by Brent McLaren

Drawing any conclusion is dangerous. Any statistician knows that numbers can be read to prove any point the user wishes to make. This report is only a summary of the breakdown I have on my stats sheet. The observations and conclusions which began to take shape as the data was entered are my personal feeling and opinions. The comments are from the respondents. I have edited the comments only to remove league, association or individual names which could be damaging or midconstrued. Comments from responses which did not include their personal name are credited as "one comment was" etc.

The document itself tends to portray a bias. Who would be looking up information on the web on umpiring in the dead of winter in the first place? While many replies came in from climates where baseball is in full swing it is fair to state that the responses would tend to be "active and inquisitive" umpires. Still, the response was large and varied. I hope you enjoy sifting through the data and comments as much as I do.

Speedkeys to Various Sections

The Data

Number of responses = 125

Respondent's Background

Experience At Which Games

Observations

• in the initial year 84% of umpires worked in hardball mostly at the youth (58%) level. Last year 90% of umpires reported working mostly hardball at the teenage (56%) level.

• the 7% of umpires who started exclusively at the adult level continued to work almost entirely at that level. Their training reflected extended preparation. Only a few umpires reported working youth games after starting at the adult level.

• the trend to working at older age levels as the umpire's experience progresses was clearly illustrated. Specialization in age and game type seems to be a factor. Very few umpires selected the adult levels in combination with the youngest age groups. A clear "block" progression took place as the umpires moved up the age groupings.

• some umpires with only one or two years experience indicated they had attended professional umpiring schools or taken college/university courses in umpiring ranked themselves as "experienced."

Training Coordination

Observations and Comments

• overall 26% of respondents reported receiving no training prior to their first season as an umpire. Almost all of these were accounted for by umpires who identified themselves as parents or league volunteers. Only a handful of umpires (7%) reported working initially for an association without some form of training and the majority of these umpires identified themselves as currently having 11 or more years experience.

• many umpires (24%) indicated that their initial instruction was not coordinated by either a league or association. What is telling is to follow the statistic down to the umpire's current affiliation. Umpires taught by an association and their current membership goes from 46% to 44%. Umpires taught by a league rises from 25% to 47%. IT would be fair to assume that a majority of umpires who prepared themselves migrated into a league system.

• notice the large group of umpires with 2-5 years experience who report having no training when they started. (43%) Several in this category commented that they were parents with children in an organized league. This number does seem quite high compared to those around it.

• the large number of 2-5 year respondents without training may be accounted for by parent volunteers who follow their children through the system then leave after 3 or 4 years umpiring. Several made comments similar to, "I started because they needed umpires at my son/daughter's game."

• training by associations tended to be spread across 2 or more sessions while most leagues often trained in 1/2 or 1 day sessions. This was vary apparent as you typed the reports in. Umpires working for a group which trained for two or more sessions tended to have the "yes" or "all" items selected.

• umpires with 1 year experience were more likely to have received extended training periods (70%) than those with 2-5 years (29%). Umpires with 6-10 years (55%) or 11+ years experience (61%) usually received extended training. (of course the survey could naturally bias itself this way.)

• several umpires reported originally joining a league then moving over to an association in order to get training. Particularly in leagues where umpiring is voluntary the comments were similar to: "too often I am working with a volunteer who has no training as an umpire" ... "lack professionalism in their approach to the game." "Thanks to the Association I feel I have gained experience in both rule knowledge and mechanics. The local (volunteer) league lacks training."

• Kim Lance wrote, "The only unofficial training I got in my first five years of umpiring was when I worked a game with a very seasoned umpire. He took me under his wings and discussed the philosophy of the game. I learned the rules as we went."

• Gary Sirois added this comment, "It is because my league offered absolutely no umpire training that I got involved in the training process, but first, I had to learn how to umpire properly. It was not until I went to (an umpire school) that I felt adequate. Since then, I have made it my life's work to train umpires."

• One sender comments, "How much emphasis can one League or Umpire Association put on umpire education? If one is devoted and committed right from the start then that individual will soak up as much as you can give him. However, in youth leagues, the attendees are more likely to be parents who want to help out as a volunteer and umpiring is a way to be involved. As an advanced baseball instructor, I have to recognize the parent who displays disinterest once you get into umpire mechanics and one who is keen to absorb what is necessary to allow him to improve himself."

• Similarly Bert Curlin adds, "Since becoming in (league) I've grown to love this game. I belonged to my old association for 10 years before I left. Now I have my own, and make it mandatory to have proper training. before the start of each new season."

Observations and Comments

Finally, the level of play the umpire faced during the first season dictated the depth of training. Umpires who indicated they initially worked hardball or fastball at the teenage to adult level tended to have positive responses across the entire spectrum of questions. They also tended to indicate 3+ sessions to get prepared for their first season.

• Jim Whitesheild was typical of the many positive comments when he wrote: "I trained with the San Joaquin Valley Officials Assoc. I was impressed by the scope and detail of the training, and was only a bit nervous at my first game because of said training."

• others like Craig Campbell noted "That was over 10 years ago but it still sticks in my mind how I was left to the "vultures" (per say.) It was only personal initiative that brought me along. I now train amateur umpires, and I keep in mind the things I wished I would have learned in the beginning."

• on unnamed umpire remarked, "after receiving no training I had to umpire plate in (teenage) level hardball for my first assignment. It wasn't even the end of the first inning when I had a coach and the crowd on my back because I missed an 'obvious balk.' Not too funny. I left that league that night."

• his experience was reinforced by Keith Kennedy who remarked, "Two times during my rookie season I was working with an ump that was only in his second year. This combination could have been a disaster, be we did not have any unusual things happen to us. Lucky!"

• some expressed concerns over the time available to them. Hugo Dallaire noted "The problem we have here is that the umpire clinic is on 2 week-end days and goes from 9h00-16h30. How can you teach correctly to new umpires how to work???"

• Chris Mallow noted his experiences, "Every league and association should set up some type of formal training and initial evaluation system. My first season, I had two three-hour training sessions, which consisted pretty much of going over the rules, with some limited discussion of philosophy and handling coaches and fans. There was absolutely no discussion of positioning, either working the bases or working the plate. I was happy with the rules training, but the other left something to be desired. My third year, I got into a league that had a good training and evaluation system set up, and plenty of veteran umpires to implement it and assist with it. I got more out of three months in that league than I got my first two full seasons!"

• Bill Barnett observed, "Regardless of the off-field training prior to the games, knowledge of the rules and application comes over time. I had a very good comfort level after two seasons that my control over myself as an official and my knowledge and application of the rules were adequate.

Training? What Training?

• "I used to play but they needed an umpire. I was told what to wear, shown where the equipment was stored, told how much I would be paid and sent out alone to do my first game."

• "The only training I got before my first game was from another umpire. The league I was working in has no training program for its umpires. It is a learn as you go process. In fact, I got a rule book from another ump, the league commissioner did not have one."

• "I started in (a volunteer) league. Nobody had any interest in training, 'just let them play ball.' There was rarely enough volunteers to cover the games and after your first big on-field problem you quit."

• "I think it would be impossible to get too much training. I guess I was lucky because I decided to get some training prior to the first pitch."

• Dan DiTursi noted, "My initial experience umpiring was at my (youth) league, and I asked some of the adult umpires how one became an umpire, and got a rule book tossed my way. Two weeks later I came back, was asked a few questions about some rules, pointed at the equipment closet and the sign-up sheet for minor league games. .... before I could work High School games (I had to take) a six-week long raining course."

• Again, commenting the problem of sorting those "who displays disinterest once you get into umpire mechanics and one who is keen to absorb what is necessary to allow him to improve himself." one umpire instructor noted: "I somehow feel that we are so intent to educate "rookies" that we end up info-saturating them to the point of losing them from the umpire ranks after a couple of years of umpiring their son's games!!!!"

• "Rule interpretation is important but how one carries himself on the field is more important. His demeanor sets the atmosphere for the game."

• "One can only learn so much from television." was Charles Traber's comment. "I was completely self-taught, working with teenager the same age as I was."

• "Umpire training generally receives the least priority for day to day games," comments Ralph Carroll Jr., "Umpire training and quality seems to become an issue only for play-off or regional tournament games. Most leagues put more emphasis on the concession stand operation than umpire training."

• Dave Harris, who regularly contributes to these pages added, "My initial umpire experience was as a volunteer for a community sports group and consisted of no training whatsoever. I had managed/coached youth and knew the rules pretty well but preparation for umpiring was non-existent. I soon realized I need something more and sought out a local organization and joined, receiving excellent schooling and preparation for further work on the field. I feel proper training is a must and cannot be too strongly stressed to all beginning umpires.

Training Professionally

• Chris Laskowski wrote, "I attended the Wendelstedt School and got one heck-of-an-education from the best in baseball. We worked on a 7 to 1 ratio with a Major League umpire, on a daily routine of rules, drills, positioning, calls and actual ball games with college teams."

• Wally Pinn made this comment : "Highly recommend Jim Evans - Academy of Professional Umpiring. The man has a teaching degree and has assembled a staff of instructors that talk to you, not down at you."

• John Rogers from the Queensland Umpire Association noted "The training I attended was run ... over a 2 day period and also included staff from the Australian Umpires' Association. What was of real benefit was having on the staff an umpire who had just attended on of the umpire schools in the USA."

• "I was trained by a professional clinician on a national level, that was the director of our association. I didn't take up hardball until I had done softball for 3 years, but the training in hardball was not very good." noted James Updike.

• Roy Niemann added:"Experience, Experience, Experience .... along with the assistance of someone who's been there before. Teaming up with someone else makes a heck of a difference in your first year."

• Clint Carter writes, "I'm a member of the New Mexico Associated Umpire Alliance. We place a very strong emphasis on training and "Looking Professional." I truly enjoy being an umpire and I'm glad I'm a member of one of the best organizations in the west."

• Richard Siegel attended the Little League Baseball® five day class in Bristol CT, "at the Eastern Regional HQ. I found the course very satisfactory, but I wish it could have gone for another five days, at least."

Accommodating Male / Female Differences

Observations and Comments

Many umpires echoed the comments of Danny Humphreys who noted: "I was lucky to have had the opportunity to work with an experienced and knowledgeable partner. This association helped me interpret the rules and maybe most important how and umpire should conduct himself. I was able to work two seasons with this partner and without his help I would not be a very good umpire and would never have learned how rewarding it is."

Other umpires made it clear that "My only source of instruction was my partner. I was literally sitting in the stands on the first day of the season and on the field for the remainder of the year. All the training I received was from him. I wish I had the training I now have before those early games."

Some umpires noted that in their initial years they were assigned only to beginner level games and rarely communicated with a senior umpire. Several commented, "we are just too short of umpires here to spread the good ones around."

Final Observations and Conclusions

It was alarming to discover how many umpires report receiving little (19%) or no training (26%) prior to beginning their work on the field. This figure does not correlate with the statistics concerning "Were you prepared?" As noted earlier, 52% of umpires in their 2-5 year reported receiving 1/2 day or less of training yet the majority at that level felt prepared for their endeavors.

The merits in this survey will be found in how each individual umpire, in particular umpire instructor, reads the information. Clearly a trend towards longer training on more specific aspects of baseball seems to be the key to maintaining umpires beyond the 2-5 year window. I will leave the final observations to others:

Dave Harris read some of the preliminary results from the survey. He commented extensively, " I am a strong supporter of thorough training, but I also have some qualms about too much emphasis on just that. I think classrooms and books and lectures and demonstrations are vital and absolutely necessary in training umpires, but there is simply no substitute for field experience. That indoctrination under fire is where the umpire learns his craft, and no amount of training can teach what is taught on the diamond. All training does is prepare one to learn the job, and unfortunately, that is forgotten by far too many amateur umps."

"The learning process should never stop and we should all be looking for every opportunity to learn, even if it's an alternative method for something that works perfectly well right now. You never know what that next game will bring, so it's a good idea to have a full bag of tricks, so to speak, for handling a new situation. I feel that I should leave every game taking something with me for future reference. I also try to learn from everyone I work with, even those less experienced and even the green rookies. I look for things and try to incorporate them into my own umpiring whenever possible. "

"I just think that all the training in the world only prepares an umpire to learn his job, and while knowledge of the rules is an absolute must, I feel most of any training program's concentration should be on mechanics, positioning, and probably most of all, handling sticky situations such as irate players and/or managers, etc. Once we know the rules pretty well most anyone can spout them back and tell how the apply to a given play. But not everyone knows instinctively how to cover a play, where to move, what to look for and the like. And no one, until they have been thrust into that situation, knows how they will react to some hot-headed manager spitting in your face as he yells about "the lousiest call" he ever saw! That is a part of amateur umpire training which definitely needs to be more stressed than at present. We in AAUA have begun to do this in our school, as instructors and veteran volunteer helpers often "cause trouble" for trainees during simulations, just to see how they react. It's like trying to push the right buttons so the rookies will know where their boiling point is, and can learn how to handle themselves."

Bruce Piper comments summed up much of the early experience and training needs expressed by many umpires: "I started the whole idea of doing the umpiring for our league. I found a one day clinic that I went to at my own expense and took it from there. The first few games I did I was a complete bundle of nerves. As far as working with the coaches and handling arguments and protest that was a 'learn-as-I-went' process. When I do my clinics for our local leagues now we spend a full eight hours going over everything I can cram in - protests, arguments, how far to let anyone go before they get ejected, plate/field mechanics, dress code, etc. Once the new recruits get done with a clinic the most generally heard comment is 'I never knew there was so much to this besides knowing the rules.'"

I'm going to leave the final comment to Peter Hersbach who wrote something we all feel at one time or another : "I felt prepared for the level of baseball at that time, not knowing that I still had such a long way to go!"

How true, how true.

Thank you to those who participated.

.... final version written on January 26, 1997