Baseball umpires operate in a system unique to their sport. Call the system hidebound, traditional, or practical; the depth of your point of view will probably depend upon how long you've been in the system.
Newbies focus on — and ask about — the game fees. Veterans accept the implications of being private contractors. Those of us close to being over the hill and out the door talk about the fairness of the way that umpires pay for the privilege of working baseball games.
This article will probably get me a nasty note from the state office. The executive director will tell me that if I wouldn't try to piss people off, I'd live a happier life and maybe not lose any game schedules. The "game fee" that I'll get for writing this article tells me that two cases of Keystone Light, now priced at $20 a case plus tax where I buy, are just about what I'll net for voicing my opinions.
Read on!
