little Susies mum's tantrum over a call just isn't a big deal to me.

My experience officiating a game is totally different from an official just starting out.

New umpires just don't have those tools. I used a new driver analogy in an earlier post... it is all good until something unusual happens - and then what happens? Experienced drivers avoid the obstacles - new drivers crash into it.

And on top of this, there are lots of these old very experienced umpires who are leaving as they can't physically do it anymore and they are not being replaced.
Such a great Point people managing people it's a skill that's a life skill.
For people that have it one that's developed in most cases. And certainly difficult for a lot of folks.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
Do you see the contradiction there? If there are still old guys out there doing it, why haven't they quit long ago if it is so bad?

If it were so bad, the only umps doing it would be new ones and they would only do it until they got fed up.
Everyone has a different tolerance level. Some people are willing to deal with the BS. Some are not.

I have had an internal debate with myself the last couple of years. Are people (in general) really becoming more negative? Or am I just to the point that I am tired of dealing with it? Maybe it's some of both... All I know is that I find myself saying "it isn't worth it..." A lot more than I used to.
 
Jun 27, 2021
418
63
Everyone has a different tolerance level. Some people are willing to deal with the BS. Some are not.

I have had an internal debate with myself the last couple of years. Are people (in general) really becoming more negative? Or am I just to the point that I am tired of dealing with it? Maybe it's some of both... All I know is that I find myself saying "it isn't worth it..." A lot more than I used to.
Believe people are to your point becoming more negative. You don't like where your kid plays, find a new team. Don't like losing while your friends kid is winning, bash your coach. Don't like the your kid got called out looking on a bad call, blame the umpire and not your kid being down 2 strikes.

Earlier travel ball (tournament ball) and social media have wrecked the game and the enjoyment for the kids. Parents are too busy trying to keep up with the Jones than they are with enjoying the time. Each time a negative calls goes a teams/childs way what they fail to mention are the times a call went their way.
 
Jul 19, 2021
630
93
Everyone has a different tolerance level. Some people are willing to deal with the BS. Some are not.

I have had an internal debate with myself the last couple of years. Are people (in general) really becoming more negative? Or am I just to the point that I am tired of dealing with it? Maybe it's some of both... All I know is that I find myself saying "it isn't worth it..." A lot more than I used to.
I think after doing something like umpiring for a long time, people would fall into 2 categories.

1. Hearing it so much that you become extra sensitive to it so it bothers you more and more. Like that beeping the fire alarm does as the battery goes dead. At some point you just want to rip it off the walls and chunk it across the street.

2. Hearing it so much that you become much less sensitive to it so it bothers you less and less. You just tune it out. You don't give 2 flips about what Suzie's mom thinks of your strike zone because you know Suzie's mom will be across the complex on Field 3 in another 25 minutes so all you have to do is ignore her until then and all will be well.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,469
Members
21,443
Latest member
sstop28
Top