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When I started going to the State Tournament in the middle '70s we always had the worst umpiring that we saw all season. The State Board did not evaluate umpires and set no real standards for the umpires. Since the late '90s things have changed. Now there is an umpire committee that evaluates umpire applications (you can't work the State Tournament unless you apply). They select the 24 umpires that will work the B and C State Tournaments the first two weekends. After the first two weekends, the committee members pick the best umpires to work the final weekend of games.
In my opinion, the umpiring has gotten better each year. It is a direct result of more Board involvement and programs to help umpires improve. Shawn Vellek of Northwest Umpires told of umpire programs that help everyone. He explained that there is getting to be more competition for college umpires. To qualify as a college umpire now almost everyone is required to take training. That involves mandatory attendance at clinics, taking online tests for NCAA officiating and working a complete summer schedule. He feels the summer program is key. "Umpires in other states don't get the experience of working amateur ball and our umpires benefit because of it," explained Vellek. "It's like anything else, as an umpire, you only get better if you get the opportunity to work."
Northwest works college, high school, legion and amateur baseball. They have approximately 45 college umpires and 120 in their association. Of course Northwest is not the only umpire association in Minnesota, however it is the largest and most organized.
As managers, you should always know who your umpires are. Write down a little summary after each game and ask yourself the following question: Would I want this umpire to work a State Tournament game that my team participates in? If so, let the Board members and your assigning officials know. Also, encourage the umpire to apply to work the State Tournament.
If you don't think the umpire is ready for tournament work make note of it. If there are adjustments that would help the umpire let the assigner or your league liaison know. Let's keep working to improve the quality of umpiring in Minnesota. We will be the ones to benefit.
The umpire notice on the MBA site is: http://www.minnesotabaseball.org/images/stories/information_downloads/1_baseballumpires.pdf
The umpire application page on the MBA site is: http://www.minnesotabaseball.org/images/stories/information_downloads/2_umpireapplication.pdf
Both of these pages will be updated for 2010 soon.
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