Amarillo Youth Baseball Facing Major Umpire Shortage

Unsurprisingly, we spent our weekend out at the ballfields for the tournament here in Amarillo. It was another fun weekend in the sun, minus the crazy dust storms that started kicking up Sunday afternoon. I'm still digging dirt out of my ears.

I'm not complaining about that. In fact, I'm not complaining about anything. There is one thing I wanted to bring up, though, and it's not for me; it's for the kiddos.

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We Need Umpires...Badly

As we sat there at 8 a.m. on Saturday waiting for our game to begin, we didn't have any umpires on the field. Normally, they're out there a few minutes before the game starts to go through the plate meeting, but no one was to be found. We started the game about 15 minutes late.

Now, I'm not sure why they were late, but a common theme this season has been having to call in umpires at the last minute, or simply beg for umpires to come out and officiate the game.

Why Is There A Shortage Of Umpires

I can actually answer this. It's the parents and coaches. The umpires are tired of dealing with the constant complaining, yelling, etc., and truthfully, I don't blame them. Look, I'm a parent and a coach. I can get worked up; it's easy to do so.

However, some parents and coaches take it to the next level. It borders on the brink of verbal assault sometimes, and for what, an out or safe call? It's youth baseball, we're not curing cancer here. These guys are doing their best out there. We had a close play in one of our games this weekend. It should've been an out, but in real time? I understand the safe call. Not worth obliterating the umpire over.

Perfect Job For High School Baseball Players

Got a high school baseball player in your house? Perfect candidate to come out and be an umpire. They've been playing the game for years; they know the rules. The ones they don't know? They can be taught. I've seen umpires in training out there. They do a great job. Furthermore, it's a job your kiddo will love. Why? Because it doesn't feel like work.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in being an umpire, PLEASE send an email to BASEBALL@KIDSINC.ORG. They're always looking for help, and we, coaches and parents, would appreciate it.