Paying Umpires is Wrong
In our area an umpire’s “association” has popped to serve the local Little Leagues in the area. Now if this association were formed with the kids in mind, as Little League is, then they would simply organize the best staffs, perform the proper background checks, provide training and equipment, and distribute the talent where needed. Unfortunately, this is not the case. As with any organization, profit is the motive.
The Little League guidelines specifically prohibit paying umpires. Umpires that want to get paid can join associations that provide officials to high schools, travel programs, and various leagues that are not volunteer community based. Or basically, anything that isn’t Little League!
Of course, where does this association go to get their officials? They dip into and steal the local umpires that are so generously volunteering their time for their community. The kicker is the small stipend they pay for a game. Yet, umpires are shunning their local league and entering other league’s boundaries just for a few dollars. Have we forgotten that every $1 we give, we receive $10 in return? This is truly the case.
I am the first to admit that I accept every paying umpiring job offered to me that is NOT Little League. I have no problem w/ that, those organizations have no desire to be volunteer organizations, nor do they pretend to be. I have umpired USSSA and AAU, but have not had time for High School. This association tried to recruit me as well, I told them, “I will never accept pay for umpiring a Little League game”. It is wrong on so many levels.
Not only is it wrong, I have a couple of issues that must be addressed by the association, though I know they won’t reply in public.
1. If Little League’s are boundary specific, how can umpires cross those boundaries?
2. Every volunteer “in regular contact” with the children MUST have completed a volunteer application. How does the association accomplish this since the local league performs the checks?
3. Am I being asked to put my children on fields w/ umpires who have not been properly screened when we visit other locations? This troubles me as the parent of teenage girls and young boys. Is there any proof of this documentation?
How can I know that my children are safe on the fields, in the parking lots, and in the bathrooms of Little League facilities if proper due diligence is not the norm? Are you as a Board of Directors that pays an association to provide you with umpires willing to accept the personal liability that comes with an incident God forbid? It would be “easy pickin’s” for even the least experienced of attorneys.
What we must do:
1. Terminate any league membership of any umpire that gets paid to umpire a Little League game.
2. Not allow any umpire that gets paid to umpire a Little League game to umpire ANY all-star or special privilege games.
3. Terminate all relationships with any associations as Little Leagues.
4. Recruit and train volunteers within our organizations to be the best they can be. You will be surprised who will say yes if you simply ask them.
5. Inform existing umpires if they leave for pay, their membership in the league will be terminated. This means they will never be able to coach, manage, serve on the board, umpire, vote, or volunteer in any way, shape or form, within the organization.
6. Recognize and embrace those willing to volunteer. Award them, provide them gear, drinks, and a pat on the back.
7. Do not antagonize or constantly criticize their work. They are doing the best they can.
Hey, don’t get me wrong. One of my best friends is our Umpire in Chief, and I hear every day about the struggles he goes through to get our games umpired. I don’t envy his position. But paying umpires is NOT the solution. Besides, we are a small league, but we play more than 10 games a week or so at home. That means $350/week for umps or about $3,500!!! How can you say you are being a proper steward of the people’s money if you are simply taking the easy road?
How do you feel about paid umpires in Little League?
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Little League Annouces 2009 World Series Dates
Little League announced the dates and locations for all division’s World Series events for the 2009 season. Click here to view the entire announcement.
Of note is the fact that the 2009 Big League Softball and Big League Baseball World Series tournament championship games will be televised live in prime time on the ESPN family of networks and all eight World Series finals in softball and baseball will be televised nationally for the third consecutive year.
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Don’t Forget the Positive Coaching Alliance Webinar
Email from Little League:
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/947715915
If the above link does not work, please cut and paste the text into your web browser.
Learn the Positive Coaching techniques used by thousands of Little League coaches, including those who led Waipio Little League to the 2008 Little League World Series title, in a *FREE* Webinar on November 18th at 5:30pm PST (8:30pm EST)
This one-hour webinar, led by Positive Coaching Alliance Founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson, and Little League International Sr. Director of Operations Nick Caringi, provides:
- Instruction in Little League Double-Goal Coaching methods, where your first goal is winning and your second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports.
- Insight into shaping your Little League into an outstanding organization, where all coaches and parents help players strive for excellence on and off the field.
Positive Coaching Alliance is a nonprofit organization founded at Stanford University with the mission to transform youth sports so that all athletes have a positive, character-building experience.
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Why do We Show Up Ready to Fight?
I don’t know how many of you have read or watch “The Secret”. Basically, it tells you that everything you have you brought into your life. That anything positive your bring upon yourself and all negative influences are brought upon yourself as well. If you think you are going to “get screwed” when you show up somewhere, then you probably are, if you think that all will go well when you show up somewhere, it probably will.
I really don’t know why this is. Some have referred to it as “mind over matter” in the past, but the truth is, you really do control this. It isn’t that you change anything that happens in your “universe” as the secret says. Maybe you do, but that is a little far fetched for me, but how you handle and react to a given situation is entirely in your control.
If you go somewhere thinking “this is going to be miserable”, 9 out of 10 times, it is. If you go somewhere thinking, “this is going to be fun”, again, 9 out of 10 times it is. So WHY do so many Little League teams, parents, and coaches, show up at games thinking, “this is going to be horrible”, or “those umps are going to screw us”, or “we don’t stand a chance against this team”. Why? They are simply bringing it upon themselves. If they show up with this attitude, they have practically guaranteed a negative experience.
Why not take a different approach? Why not say, “today we are playing ball and that is fun no matter what!”, or “the umps can’t make us lose or change the way we play”, or “any team can beat any team any day”. Stay positive!
I remember before I knew the power of positive thinking once I had a vendor offer me Redskins tickets. I had never been to RFK for a football game and I was like a kid in a candy shop. That Saturday night before the game, I got deathly sick! Vomiting, diarrhea, you name it, I had it. I was very angry! I could have quit, whined and stayed home sick, but I refused too.
I sat down in a chair in front of the TV. I repeated over and over and over all night long, “I will not be sick, I will not be sick, I will not be sick.” I woke up the next morning and it was all gone! Mind over matter. It exists. Those that have the power to use it, have a decided advantage over those that simply accept fate as their master.
Like a batter that steps in the box in a key situation and wills themselves a hit. The mind is a powerful thing that we don’t fully understand. Why would we assume that things will be negative? Why would we assume that when we go somewhere there will be a fight? Why don’t we take the opposite approach. When we travel somewhere or go into a hostile environment, we will have fun regardless of what happens. Isn’t this why we are here? To have fun?
Does anybody remember fun? Tomorrow when you head out to the field, tell yourselves, we are going to win and it is going to be fun. That way, you are starting your journey on a positive note. The chances of your evening ending in turmoil will be slim because your attitude will be good. Attitude makes the person. What will your attitude be today?
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Making a Line-Up
Making a line-up for a Little League game can be a nightmare on many levels. First of all, you probably have a kid on the team that you are either too hard on or playing where they don’t belong. Likewise, you are likely to have parents who think little Jimmy or Jenny are better than they really are and will accuse you of “daddy ball”. Therefore, utilizing a system of basic baseball/softball philosophy 101 I devised this generic line-up. Using this, I can simply plug in the proper player in their position in the line-up and nobody can argue with me.
1st – Batter with the best on-base %. This position needs to get on base EVERY time possible and create havoc. I heard a coach in the Little League World Series say that he put his best hitters top to bottom because over the course of the entire tournament they got more at-bats that way. I understand that philosophy, but I have to disagree with it. What good is having your best hitter #1 if nobody is on base? Hit the buy with the best OBP first, they will likely score every inning.
2nd – Batter with the least number of strike outs. In a close game you need to “get ‘em on, get ‘em over, and get ‘em in”. The #2 batter’s responsibility is to “get ‘em over” in a tight game, but regardless, with a good likelyhood the #1 batter is on base, you need the #2 to be able to put the ball in play. This batter should be able to bunt, hit-n-run, and hit behind the runner. They should be able to handle the bat in any situation but need not have a ton of power.
3rd – Your speed power guy. This is the first of the power hitters, but not the best power hitter. The best power hitter goes in the #4 spot, this batter is the 2nd best power hitter or the guy with the #2 slugging %. He should also be fairly fast and able to bunt, hit and run, or hit behind the batter if necessary.
4th – Top Slugging % guy. This is the most important spot in the line-up. It is likely there are two or more runners on base when this batter is up. They must be clutch, have power, and be able to routinely shoot the gaps.
5th – 3rd in slugging % on the team. This batter needs to be able to protect the #4 hitter if they think they can pitch around or walk him. He needs to make them pay for that. He should have a fair amount of power but need not be the most powerful hitter. Likewise, he doesn’t need as much speed as the #3 hitter.
From this point forward I digress from conventional baseball wisdom. My thinking here is to bunch the hitters from this point forward. I don’t really care about the power guy that strikes out a lot or the the 2nd leadoff hitter hitting #9. If my 7/8/9 batters go in order, that is only one inning and I am right back at the top where I will pick up a few more runs.
6th – Highest Average left on the bench
7th – Next highest average on the bench
8th – Next highest average on the bench
9th – Next highest average on the bench
(continue for continuous batting order)
Notice I have not even mentioned defense at this point. I like to use my best hitters to start with and adjust as the game goes on. The exception to this rule would be a starting pitcher that doesn’t hit well, but in Little League, you aren’t often faced with that situation. I always want to get a jump on the score and then try and protect the lead rather than have to play come back or catch up.
With the generous Little League substitution rules I can manipulate my defense or offense according to the game situation. Adding defense when ahead and stacking hitters when we need a few runs.
Using this system a player that gets better moves up in the line-up and players that are struggling begin to move down. This challenges the players struggling and rewards those working the hardest. Additionally, I know some coaches like to spread their hitters out over the line-up. This is dead wrong in my mind.
You want to stack your hits together and then hope that the weaker hitters can get on base one way or another. Even if the weaker ones don’t get on, they only cost you an inning. If you spread your talent out that only leads to runners left on base, stringing the hits together brings the runners home.
What system do you use to create a line-up? Do stats play into it?
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Little League Positive Coaching Webinar
Received the following email from Little League today about a webinar they are hosting. My favorite part of the email is this “Instruction in Little League Double-Goal Coaching methods, where your first goal is winning and your second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports.” We all need to remember the impact we have on these kids. Who doesn’t remember their Little League coach?
Email:
Little League- Positive Coaching Webinar
Join us for a Webinar on November 18
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/947715915
Learn the Positive Coaching techniques used by thousands of Little League coaches, including those who led Waipio Little League to the 2008 Little League World Series title, in a *FREE* Webinar on November 18th at 5:30pm PST (8:30pm EST)
This one-hour webinar, led by Positive Coaching Alliance Founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson, and Little League International Sr. Director of Operations Nick Caringi, provides:
- Instruction in Little League Double-Goal Coaching methods, where your first goal is winning and your second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports.
- Insight into shaping your Little League into an outstanding organization, where all coaches and parents help players strive for excellence on and off the field.
Positive Coaching Alliance is a nonprofit organization founded at Stanford University with the mission to transform youth sports so that all athletes have a positive, character-building experience.
Join us for the education and inspiration that will help you create the
best possible environment for your Little League!
*Wondering what a webinar is?
It is a workshop or lecture delivered over the Web and participants listen in through the phone. A webinar is a very collaborative experience that includes polling and question & answer sessions to allow full participation between the audience and the presenter.
Title: Little League- Positive Coaching Webinar
Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Time: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM PST
Enjoy!
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Make Them Better
Tonight I had dilemma. We have a travel pitcher that can dominate a game but we were playing against the other team in our division and it is fall ball. I don’t want to be accused of wanting to win at all costs, but I want to get her work and the team as well. Do I pitch her the whole game? Do I pitch her a few innings and bring someone else in? What to do, what to do.
Then I had an epiphany (Like that word E. Peevie?). What is the objective of the fall season for Little League? To make every player better of course! Would I be doing the other team any justice if I pitched a slower pitcher and let them hit the ball all over the place? Of course not! Why not challenge them, let them face the best, and succeed! A few of them got hits, they had huge smiles and provided inspiration for the others.
This division goes straight to the state tournament in the spring all-star season. They will face this level of pitching the entire tournament. Why not get as many players accustomed to it as soon as possible? That was my thinking. I think it was right looking back on it.
By the end of the game all the girls, (whom I love as much as I do my own team I might add) had sped up their bats up and were making contact. Additionally, my catcher was able to gain valuable experience with a pitcher that can “bring it”. The score of the game? Who cares! It’s fall ball! Everyone on the field improved, that’s all that matters! The girls on the other team probably improved more than we did as well. And isn’t that the point?
What do you do when you have a stud pitcher in a game that does not matter? Do you pitch her to get the work or do you give your other pitchers some work?
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Greatest Player Agent and Information Officer in Little League
I am the information officer for our Little League. This requires me to maintain constant contact with our membership. The best and most efficient way to achieve this is via mass blast emails. It is easy to just send out an email that says one thing or another, but creating a culture is more more important.
Every word that comes out of a board member’s mouth should be focused on creating and maintaining a positive culture for our children. One simply way I do this is always addressing our parents, coaches, and kids with enthusiasm and support. Based on the record number or registrations for our fall season, I would say our board is successful at this.
Creating a League culture is important. If you are always fighting and never happy, that becomes your league’s culture. But if you stay positive and understand that everyone is there for the kids, the entire culture of an organization can be changed.
My favorite way to do this is to always address the parents in my email blasts as “The Greatest Little League Parents on the Planet”, or something of the like. I address the coaches as “The Great Little League Coaching Staff Ever Assembled”. The other day I pointed out that we had “The Most Fantastic Team Parents on the Planet”. All this is simple and easy to do and it instills a sense of pride and accomplishment in your loyal and ever under appreciated volunteers.
Finally, I ended a letter I sent to the coaches with a definition of success for the season. I pointed out that a successful fall season is not measured with wins and loses, but by how much each player on your team improves. Fall is not about winning, fall is about preparing to win in the spring. I challenged them to take on this goal and own it. The response will be good I believe.
The greatest thing that came out of it for me personally? A reply from a friend of mine, another hard working volunteer, that said “To the greatest player agent and information officer in Little League. Awesome job!!”. I guess people are taking notice. I certainly notice a more positive vibe in our league, this minor investment will have a lifetime of benefits as we teach our children to remain positive, face every challenge head on, and failure only brings us one step closer to success.
How do you create a culture in your local league? What is the culture? Is it positive or negative?
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Not Every League is “Little League”
I am getting very tired of every time someone refers to youth sports they call it “Little League”. I have heard about “Little League Football”, that doesn’t exist. Every youth rec. baseball league is referred to as “Little League”. This, of course, usually when used in a bad context!
There is ONLY one Little League, and it is Little League Baseball. If you are not talking about a chartered Little League Baseball program, please stop calling it Little League! It is not.
You hear me fellow journalists? Live it, stick to it.
What is the worst use of the term Little League you have ever heard?
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Casselberry Florida Treasurer Steals Over 4,000 From Concessions
According to News Channel 6 in Orlando, a Casselberry, Florida Concessionaire is accused of stealing more than $4,000 from the Little League. Obviously this person is a scumbag. Stealing is wrong, stealing from kids is despicable. Unfortunately, this is more commonplace than we would like to admit.
I am familiar with two other instances right off the top of my head and certainly there are thousands more. The problem w/ Little League is so much cash changes hands, it is not difficult to steal. The problem is the fact that everything is run by volunteers. Unlike a business with stringent checks and balances in place, trust permeates Little League. Those that watched the Little League World Series this year may have seen the shots of the volunteers working concessions in Williamsport. They are all volunteers as well.
How does a league fix this problem? The only way is to instill as many checks and balances as possible within the constraints of the structure of the league. Here are a few we use:
1. Every board meeting the bank statements are compared to the treasurer’s report
2. Cash register reports are run each night to balance sales reports
3. Access to bank accounts is provided to more than one person and checked often to assure they are funded
Could someone still steal from us? Probably, but at least we have a decent set of checks and balances to head off any theft.
Another key component of this equation is the duck suspicion. If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, probably a duck. How does this apply? If you think money is walking, think stock is slipping, think cards are being overcharged, they probably are. Trust your gut and do some research. What’s the worst thing that could happen? You might find out the people you are volunteering with are just as honest as you.
What is the worst case of theft from a child’s sports league you have ever heard of?
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