Read this book

-As They See 'Em- by Bruce Weber.

Weber, a New York Times reporter writes a definitive book about professional umpiring. He gets to know a couple of youngsters in the Northwest League and their daily grind, and also gets to know more than a few people at the major league level. He attends the Jim Evans Umpiring Academy although he hasn't yet umpired a game, and then does some games at home in New York (HS, Babe Ruth, and some adult leagues). He really gets at some of the deepest core beliefs of umpires and of officials in general, and looks at what might be some important aspects of their personalities. He also talks to some of the principals for the best and worst calls in recent memory and goes over the recent labor actions by both major league and minor league umps.

If you're interested enough in officiating to be reading this blog, you simply must get a hold of this book. It's insightful, entertaining, and fun. I'm even going to force my wife to read it so she understands some of my, um, personality quirks a little bit better.