Thisguy, I appreciate the boost, but even the low minors are way beyond my skill level. Refthehump can attest to how much athletic ability, judgement, and knowledge of the game it takes to do a competent job at even the lower levels. The major league umpires certainly earn their stripes, but aome of them seem to "relax" once they get there. That's only my perception, but it appears to be shared by many on this thread.
It is part perception and part truth actually... At the lowest levels, (Rookie ball and short-A) which an umpire typically works their first year or two, it is quite common for an umpire to have 20+ incident reports to file, and remember, this is in a shortened season. Part of this is attributable to the fact the they have quick trigger fingers, part is that they are more sensitive to the criticism and bench-jokeying that they hear (still having rabbit-ears at this level is not uncommon), and part is due to the fact that the players, managers and coaches are also either in their first years, or trying to make a name for themselves. As an umpire (and the players) move up the ladder, each becomes more confident in the umpire's abilities and there are fewer ejections, again partly due to better behavior on both sides, and thicker skin from having been in the crucible. By the time an umpire reaches AAA, and especially those who are just waiting for a spot to open up in the Show, the umpires have their reputations established; wide zone or not, easy to approach with a legitimate beef or not, quick on the trigger or not, and the players and managers can guage their reactions accordingly. As has been said many times, the best umpire is the one that you have to check the boxscore the next day to see who was working the game. Besides, no one *wants* to have to do all that paperwork....
please stay away from posting retarted comments This is my new saying. He called me a re-tart.
