I come from a congested metropolitan area [Washington,D.C] that boasts of an umpiring association of 250 umpires. Over the years we have gradually encroached on the more rural areas of Maryland and Virginia. That means that now and again, I get in some "rural umpiring." There are differences, but some of them are not what you might expect. I need to further qualify my expertise by stating that much of my experience has been gained in relatively affluent, suburban areas that can afford to pay a lot for their umpires.

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