FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH

I come to the umpire deal in a interested way . I played HS, Legion and college baseball sometime ago . For the most part baseball paid my way through college . I found that getting into umpiring was a good 2nd income . To date , I have umpired over 750 HS games , 900 American legion baseball games in 5 different states, over 1,200 college baseball games and 30+ minor league games as a fill-in umpire . I would be guessing here and may be wrong , but would say I have the most on field experience of any umpire in all of Area III or IV. So with that being said This is my BEEF !!! and what I feel is good about what is happening in NC legion . 1st thing I see is that these HS and show case AAU and USSSA teams being started in the State is KILLING Legion baseball and I hate it .
To all parents or kids who read this blog read this fact and those who read this past it on to anyone thinking about sending there kid to play on these teams . In college baseball a player MUST league to play for a goal : UNDER PRESSURE . The goals to have good stats is not really one of them . To win and conference regular season , conference tournament and get selected to play in a Regional . Those are goals in NCAA./NAIA baseball . U can't learn this things by playing SHOW CASE games . U can't by playing everynight in Legion baseball . I played every night back in the mid 80's @ Mocksville and never ask for a night off a week off to go to the Beach to party . These kids and parents these days are soft !! not all but most. I made a committment to play and back then it meant something .
HOW about the umpires !! to all fans and coaches just remember you are dealing with HS umpires for the most part . Only a hand full of the legion umpires in NC are college umpires as well and for those only 5-6 have NCAA Division I experience . Of those there are only myself and DB in Area IV are on a Division I staff . So, when you fans say how bad we are on the field try and remember what you say . For the most part , the only way the Assigner of umpires can get these HS umpires legion experience is to put them on the field for Jr legion and regular season legion games . If you don't do that when old umps like me retire there will be no one with experience to take our place . But when the playoffs come around the experienced guys SHOULD be working !!! IAM SURE ALL YOU FANS AGREE ??? RIGHT ? u just have to tell that to the powers that be . Who ever those people are !! Have a good playoffs !!May the best team win . Too bad one of those best teams willnot get a chance in the State Tour !!