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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]When my son was 13-15 he was a junior umpire in baseball for 7-8 and the 9-10 year olds in Southern California. He usually umped behind home plate and both ages played kid pitch. He also was a junior ref for soccer and basketball.

It was interesting to go watch him ump/ref and watch the game as a truly impartial observer. I didn't care who won and spent time looking a the parents, coaches, players.

Baseball was mentally the toughest at those ages. All eyes are on you when are up at a bat. You get hit by a pitch and the next time up at bat with a lot of kids it effects them. You have crazy parents walking up to get close to the plate to yell instructions at their kid. Coaches grimace and groan when kids would miss a pop fly. Pitchers would melt down and some would even cry. My son had to encourage kids to keep playing and ignore some comments from coaches and parents.

I never saw kids that age getting the equivalent of the "yips" in soccer or basketball. To watch a catcher all season play so well then all of a sudden lose it and not be able to make a throw at the end of the season was tough.

There were for sure crazy basketball and soccer parents, but wow some of the comments he got as an ump from grandparents and parents were absolutely brutal. And maybe it was just a fluke but he didn't have coaches of 8 year olds in other sports argue with him about a rule that he knew was correct (ex. yes it is a hit by pitch of the ball bounces and hits the player, there is no rule in little league (unless it is a local rule) about how many times a pitcher can hit a batter, a runner can avoid getting tagged as long as they are within three feet of basepath). It was crazy to see coaches of 7-8 year olds try to intimidate a 13 year old junior ump behind the plate to get him to change a correct call or try to get him to go another inning when he was calling the game because of darkness.  [/quote]

My baseball playing son was an ump as a summer job when he was 16 and it was eye popping. He did not enjoy it and said he’ll never do it as a job again. The worst was when he had to step between two coaches - grown men - who were about to come to blows about funny business with a line up for 8 year olds.

Only bright side - he wrote his college essay about breaking up that fight and now he’s off to play baseball in college![/quote]

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