Umpiring 101

The Baseball season here in Florida is under way now with a full slate of college games and MLB Spring Training games cranking up. I have an abundant college schedule thru FCU and I work at the S/T camps of the Houston Astro's and the Atlanta Braves frequently during March.

 This week I was fortunate to be assigned my first 2 MLB Spring Training games. I have worked many S/T games on the AA and AAA level, some with ML players appearing. But on tuesday I was the plate umpire for an inter squad game with the Houston Astros. It was quite an experience working at this level. The speed and talent of the players was very impressive. The biggest differences between the Northern League in which I work and ML players is the control and command the pitchers have of their pitches, and the bat speed and overall speed of the game.

 Wednesday I worked the plate at Disney's WWOS, the home of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves took on the U of Georgia Bulldogs. Again, being in the middle of the action was very intense even for a game like this. I will post a more in depth report soon.

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