Little League BaseBall Umpire:

 

One of my Interests is in serving as a volunteer Official Little League Baseball Umpire. While the pay is not great (hot dog and a soda) and the coaches and parents can sometimes get a bit abusive, there is no better feeling than standing on the emerald diamond on a beautiful late Spring day and yelling those exciting words "Play Ball"! It has been a privilege to work with the young athletes (ages 9 - 12) and dedicated parents in my community to help provide a fun, safe, and competitive environment to play the great game of Baseball. Some of the comments and advice I have concerning the role of a Little League Baseball umpire are:

1. The primary role of the umpire is to make sure that the children are safe and having fun while playing the game. Enforce the no bat swinging in dugout, no on-deck circle, and equipment protection rules. There is absolutely no room for unsportsmanlike conduct in Little League Baseball. My goal is to help these young athletes learn to love the game of Baseball. At this age level it does not matter which team wins. Only that the kids had a great time playing ball!

2. Try not to pay attention to the score of the game. If you do not know which team is winning or losing then you can prevent any subconscious bias being introduced into any of your play calls.

3. One of the most important traits to develop as a baseball umpire is to "slow down" your play calls. Always pause a second or two before making the strike, ball, safe, or out call. If you quickly replay the play in your mind before your call, then you are more likely to get it right.

4. Position, position, position! Being in the right position during a play is the most important part of getting the calls right. This is true whether you are behind the plate or in the field. There are a number of good books, videos, or seminars that are available to improve your knowledge on correct positioning and the rules of baseball in general.

5. The goal is to call the plays correctly! If you make a mistake don't dwell on it. Try not to "even the score" by calling the next close play for the other team.

6. Finally, you need to have some thick skin to be a baseball umpire. I personally have never had a problem with the young players aggressively complaining about any call during a game that I have umpired. And most parents are grateful that "Blue" (the umpire) is volunteering his or her time to participate in the game. But coaches sometimes get ruffled when a call does not "go their way". Part of the game of baseball is for people to blame the umpire when things do not go the way they would like for their team. It can be therapeutic for a coach to let off a little "steam" during a game and the umpire should be willing to take criticism without engaging in a heated debate. But the one thing that should always be maintained is the respect that the coaches, umpires, players and fans have for each other. While I have given a number of "Warnings" to coaches who in my opinion have "gone over the line" in complaining about a call, I have never had to eject a coach from a Little league game. I think if I had to eject another parent (coach) from a game it would ruin the ideal and enjoyment that I have about participating in this great sport. I hope I never have to! Let's Play Ball!!