Rico Was Right: Little League Should Be Embarrassed That They Don't Pay Their Umpires
Rico Bosco has made a lot of crazy takes in his day. He's had a lot of crazy takes revolving around the Little League World Series in particular. But I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge what I believe to be Rico Bosco most correct, most justified take of all-time. Which is that ESPN and the crooks of the Little League Baseball organization are doing the kids a grave injustice, and completely spitting in the face of baseball and all things that are holy by using volunteer umpires to call the the Little League World Series.
This hits especially close to home for me, as I umpired youth baseball for 10 years of my life. I umpired for the Carter Park Umpire Association (CPUA) in the small town of Bowling Green, Ohio. We had a damn good organization. One of the most respected umpire organizations in Ohio. For example, every "Nations Baseball' state tournament (Nations Baseball was a much bigger and better organization than Little League, at least when I was there) was held in Columbus, Ohio. EXCEPT for one age group. The 11U tournament was held at Carter Park in Bowling Green. Because we had great umpires, and a great facility. Shoutout Tim Dunn, the owner of Carter Park. He built a great facility. He paid us with envelopes of cash at the end of every tournament. And he always gave us the opportunity to flip a coin to go double or nothing on our paycheck. I never saw anyone take him up on it, but he always handed us our cash envelopes with a coin in his other hand.
Anyways, we were paid well. By the end of my umpiring career, we were getting $50-$60 per game. Little league umpires across the country are getting paid that much on a regular basis. Maybe even more now. Because it's a real fucking job. You have to deal with so much bullshit as a youth baseball umpire. Working home plate in front of a chain link fence with the most delusional, angry, opinionated parents you'll ever come across sitting directly behind you critiquing your every ball/strike call. It's the worst. They try to work you. They try to be your friend. They try all sorts of mind games in an attempt to get you on their kid's side. Even if you call the perfect game, you're going to get an earful from someone at some point. But it's your job to lock the fuck in and call a fair game. No matter how much a parent motherfucks you because you called his kid out on pitch on the outside corner that wouldn't have been called a strike in a Major League game but like... it's fucking little league so you have to expand the zone a bit or else we're never getting the fuck out of here.
Umpiring youth baseball is a legitimate job. You need to have good umpires so that the kids can play a fair game. It's all about the kids. So for the fucking Little League World Series... who has a MASSIVE contract with ESPN... who has SO MUCH much money to play with... to not pay their umpires because, "Umpiring in the Little League World Series is the highest honor these umpires can have and they're lucky to have an opportunity to be here."
That is so fucked up. It wouldn't even make a dent out of Little League/ESPN's paycheck to pay them even $40 per game. But despite the LLWS being a baseball tournament broadcast live on ESPN, Little League doesn't even pretend to try and get the best umpires. They don't give a shit. Just watch any game of the Little League World Series, and you'll witness an Indiana Jones-esque adventure behind home plate. There's ZERO consistency. Every game, there's a whole foot on either side of the plate (left, right, top, bottom) where a pitch can be thrown, and you'll have no idea if the umpire is about to call it a strike or a ball. It's so embarrassing. And it's because they don't pay the umpires. If they paid the umpires... if they gave half a shit about getting qualified umpires... you wouldn't see that.
ESPN and Little League could SO EASILY acquire qualified umps to call the Little League World Series. They could pay Major League umpires if they wanted to. And if they actually gave half a shit about the kids they would. But for some reason they don't want to. I don't know if it's because they think having volunteer umpires is good for the brand? Like the LLWS is some big wholesome tournament that everyone wants to be a part of. And having volunteer umpires somehow helps their image. Or if it's just because they're cheap assholes. I have no idea. But it's fucking embarrassing, and it's an insult to youth baseball umpires everywhere who do this as a job and take pride in making it so that kids can play a fair game of baseball.
Just get better fucking umpires. Pay them money. Everybody at ESPN and the LLWS should be disgusted with themselves. Rico was right.