In Part I, I pointed out that there are two reasons for umpires to require peace and tranquility in all youth baseball games. First and foremost, harmony is good for kids. For those who don't give a rat's behind about kids but are only in it for themselves, harmony is good for them, (us?) too. It helps us make better and more consistent calls when we can concentrate on our games and not on the chaos around us. Consistency helps us get promoted. Harmony at our games makes our assignors think we are good at our job!

The best way to ensure a wholesome environment is for the backers of the league to agree that it is important and to empower the league president to deal harshly with those who act otherwise. You might call that representative democracy. But that does nothing for you the umpire if the league is run by a bunch of wannabe Billy Martins.

Continued...