Today's Thoughts and Saturday's Games

Today, Friday, is an off day for all of us umpires.  We're tired, but still pumped up about our time here the LLWS.  Many of us will be touring and resting today, getting ready for the remaining games this weekend.  As for Karen and I, we will be touring around this morning with her parents who have been here the last two days.  I have a luncheon to attend, then Karen and I will tour the Pennsylvania College of Technology prior to the arrival of our daughter, Heather.  I'm looking forward to seeing her - we haven't had one of our father-daughter snit spats in nearly two weeks!  I miss them and her witty comebacks.  Tonight, after the parents leave, the three of us will go to a street fair here in Williamsport and have some family time together.  I already anticipate that Karen and Heather will be chatting up a storm with me not in the conversation.  That's ok with me - they are more than mother and daughter; they are best friends.  And that's the way it should be.

As for tomorrow, the game assignments were made this morning.  I was not assigned to any games, so I will be sitting somewhere in the stands rooting for my brothers in light blue (or black, as it may be) work the International and United States Championship games.

There will be two games on Sunday - a third place game between the losers of today's game and the world championship between the two winners from Saturday's games.  The assignments for those games will be made late Saturday and I will post my role, if any, as soon as I know.  I suspect that I will get an assignment, but I don't know which game or which position.  It really doesn't matter.  I've done more here already than I set out to accomplish.  I am satisfied.

One last note about assignments.  I believe I mentioned this before, but it bares repeating.  Making umpire assignments at this level is so complex due to numerous variables and the need to have simultaneous balance and quality.  This has been no easy task, I'm sure.   I would not want the responsibility.  I cannot tell you how much respect I have for the three guys making the decisions about which umpire does what, where, and when.  Yet, Mike, Doc, and Frank have been absolutely marvelous in this regard as well as with their encouragement and advice.  As Frank might say, they have been "Huge, huger than hugie!" (I'll explain this Frankism in a later post).  These guys have had difficult choices to make and hopefully, from my perspective, our collective lack of egos (or at least smaller than usual egos) have made their job easier.  My hats off to them all.