Looking for Strikes and Outs!

Last years softball season allowed me the oppritunity to umpire a few of A and B's games... During one of those games, B ran through 2nd and the baseman tagged her after recieving the ball. She clearly beat the play to the bag but didn't realize you couldn't run through the bag as you can at 1st. I called her out and her reply was "Dad, I was safe!"... My reply was "Yeah yeah shut up and hit the bench you're out!" hehe... While you may think its wierd, that just made my day... Anyway...So after last years softball season I decided that I really wanted to umpire some more Little League games as an official umpire.

I have taken a few classes on the subject and starting in April I'll be all gussied up and ready to call some games. Being a fencing referee has helped me in this reguard since I am use to the constant disagreements one gets from parents and coaches... But having never really gotten to know the rules of softball and baseball aside from the rec league play, I'm finding out that there are lots of things to know. The biggest thing that I've learned is that while I may not know all the rules and will most certainly get them wrong, most of the parents and coaches know even less so it won't be that big of an issue.

Being an upmire is getting to play a game within the game... There are three teams, Home, Visitors and Umps... The best part of it all is that as part of the Ump team we never loose!!!

And if I do enjoy it as I'm expecting too, I'll be heading down to California next year for a week long umpire school!!! "Hey Casey, you've just completed one week of extreme umpire training, what are you going to do next"? I'm going to Disney Land... at least that's the plan... We'll see if it all works out.

Now its time to take me out to the ball game and start hunting those strikes an outs!!!