Thanks Blue! - Paid vs. Volunteer

For most families involved in Little League Baseball, it is past mid-June and the season is over, right?? Well not quite. It is tournament time and things are getting serious. But it is also serious FUN. The Blue Crews are now working the tournament games, and WOW. We have four umpires for each game. All season long, since February for some, the Umpires have been working league games as a one-man crew. The only pay they ever receive for Little League Inc. is a “Thanks Blue”, and if the snack bar is open, maybe a hot dog and a coke.

Little League Baseball Inc. endorses using ONLY Volunteer Umpires for the tournaments, all the way up to and including the World Series. Does that mean Little League gets nothing but rookies? No Way!!! Many serious Little League Umpires have officiated baseball for years. In fact, many of these Little League Volunteer Umpires work a full season as paid Amateur Umpires. They work as Umpires for High School Baseball, other youth baseball programs, and even work some high levels of NCAA College Baseball. They have often attended several baseball Umpire schools and clinics, including graduating from the Professional Baseball five week academy for Umpires. They however have one thing in common - they all work the Little League Season as a volunteer, never taking money as compensation for their time. Many also work hundreds of hours teaching others how to become better Umpires at Umpire Schools, weekend clinics, and evening rules lectures.

The tournament season is when the fun only gets better for the Little League Umpire. He enjoys the camaraderie of working games with special long time baseball friends. The old and wise have the opportunities to tell their stories of how it was when the Babe was playing Little League. Well maybe not that old... The snack bars across the District are turning out special tournament fare like tri-tip sandwiches and of course the all time favorite “Hot Dog”. Special laughs are had when those funny things happen that only the Umpires notice: the rare moment when you see the District Chief Umpire miss a rotation and the rookie cuts back to make the call; or, the District Administrator ties another mask to the fence. Oh my, what great times! These great times are the privilege offered to the VOLUNTEER Little League Umpire. He has worked hard all season so the good times belong to him.

If an Umpire chooses to change his status and take employment with an association that hires out to work Little League Baseball Inc. games, well that is an individual decision. If that Umpire actually takes pay for doing Little League games his status has changed as he is NO LONGER a volunteer. That Blue is still our friend, still a respected member of the game, but he will no longer be eligible to participate at any level of Little League Tournament, to include District through World Series. Little League is very serious in giving the privilege of working the tournaments to only those who, all season long, have worked for free. That privilege belongs to those whose only 4 to 5 month compensation was seeing the smile when “Right Field Ronnie” gets his first hit, and of course working his hardest for that all special, “Thanks Blue”, after the game.

Doug “DOG” Williams

District 55 Chief Umpire