I hope everyone is doing awesome! I hadn't updated this blog for a long time and it is time!
I have talked to almost everyone about it but I am getting closer to getting into the Minor Leagues. The Evaluation Course was full of talent (60 guys- 23 from each school and 13 CPL guys) and an intense 11 days. Although the training and routine was less strict than school, the intensity and stress level was probably even greater. Class was from 8-10 AM each day and the rest of the day was all ours. Each umpire was assigned 3 or 4 games during the week in which they were formally evaluated by the PBUC evaluators. These are the same guys who will be evaluating myself and all other Minor League umpires all the way up until AAA. To say the least, those 11 days were a vital time to make a strong impressions.
There were a total of 6 evaluators and all of them were at most of my games. Talk about pressure! A lot of guys got super nervous but I seemed to be composed after my first game jitters. Prayer always helps :)
Several current and past MLB Umpires showed up during the course to give advice and tell some great stories. The course was held at Vero Beach Sports Complex, which is the old "DodgerTown." Posters with the likes of Jackie Robinson and Sandy Coufax filled the hallways and rooms. The place was filled with rich history.
Out of the 60 guys at the course, about 20 of them recieved jobs in Professional Baseball if the season started March 20th. The next 12 were suggested for hire in the Coastal Plains League to start the season. The Coastal Plains League (CPL) is a premiere collegiate summer wood-bat league in North and South Carolina where potential draft picks and Division I players hone their skills in the summer. Umpires assigned from this league are just a phone call away from being "called up" into Professional Baseball. As soon as there is any movement in the entire Minor League system, it means that there is a spot in Rookie Ball. That is when a call is made to the next guy on the Coastal Plains League list to get "called up". The next 25+ made the reserve list for the Coastal Plains League. These umpires move into the CPL when a CPL umpire gets moved into Professional Baseball.
I was fortunate enough to be recommended for hire in the Coastal Plains League! Although I expected a better placement, I have realized that the league will be a great opportunity to prepare myself for Professional Baseball. To be honest, I am thankful that I am in this situation rather than being placed directly in Pro Ball. It would be quite a hurdle to jump from High School to Professional Baseball.
So far, things are looking promising with my current work too.
I will continue to update you guys. Thank you all for the support and I love you guys.
Here is a link to the CPL:
http://www.coastalplain.com/
-Taylor
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Honor Graduate- I made it!
Just to let everyone know- I made the Top 20 and have been invited to the PBUC Evaluation Course March 9-20th. Thank you all for your prayers and support. There is absolutely no way I could have done this without everyone's help. Thank you Thank you!
It is now time to get ready for the next step. The first step was an important one but there is still MUCH to go. The top 20 students from the Jim Evans Academy and the top 20 students from the other school will be at this Evaluation course course (paid for). From that group, they will place the top students in Professional Baseball. If I am able to get a job, I will be placed in one of the two Rookie Ball Leagues- The Arizona League or The Gulf Coast League. Both leagues run from June 20th - Sep 1st. Games are typically at 7:00 PM, and the rest of the time is....free.....maybe...
I have an amazing job at a company called Network Hardware Resale. It is a fast growing company of successful young people and I do not want to completely abandon my duties there. Since my hopeful umpiring career will be seasonal to begin with (only 3 months), I will be trying to work with my company to see if they would be willing to accept me as a 9 month employee on site, and a 3 month employee off-site (working from my computer during the day and ball games at night). This is 100% ideal, but I am going to see what Network Hardware will be able to do for me. I will be meeting with them to discuss this first thing this week. I know that God has a great plan either way. He has a way of giving us what is necessary in our lives, so I trust in Him.
Again, thank you all for your support. I love you all and will continue to keep everyone posted.
Taylor
It is now time to get ready for the next step. The first step was an important one but there is still MUCH to go. The top 20 students from the Jim Evans Academy and the top 20 students from the other school will be at this Evaluation course course (paid for). From that group, they will place the top students in Professional Baseball. If I am able to get a job, I will be placed in one of the two Rookie Ball Leagues- The Arizona League or The Gulf Coast League. Both leagues run from June 20th - Sep 1st. Games are typically at 7:00 PM, and the rest of the time is....free.....maybe...
I have an amazing job at a company called Network Hardware Resale. It is a fast growing company of successful young people and I do not want to completely abandon my duties there. Since my hopeful umpiring career will be seasonal to begin with (only 3 months), I will be trying to work with my company to see if they would be willing to accept me as a 9 month employee on site, and a 3 month employee off-site (working from my computer during the day and ball games at night). This is 100% ideal, but I am going to see what Network Hardware will be able to do for me. I will be meeting with them to discuss this first thing this week. I know that God has a great plan either way. He has a way of giving us what is necessary in our lives, so I trust in Him.
Again, thank you all for your support. I love you all and will continue to keep everyone posted.
Taylor
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Week 4 Recap and Looking Ahead to Final Week
Romans 14:4- "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
I read this verse today and though it very fitting for my week 4 experience at the Academy. It has been a challenging week, both physically and mentally. I have been tested, stretched, defeated, and victorious during the week. Camp games have become frequent, the situations have become more complex, and the managers have become more aggresive. The saying here is that if you can umpire at Umpire School, you can upmire anywhere. I sure hope that's true!
As I mentioned before, Week 4 was a week in which strong impressions were made. From what I know, I have a strong shot of making it to the next level. There was a camp game on Saturday that paired up comparable umpires (we assumed the ones with a shot) together on one field. I was on that field and had a strong game with 3 situations I felt I handled fairly well. Although strong impressions were made in Week 4, I can say that final decisions have not been made yet (or so we all think here). Thankfully, there really aren't any superstars here that are far advanced than the rest of us- it's a dog fight! Endurance and Encouragement have been key for me in learning from my mistakes and moving forward with hope.
On a lighter note- I have heard some of the funniest baseball sayings that come out of the Academy Instructors, all of whom are professional umpires. I guess they must have compiled quite a list of sayings that have been directed at them in professional baseball and it is now their turn to direct them toward us! One of the funniest was when a player and manager began arguing with an umpire over a call. After one was ejected, he got down on a knee, put his batting helmet on the ground with a finger on it. Then the manager said, "You kicked that one just like you kicked this one!" as he proceeded to field goal kick the helmet...Funny because it wasn't me, but serious for that umpire. They have a way of teaching the truths about what we will possibly encounter in the professional game at this school. Jim Evan's consistent sayings are, "We are teaching you survival skills here," and "My job is to teach you your job."
Another strong theme from this course that Jim emphasizes in patriotism for this country. We have seen several war clips, had quizzes on our national anthem and history, as well as learning the proper way to stand for the National Anthem as an umpire on the field. It is an honor to be just a little part of this great game in this great country.
Looking ahead to this week, we have 4 more days of evaluation- Monday- Thursday. Typically, Friday is a half- day of having some fun with mechanics and the final banquet that night. Final Evaluations (Assignments) are given on Saturday morning and we are all out of here! There have been a few Umpire Coordinator's from some of the country's elite collegiate summer leagues who have advertised their need for umpires who do not go on to the next level. The tone has become very serious over the last 2 days and will continue over the next 5. People's lives will be changed after their experience here (some will move on to pro ball, some to PBUC and not make that cut, some will continue their hobby at a higher level, and some will not make the cut this year and come back next year). For me- the decision on if I get selected to go to the next level, has also become very real. I am back to the question I came here with: What do I do if I make it?
I still don't have the answer, but have been full of prayers and faith that whatever happens is for the best. If I am able to put it all together in the next few days, I think I will have a serious shot of moving forward. All I can do is continue to hustle and begin to excel.
I want to again thank everyone for their amazing support allowing me to take this journey. I will be pleased with whatever God has in store and there is NO way I could have done it by myself. My mom, dad, brother, girlfriend, family, friends, and umpire mentor have been supprotive and I feel lucky. I love you all.
Taylor
I read this verse today and though it very fitting for my week 4 experience at the Academy. It has been a challenging week, both physically and mentally. I have been tested, stretched, defeated, and victorious during the week. Camp games have become frequent, the situations have become more complex, and the managers have become more aggresive. The saying here is that if you can umpire at Umpire School, you can upmire anywhere. I sure hope that's true!
As I mentioned before, Week 4 was a week in which strong impressions were made. From what I know, I have a strong shot of making it to the next level. There was a camp game on Saturday that paired up comparable umpires (we assumed the ones with a shot) together on one field. I was on that field and had a strong game with 3 situations I felt I handled fairly well. Although strong impressions were made in Week 4, I can say that final decisions have not been made yet (or so we all think here). Thankfully, there really aren't any superstars here that are far advanced than the rest of us- it's a dog fight! Endurance and Encouragement have been key for me in learning from my mistakes and moving forward with hope.
On a lighter note- I have heard some of the funniest baseball sayings that come out of the Academy Instructors, all of whom are professional umpires. I guess they must have compiled quite a list of sayings that have been directed at them in professional baseball and it is now their turn to direct them toward us! One of the funniest was when a player and manager began arguing with an umpire over a call. After one was ejected, he got down on a knee, put his batting helmet on the ground with a finger on it. Then the manager said, "You kicked that one just like you kicked this one!" as he proceeded to field goal kick the helmet...Funny because it wasn't me, but serious for that umpire. They have a way of teaching the truths about what we will possibly encounter in the professional game at this school. Jim Evan's consistent sayings are, "We are teaching you survival skills here," and "My job is to teach you your job."
Another strong theme from this course that Jim emphasizes in patriotism for this country. We have seen several war clips, had quizzes on our national anthem and history, as well as learning the proper way to stand for the National Anthem as an umpire on the field. It is an honor to be just a little part of this great game in this great country.
Looking ahead to this week, we have 4 more days of evaluation- Monday- Thursday. Typically, Friday is a half- day of having some fun with mechanics and the final banquet that night. Final Evaluations (Assignments) are given on Saturday morning and we are all out of here! There have been a few Umpire Coordinator's from some of the country's elite collegiate summer leagues who have advertised their need for umpires who do not go on to the next level. The tone has become very serious over the last 2 days and will continue over the next 5. People's lives will be changed after their experience here (some will move on to pro ball, some to PBUC and not make that cut, some will continue their hobby at a higher level, and some will not make the cut this year and come back next year). For me- the decision on if I get selected to go to the next level, has also become very real. I am back to the question I came here with: What do I do if I make it?
I still don't have the answer, but have been full of prayers and faith that whatever happens is for the best. If I am able to put it all together in the next few days, I think I will have a serious shot of moving forward. All I can do is continue to hustle and begin to excel.
I want to again thank everyone for their amazing support allowing me to take this journey. I will be pleased with whatever God has in store and there is NO way I could have done it by myself. My mom, dad, brother, girlfriend, family, friends, and umpire mentor have been supprotive and I feel lucky. I love you all.
Taylor
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Week 3 - Two more to go
I hope everyone had a great week and is enjoying their day of rest today. Sundays (when we're able to rest after a hard working week) seem to be so many people's favorite day of the week and I am no different. Especially when you throw church, a nap, and good food in there.
Week 3 is now over! Talk about moving fast! Week 3 seemed to move very quickly with 2 days of heavy rain that kept us inside, 4 tests, and the first round of Camp Games. We are now approaching Week 4 and the instructors have officially begun evaluating the students- taking a hard look at who will be selected to go to PBUC in March. Camp Games, which are situational games that the instructors act as fungo hitters and managers, are the main evaluation tool over the final 2 weeks. As I mentined last week, these games do get intense. Over the first round however, we have been temporarily saved from arguments and strange plays- the first round of games were very basic. No instructors have come on to the field and argued for 5 minutes with their pants off yet! (happened last year).
Jim Evans is such a great educator and understands how important it is to get students to learn to face the real things that happen in professional umpiring. It is not a road of glory- there are people that often hate you and your calls- you need to have the skills to defuse situations where strong emotions are present. We have the concentration drills at the end of each day and we had a new test of concentration during each of our classroom tests that begun in week 3. Ten minutes after handing us our test on Tuesday, Jim brought out a boom box that was playing a very loud audiotape and then loud rock music. "You think that games are going to be quiet out there? You think that you will be able to just tell the fans to be quiet so you can focus? You guys need to learn how to focus," Jim said as he turned on the boom box.
My first camp game went ok- I was able to not have any "big" mistakes, and I am glad to get the first one out of the way. In camp games, you are selected to work a certain full inning (innings in camp games can be anywhere between 3 outs and 8) with a partner- one half inning as the plate umpire and one as the base umpire. You work your game with an instructor hitting and calling out the situation (ie- Men on first and 3rd, 1 out) and 5 instructors evaluating your every move. What is great about the games is the immediate feedback you get from the instructors. As soon as your full inning is done you head down the foul line for a one on one evaluation of everything you did well and everything you did wrong (or didn't do). To be honest, I was a little more nervous than I thought I'd be for my first game, but it went pretty well. The instructor gave me several things I need to do next time and things I did wrong- most of which were small adjustments that only instructors would notice. As I said before, in umpiring, each step is meaningul and purposeful- there is a set of specific footwork for each situation depending on number of outs, runner combinations and ball placement.
Here's an interesting way I've viewed my feedback so far- The feedback I've got so far is positive but not positive. I've had a few instructors come up to me with little "Let's get it together" type comments and "Your'e better than that." Based on the feedback I've heard them give some other students, I like the comments I've got so far. Here's how I see it (as you can tell all the umpires here are in the dark so far on how they stand so we are forced to make assumptions and go off of feelings! haha) : comments like "You're better than that" are very affirming- it shows that they see potential, but you just had a bad rep. I have been that they see the potential in me, and will be watching me closely. A funny but positive feedback from one of the instructors: He pulled me aside and told me I missed a few hairs shaving right below my nose, he said "You know you can turn over a Mach 3 razor and get those." I said "Yeah I noticed I've been battling those the last 2 days", and he said, "No- you've been battling those for 3 weeks......" Shows they are taking a look at me- haha!
We also had one-on-one interviews with a few instructors this week. During this time, they asked us pretty basic questions about our background, our lives back home, what's been the most difficult thing at school so far. It was a time for them to get to know us, and see how we communicate off the field. It is during these types of evaluations where I am glad I have some people skills and went through all of those classes in college speaking in front of people.
Two other guys and myself were able to go to church this morning- one was Episcopalian from Philidelphia, one was a Texas Baptist, and me. It's been great to have fellowship with people from all backgrounds of faith during Baseball Chapel on Wednesday and church today. During times when we feel like we have so much weight on our shoulders it is amazing to have fellowhip where that is lifted off us by God!
Week 4 in my opinion is going ot be the most important week. During this week, there will be several camp games-in my opinion many of the decisions for PBUC will be made this week. If not finalized, there will be very strong impressions made. If someone has a great week it may be difficult to wipe that away if a bad game or two happens in week 5. I need everyone's prayers for this week- the realization of actually making a decision if I am selected of pursuing a career in umpiring has begun to emerge. There are still 2 very important weeks coming up- I know God has a great plan for me and all of us here. Whether it be doing so well here that pro ball is where I go, or doing well enough that I can go to pro ball but deciding it is better to not pursue, or if there are other people down here that do so well because pro umpiring was meant for them. Lives can dramatically change after this school, so myself and the other guys here need everyone's prayers for us to listen to Him during these last few weeks.
I hope everyone is doing well- I love you guys.
Taylor
Week 3 is now over! Talk about moving fast! Week 3 seemed to move very quickly with 2 days of heavy rain that kept us inside, 4 tests, and the first round of Camp Games. We are now approaching Week 4 and the instructors have officially begun evaluating the students- taking a hard look at who will be selected to go to PBUC in March. Camp Games, which are situational games that the instructors act as fungo hitters and managers, are the main evaluation tool over the final 2 weeks. As I mentined last week, these games do get intense. Over the first round however, we have been temporarily saved from arguments and strange plays- the first round of games were very basic. No instructors have come on to the field and argued for 5 minutes with their pants off yet! (happened last year).
Jim Evans is such a great educator and understands how important it is to get students to learn to face the real things that happen in professional umpiring. It is not a road of glory- there are people that often hate you and your calls- you need to have the skills to defuse situations where strong emotions are present. We have the concentration drills at the end of each day and we had a new test of concentration during each of our classroom tests that begun in week 3. Ten minutes after handing us our test on Tuesday, Jim brought out a boom box that was playing a very loud audiotape and then loud rock music. "You think that games are going to be quiet out there? You think that you will be able to just tell the fans to be quiet so you can focus? You guys need to learn how to focus," Jim said as he turned on the boom box.
My first camp game went ok- I was able to not have any "big" mistakes, and I am glad to get the first one out of the way. In camp games, you are selected to work a certain full inning (innings in camp games can be anywhere between 3 outs and 8) with a partner- one half inning as the plate umpire and one as the base umpire. You work your game with an instructor hitting and calling out the situation (ie- Men on first and 3rd, 1 out) and 5 instructors evaluating your every move. What is great about the games is the immediate feedback you get from the instructors. As soon as your full inning is done you head down the foul line for a one on one evaluation of everything you did well and everything you did wrong (or didn't do). To be honest, I was a little more nervous than I thought I'd be for my first game, but it went pretty well. The instructor gave me several things I need to do next time and things I did wrong- most of which were small adjustments that only instructors would notice. As I said before, in umpiring, each step is meaningul and purposeful- there is a set of specific footwork for each situation depending on number of outs, runner combinations and ball placement.
Here's an interesting way I've viewed my feedback so far- The feedback I've got so far is positive but not positive. I've had a few instructors come up to me with little "Let's get it together" type comments and "Your'e better than that." Based on the feedback I've heard them give some other students, I like the comments I've got so far. Here's how I see it (as you can tell all the umpires here are in the dark so far on how they stand so we are forced to make assumptions and go off of feelings! haha) : comments like "You're better than that" are very affirming- it shows that they see potential, but you just had a bad rep. I have been that they see the potential in me, and will be watching me closely. A funny but positive feedback from one of the instructors: He pulled me aside and told me I missed a few hairs shaving right below my nose, he said "You know you can turn over a Mach 3 razor and get those." I said "Yeah I noticed I've been battling those the last 2 days", and he said, "No- you've been battling those for 3 weeks......" Shows they are taking a look at me- haha!
We also had one-on-one interviews with a few instructors this week. During this time, they asked us pretty basic questions about our background, our lives back home, what's been the most difficult thing at school so far. It was a time for them to get to know us, and see how we communicate off the field. It is during these types of evaluations where I am glad I have some people skills and went through all of those classes in college speaking in front of people.
Two other guys and myself were able to go to church this morning- one was Episcopalian from Philidelphia, one was a Texas Baptist, and me. It's been great to have fellowship with people from all backgrounds of faith during Baseball Chapel on Wednesday and church today. During times when we feel like we have so much weight on our shoulders it is amazing to have fellowhip where that is lifted off us by God!
Week 4 in my opinion is going ot be the most important week. During this week, there will be several camp games-in my opinion many of the decisions for PBUC will be made this week. If not finalized, there will be very strong impressions made. If someone has a great week it may be difficult to wipe that away if a bad game or two happens in week 5. I need everyone's prayers for this week- the realization of actually making a decision if I am selected of pursuing a career in umpiring has begun to emerge. There are still 2 very important weeks coming up- I know God has a great plan for me and all of us here. Whether it be doing so well here that pro ball is where I go, or doing well enough that I can go to pro ball but deciding it is better to not pursue, or if there are other people down here that do so well because pro umpiring was meant for them. Lives can dramatically change after this school, so myself and the other guys here need everyone's prayers for us to listen to Him during these last few weeks.
I hope everyone is doing well- I love you guys.
Taylor
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Week 2- Quick to Forget, Quick to Process
First of all, I want to say thank you to those who have read this blog. This is a really great way for me to reflect and for my family and freinds to stay updated and it is great to know people are interested.
It has been a few days since I last wrote, so I'll be able to summarize Week 2 (not including Saturday). I can honelstly say that I am being tested here- especially mentally. Over the last year since being out of baseball, I seemed to forget how much of a mental battle the sport is and umpiring is no different. Baseball is a game of failure (I'm sure everyone's heard that before), but it is very true. In order to be succesful at baseball, in my opinion, one of the strongest skills you can have is the ability to quickly forget but quickly process. I have been tested with various situations of "failure" during this week- still working on mechanics, positioning, voice, foot movement, etc as an umpire. Although I have been umpiring for about 8 years, I have yet to have ANY formal training, so this has been a whole new world for me. There are a few guys who have been to other clinics by Jim Evans, and some were even here last year! Baseball always has a way of pulling out your weakness- the saying is "You can't hide anyone on a ballfield"- this has been true for me to an extent. But as I mentioned earlier, one of the best skills you can have is to quickly forget (the bad) and quickly process (how to fix). By Wednesday of this week, quite a few things started to click.
I'm feeling confident about where I am today with the underscore that I still have a LONG way to go. We are just over the 1/3 mark for the school. I'm now begining to understand what the evaluators are looking for (good attitude and work ethic were the week 1 and 2 criteria and I know I did well in that respect). At the end of week 2, they are beginning to note footwork, voice, mechanics, etc. I would consider myself in the candidates to get sent to PBUC at this point.
Here is the backgroud on how getting into umpiring professional baseball works: You must go through one of two schools- Jim Evans and "the other one" and make the graduating class (usually around the top 10 %). Both schools send their graduating class to a 1 week tryout for PBUC (Prfessional Baseball Umpire Committe). PBUC is the group that assigns all umpires for professional baseball up until AAA. Then PBUC takes the top of that group and puts them into one of the Rookie Leagues, which are the Arizona League and the Gulf Coast Leage. Form there, you climb the ranks just like a player does- Rookie to Short A to Long A to AA to AAA to The Major Leagues. Crazy journey, huh!
The school is going to be getting very competitive in the next week. "Camp Games" begin late next week, when we will have the chance to umpire with a full team and instructors acting as managers/coaches. This will be the time when they look at how we handle certain situations, how our judgement is, and how we handle it when a furious coach is yelling in your face! It has been primiarliy drills and lectures so far, so things will be heating up very soon!
Jim had a great saying that has seemed to fit well with my experience thus far- "Don't mind failure, but hate mediocrity. " Typically when we fail it is because we are out of our compfort zone- things are new. We are setting new goals and are not exactly sure how to get there- this is growth that challenges us. When we are challenged, we typically have two ways to look at it- we can feel like we are either being beaten or punished (I call it just trying to get through the day), or see the challenge as an opportunity for improvement, a time of humbling, prayer, and growth. I have seen challenges in both of these ways. This lesson seemed to fit very closely with the sermon from today's church service I watched online. (Pretty cool to have access to a church online- what a blessing and how easy!)
The message came out of Phillipians 4. In this section Paul urges us the church of Phillipi "not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving by presenting all your requests to God." This sounds like such an easy thing to do and sounds like such an easy answer to solve all of our problems, but somehow it seems to slip our minds. The pastor said that even through prayer, we need to understand that our God of the entire universe makes happen what is necessary. We need to be able to distinguish our circumstances. We need to understand that prayer does not always change our immediate circumstances, but it makes us trust our Father that he will transform us in the right way, instead of Him changing things to benifit my circumstances. Through prayer and thanksgiving, our heart is re-centered on Him with the faith that He knows what is best for us.
This message seemed to fit very well with the week ahead and competition beginning to increase. As evaluations become more intense over the next few weeks here, it will be very easy to begin to worry and be anxious. I am sure I will begin to see it in other students. I will make it my goal to pray during these times, to know that whatever circumstances come about (good or bad), I will know that I did my best and my heart will be re-centered on Him.
Week 3 begins tomorrow- time to study!
Thanks
It has been a few days since I last wrote, so I'll be able to summarize Week 2 (not including Saturday). I can honelstly say that I am being tested here- especially mentally. Over the last year since being out of baseball, I seemed to forget how much of a mental battle the sport is and umpiring is no different. Baseball is a game of failure (I'm sure everyone's heard that before), but it is very true. In order to be succesful at baseball, in my opinion, one of the strongest skills you can have is the ability to quickly forget but quickly process. I have been tested with various situations of "failure" during this week- still working on mechanics, positioning, voice, foot movement, etc as an umpire. Although I have been umpiring for about 8 years, I have yet to have ANY formal training, so this has been a whole new world for me. There are a few guys who have been to other clinics by Jim Evans, and some were even here last year! Baseball always has a way of pulling out your weakness- the saying is "You can't hide anyone on a ballfield"- this has been true for me to an extent. But as I mentioned earlier, one of the best skills you can have is to quickly forget (the bad) and quickly process (how to fix). By Wednesday of this week, quite a few things started to click.
I'm feeling confident about where I am today with the underscore that I still have a LONG way to go. We are just over the 1/3 mark for the school. I'm now begining to understand what the evaluators are looking for (good attitude and work ethic were the week 1 and 2 criteria and I know I did well in that respect). At the end of week 2, they are beginning to note footwork, voice, mechanics, etc. I would consider myself in the candidates to get sent to PBUC at this point.
Here is the backgroud on how getting into umpiring professional baseball works: You must go through one of two schools- Jim Evans and "the other one" and make the graduating class (usually around the top 10 %). Both schools send their graduating class to a 1 week tryout for PBUC (Prfessional Baseball Umpire Committe). PBUC is the group that assigns all umpires for professional baseball up until AAA. Then PBUC takes the top of that group and puts them into one of the Rookie Leagues, which are the Arizona League and the Gulf Coast Leage. Form there, you climb the ranks just like a player does- Rookie to Short A to Long A to AA to AAA to The Major Leagues. Crazy journey, huh!
The school is going to be getting very competitive in the next week. "Camp Games" begin late next week, when we will have the chance to umpire with a full team and instructors acting as managers/coaches. This will be the time when they look at how we handle certain situations, how our judgement is, and how we handle it when a furious coach is yelling in your face! It has been primiarliy drills and lectures so far, so things will be heating up very soon!
Jim had a great saying that has seemed to fit well with my experience thus far- "Don't mind failure, but hate mediocrity. " Typically when we fail it is because we are out of our compfort zone- things are new. We are setting new goals and are not exactly sure how to get there- this is growth that challenges us. When we are challenged, we typically have two ways to look at it- we can feel like we are either being beaten or punished (I call it just trying to get through the day), or see the challenge as an opportunity for improvement, a time of humbling, prayer, and growth. I have seen challenges in both of these ways. This lesson seemed to fit very closely with the sermon from today's church service I watched online. (Pretty cool to have access to a church online- what a blessing and how easy!)
The message came out of Phillipians 4. In this section Paul urges us the church of Phillipi "not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving by presenting all your requests to God." This sounds like such an easy thing to do and sounds like such an easy answer to solve all of our problems, but somehow it seems to slip our minds. The pastor said that even through prayer, we need to understand that our God of the entire universe makes happen what is necessary. We need to be able to distinguish our circumstances. We need to understand that prayer does not always change our immediate circumstances, but it makes us trust our Father that he will transform us in the right way, instead of Him changing things to benifit my circumstances. Through prayer and thanksgiving, our heart is re-centered on Him with the faith that He knows what is best for us.
This message seemed to fit very well with the week ahead and competition beginning to increase. As evaluations become more intense over the next few weeks here, it will be very easy to begin to worry and be anxious. I am sure I will begin to see it in other students. I will make it my goal to pray during these times, to know that whatever circumstances come about (good or bad), I will know that I did my best and my heart will be re-centered on Him.
Week 3 begins tomorrow- time to study!
Thanks
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Week 1 Closing- Day 2, 3, 4, and 5
Week 1 Closing- Day 2, 3, 4, and 5 (Wednesday through Saturday)
Although it has been a few day lapse in writing, I have been able to take in so much in these last few, very busy days of week 1. My initial assumption of writing every day may have been a little over achieving....weird for me, I know.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were filled with morning class sessions from 8 - 12:30ish, lunch, and field work from 1:15-6:00 PM. After week one completetion, we have now finished Section 9 and Section 1 in the Baseball Rules Book. We have also gone over all appropriate footwork, mechanics, terminoligy, and signaling for all possible situations with no runners on or a runner on first base. The Jim Evans school focuses on situations- one step at a time- literally. I have quickly learned what an art umpiring is. Each step a professional umpire makes is meaningful. Each step is made at a certain angle on the field, each has a distinct purpose, and each must be done in precision. At school, if your turn is not perfect (no one has yet to perfect any drill), an instructor is right there to tell you what you did wrong and how to fix it next time.
We have now had our first two tests and have begun to recieve homework on a nightly basis. Homework consists of rule interpetations, drawing diagrams of plate and base umpire responsibilities and actions on certain situations. These are called our Positioning Reports.
The last few moments of the day always seem to be the hardest ones to stay focused. In umpiring, this is especially true- it takes a strong amount of focus to have the same intensity in inning 7 as you had in the top of the 1st. Jim Evan's has coined a drill that forces his umpires to focus as the last drill of the day. Jim stands in front of the students in right field and says, "We're not looking for 6 inning umpires!" over the blow horn. The drill goes like this: Every time Jim says "Go", all umpires begin jogging (all are lined up military style of course) until Jim says "Stop", at which point we put our hands on our knees, in position to make a call signal. Each time a call is made (Out of Safe), the next "Stop" is to be the other call. Simple drill, except there are a few wrinkles...If Jim says "Reverse the Call", it means that the next call is to be the opposite of what is next. As you can tell, it is pretty embarassing when we are on an Out call, and someone throws up a big Safe call. Once a mistake is made, all members in that persons group have to start again, and it is marked in their final evaluation. Again, "We're not looking for 6 inning umpires".....After every few calls, he instructs us to all turn a different direction, military style "About Face", "Left Face", etc, to throw further confusion. During the entire drill, the 20 instructors are in the students faces trying to distract them by mocking calls, yelling, saying clever things like, "I'm going to SAFEway after this", or "Let's go to OUTback tonight"......Messed up huh? It is a good feeling to have your group get this drill right to say the least.
I have gained quite a bit of respect for the way Jim runs this school. The night before our first test, I was studying with a few guys in the lobby and Jim (in sweatpants and sandals) came walking to our table, asking if we had any questions on the test or anything he could help us out with. He was going by each student's room that night to see if there was anything he could do to help the students out. It showed quite a bit of character. What is great about this is the way Jim approaches teaching. His style is very down-to-earth. He does not come off as someone who acts better than anyone at all, and has specifically said several times that he is not better than anybody. Jim is an absolute motivational speaker who has carried a winner's attitude with him I'm guessing his entire life. He is someone who I do look up to in the way that he inspires people with simple, positive thoughts. In my first few years of high school and even college, I used to think that I probably shouldn't raise my hand because I thought my ideas were too simple. I have since learned that simple is the best way to relate to people- I see myself hopefully being to help people some day the way motivational speakers do.
As mentioned earlier, there was a Wednesday night Bible Study at the hotel, and what an awesome getaway that is and will be throughout the entire 5 weeks. The current chaplin for the Tampa Bay Rays comes up each Wednesday to hold a study with students at the academy. There were about 6 guys at the study and everyone seemed to open up a bit and explain how God has changed their lives. Talk about a way to feel like you have the world lifted off your shoulders when you're fighting for a job/possible carrer! Everyone walked away with something new (as always) after the study. There were 3 guys who asked to be prayed for- in specific- they are at school, but are not 100% positive if umpiring is the road for them (I was one of them). It was great to hear everyone put their faith in God that he had a plan for all of us.
I am looking forward to the next one on Wednesday night.
Here are a few simple bits of wisdom I learned from the Good Book:
Thanks
Although it has been a few day lapse in writing, I have been able to take in so much in these last few, very busy days of week 1. My initial assumption of writing every day may have been a little over achieving....weird for me, I know.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were filled with morning class sessions from 8 - 12:30ish, lunch, and field work from 1:15-6:00 PM. After week one completetion, we have now finished Section 9 and Section 1 in the Baseball Rules Book. We have also gone over all appropriate footwork, mechanics, terminoligy, and signaling for all possible situations with no runners on or a runner on first base. The Jim Evans school focuses on situations- one step at a time- literally. I have quickly learned what an art umpiring is. Each step a professional umpire makes is meaningful. Each step is made at a certain angle on the field, each has a distinct purpose, and each must be done in precision. At school, if your turn is not perfect (no one has yet to perfect any drill), an instructor is right there to tell you what you did wrong and how to fix it next time.
We have now had our first two tests and have begun to recieve homework on a nightly basis. Homework consists of rule interpetations, drawing diagrams of plate and base umpire responsibilities and actions on certain situations. These are called our Positioning Reports.
The last few moments of the day always seem to be the hardest ones to stay focused. In umpiring, this is especially true- it takes a strong amount of focus to have the same intensity in inning 7 as you had in the top of the 1st. Jim Evan's has coined a drill that forces his umpires to focus as the last drill of the day. Jim stands in front of the students in right field and says, "We're not looking for 6 inning umpires!" over the blow horn. The drill goes like this: Every time Jim says "Go", all umpires begin jogging (all are lined up military style of course) until Jim says "Stop", at which point we put our hands on our knees, in position to make a call signal. Each time a call is made (Out of Safe), the next "Stop" is to be the other call. Simple drill, except there are a few wrinkles...If Jim says "Reverse the Call", it means that the next call is to be the opposite of what is next. As you can tell, it is pretty embarassing when we are on an Out call, and someone throws up a big Safe call. Once a mistake is made, all members in that persons group have to start again, and it is marked in their final evaluation. Again, "We're not looking for 6 inning umpires".....After every few calls, he instructs us to all turn a different direction, military style "About Face", "Left Face", etc, to throw further confusion. During the entire drill, the 20 instructors are in the students faces trying to distract them by mocking calls, yelling, saying clever things like, "I'm going to SAFEway after this", or "Let's go to OUTback tonight"......Messed up huh? It is a good feeling to have your group get this drill right to say the least.
I have gained quite a bit of respect for the way Jim runs this school. The night before our first test, I was studying with a few guys in the lobby and Jim (in sweatpants and sandals) came walking to our table, asking if we had any questions on the test or anything he could help us out with. He was going by each student's room that night to see if there was anything he could do to help the students out. It showed quite a bit of character. What is great about this is the way Jim approaches teaching. His style is very down-to-earth. He does not come off as someone who acts better than anyone at all, and has specifically said several times that he is not better than anybody. Jim is an absolute motivational speaker who has carried a winner's attitude with him I'm guessing his entire life. He is someone who I do look up to in the way that he inspires people with simple, positive thoughts. In my first few years of high school and even college, I used to think that I probably shouldn't raise my hand because I thought my ideas were too simple. I have since learned that simple is the best way to relate to people- I see myself hopefully being to help people some day the way motivational speakers do.
As mentioned earlier, there was a Wednesday night Bible Study at the hotel, and what an awesome getaway that is and will be throughout the entire 5 weeks. The current chaplin for the Tampa Bay Rays comes up each Wednesday to hold a study with students at the academy. There were about 6 guys at the study and everyone seemed to open up a bit and explain how God has changed their lives. Talk about a way to feel like you have the world lifted off your shoulders when you're fighting for a job/possible carrer! Everyone walked away with something new (as always) after the study. There were 3 guys who asked to be prayed for- in specific- they are at school, but are not 100% positive if umpiring is the road for them (I was one of them). It was great to hear everyone put their faith in God that he had a plan for all of us.
I am looking forward to the next one on Wednesday night.
Here are a few simple bits of wisdom I learned from the Good Book:
- All who draw the sword will die by the sword
- He is with us always, until the very end of all age
Thanks
Orientation Day and Day 1
Orientation Day and Day 1.
To begin with yesterday, I was able to explore ol' highway 192 in a 12 dollar taxi cab to Wal-Mart. I think it was Uncle Brad who said, "If they don't have it at Wal-Mart, you don't need it." I was able to buy snacks, fruit, water, a blender, and (Sascha laughed at this) a pull up bar that sits on the bathroom door frame. I figured I'm here for 33 days so better make it Home. Very similar to a 1 bedroom Studio I live in on the other coast....
Orientation was at 6pm yesterday. We were introduced to all staff members, including Mr. Jim Evans. Jim is a shorter man with a friendly face and seems to be an extremely intelligent, personal, funny and dedicated person. He has an incredible passion for umpiring which pours out his mouth with each story and metaphor he explains. He is a down-to-earth guy who has happened to have great success in umpiring as a career (umpired one of Nolan Ryan's no-hitters) and umpiring as a business (various academys). The structure of Evan's teachings is to learn the rules and positioning in the classroom, then make them applicable to a situation on the field for his students to try and perfect. Orientation meeting was from 5:00 -11:00 PM. It was at this point I confirmed that this month will be no vacation.
Day 1 began with Breakfast at 6:30, report to class at 8:00 am. Class ran today until 12, lunch after, then field work until 6 PM. I can honestly say that I feel like a rookie umpire after today. The philosophies and qualities I have always appreciated (and hopefully begun to practice) like integrity, honesty, decision making, being a leader, and being professional are still the foundation of umpiring here, but almost everything else is new. New stances, new positioning, new signals, new rules, new areas of soreness- just to name a few. If you consider days of doing new things wrong all day a success, then I would consider today a success, and I do. Growth comes from feeling uncomfortable. Tomorrow will be a day of tuning the skills we learned today, and adding more techniques and twists into this crazy game called baseball.
At orientation an announcement was made that there is a Worship group that gets together on Wednesdays. I've begun to learn that a love of Christ is common in many umpires- maybe its because of the strong morals and character they must possess to perform in this occupation.....
There always seem to be ways in which I can improve my life after reading the Bible. I continuously learn (and fail). Here is what I learned over the last 2 days in my readings:
Give to man what is man's and give to God what is God's.
The top Commandment of the world is to love your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
His words will never pass away.
As you can see, I have so much to work on!
Adios, Gracias.
To begin with yesterday, I was able to explore ol' highway 192 in a 12 dollar taxi cab to Wal-Mart. I think it was Uncle Brad who said, "If they don't have it at Wal-Mart, you don't need it." I was able to buy snacks, fruit, water, a blender, and (Sascha laughed at this) a pull up bar that sits on the bathroom door frame. I figured I'm here for 33 days so better make it Home. Very similar to a 1 bedroom Studio I live in on the other coast....
Orientation was at 6pm yesterday. We were introduced to all staff members, including Mr. Jim Evans. Jim is a shorter man with a friendly face and seems to be an extremely intelligent, personal, funny and dedicated person. He has an incredible passion for umpiring which pours out his mouth with each story and metaphor he explains. He is a down-to-earth guy who has happened to have great success in umpiring as a career (umpired one of Nolan Ryan's no-hitters) and umpiring as a business (various academys). The structure of Evan's teachings is to learn the rules and positioning in the classroom, then make them applicable to a situation on the field for his students to try and perfect. Orientation meeting was from 5:00 -11:00 PM. It was at this point I confirmed that this month will be no vacation.
Day 1 began with Breakfast at 6:30, report to class at 8:00 am. Class ran today until 12, lunch after, then field work until 6 PM. I can honestly say that I feel like a rookie umpire after today. The philosophies and qualities I have always appreciated (and hopefully begun to practice) like integrity, honesty, decision making, being a leader, and being professional are still the foundation of umpiring here, but almost everything else is new. New stances, new positioning, new signals, new rules, new areas of soreness- just to name a few. If you consider days of doing new things wrong all day a success, then I would consider today a success, and I do. Growth comes from feeling uncomfortable. Tomorrow will be a day of tuning the skills we learned today, and adding more techniques and twists into this crazy game called baseball.
At orientation an announcement was made that there is a Worship group that gets together on Wednesdays. I've begun to learn that a love of Christ is common in many umpires- maybe its because of the strong morals and character they must possess to perform in this occupation.....
There always seem to be ways in which I can improve my life after reading the Bible. I continuously learn (and fail). Here is what I learned over the last 2 days in my readings:
Give to man what is man's and give to God what is God's.
The top Commandment of the world is to love your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
His words will never pass away.
As you can see, I have so much to work on!
Adios, Gracias.
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