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The Umpire's Role
The role of the Volunteer Umpire is one of the most difficult in the Little League program. The time and effort they contribute is often unnoticed and unrewarded.
Never able to please everyone at the same time, the umpire must at once be an enforcer, an ambassador, a role model, a facilitator, 'all-seeing' or 'deaf' depending upon the situation and he or she may have to be all of these at the same time.
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Here are some of the most important traits a Little League Umpire can develop.
Appearance - Yes, appearance is important for the Little League umpire. While he or she does not have to go out and buy all top of the line umpire clothes (the number of different color shirts in an umpire's wardrobe, is not an indication of his or her ability,) your shirt and pants should be clean and wrinkle free and your shoes polished or, at a minimum, wiped clean from the previous game. Besides, you might be able to "fool" a number of people at the game for a few innings, if you look like an umpire. Attitude - The umpires attitude will play a major role in both his or her performance and enjoyment of the Little League experience. The umpire must treat every game as if it's both the first game of the season and the championship game. Never let prior experiences with a team, manager, player or coach effect your attitude as you walk onto the field. Always strive to fulfill the age old adage: "Umpiring is the only vocation in the world where you're supposed to begin perfect and then improve from there." Conduct - An umpire's conduct both on the field and at the park must be without reproach. When everyone else around them is "losing their head", as will happen at a Little League game, the umpire must always remain calm and refrained and continue to exercise good judgment. Fairness - every umpire must be 100 percent down the middle, which may mean knowing the difference between when to make a call and when not to make a call. Another important factor for any umpire is to always avoid the temptation to "even up." At some point every umpire will make a mistake or "kick a call." If this gives one team an advantage, do not, under any circumstance, not even once, ever try to make up for your error, by making a ruling that favors the other team later in the game!
Knowledge - An umpire must be knowledgeable on all of the rules in the Little League rulebook, particularly when these may differ slightly from other baseball organizations. This doesn't mean that you have to memorize the rule book chapter and verse, but you should be able to recognize any situation that may occur. Often reading and re-reading and re-reading a few pages at a time, helps things "sink in." Punctuality - Umpires should strive to be extremely punctual for their assignments. It is recommend to make every effort to arrive at the game site a minimum of fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of the game. This is very important when working with a partner, particularly if you may not have worked with him or her before.
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Umpire Techiques
Pause, Read & React - This is one of the most important techniques an umpire can develop. Pause, Read & React consists of the base umpire Pausing momentarily when the ball is hit and briefly "taking his eyes off the ball" to Read the reaction of the fielder, before the umpire Reacts.
On ground balls to the infield, the base umpire will quickly determine if the fielder has a play on the ball, if so, he or she will begin to move into position to have the proper Angle & Distance for the potential play at the appropriate base. If the ball will not be caught by an infielder, the base umpire will begin the pivot technique in order to be in the proper position for any follow on actions.
On "Trouble Balls" to the outfield (which may include: an outfielder running hard towards the infield in an attempt to make a shoestring catch, an outfielder turning his back to the infield in an attempt to make an over the shoulder catch, several players all converging on a pop fly or the right fielder racing hard toward the foul line,) the base umpire will need to decide if he or she should go out to cover the play. If he does go out, he should clearly communicate this to his or her partner, so that they know they now have any play at any base on all runners as well as the batter/runner. On obvious base hits to the outfield, the base umpire should again begin the pivot technique, for any follow on actions. The rule on the 60 foot diamond: "When the ball is out of the infield, the umpire should be in the infield and when the ball is in the infield the umpire should be out of the infield." Eyes & Chest to the Ball - Other than during the Read portion of the Pause, Read & React technique, the umpire should always keep his eyes and chest facing the ball. There are extremely few things an umpire will be required to rule on, that do not happen in close proximity to the baseball. "It Ain't Nothing Till I Call It" -  Bill Klem, Baseball Hall of Fame, 1953 - Umpires should never, ever rush their calls. When working the plate, track the ball from the pitcher's hand all the way into the catcher's glove before making your call on the pitch. Many inexperienced Little League umpires call the pitch before it has even crossed the plate.
Base umpires should always hustle to get the proper Angle & Distance to make all of their calls. Once in position to make the call, the base umpire should return to a set position (perferably hands on knees, a standing set if hands on kness is not possible, i.e. during a 6 - 4 - 3 double play) before making a call, so that his head and eyes are still and focused on the play. (This also applies to the plate umpire when juding Catch/No Catch or Fair/Foul.) Again, pause and make sure the play has ended before makaing a call. You may have seen on more than one occasion a batter/runner called out at first base when the ball beats him to the bag, only to have the first baseman drop or bobble the ball! Angle & Distance - On ground balls hit to the infield, with no one on base, the base umpire will move into fair territory to get into position to be at a 90 degree angle from the fielder making the throw, this will generally be about three steps for a ball hit to the third baseman, two large or three smaller steps for a ball hit to the shortstop and about two small steps for balls hit to the right of the second baseman. On balls hit to the left of the second baseman or to the first basmen, take a couple of step into foul territory, although the angle will be slightly compromised in this situation. Be sure to stay out of the batter/runner's path.
Angle is always more important than distance. It is always better to make a call having the proper angle on the play, even if this means you are a little further away than you wish; than it is to be closer to the play but not have a proper angle!
The Pivot - This move is used by the base umpire on any base hit to the outfield. From his or her starting position the umpire will move toward the infield grass cutout, once a step or two inside the grass, the umpire will plant his or her left foot, and pivot counter-clockwise (to the left), once his right foot is planted after the pivot, the umpire will take a small step pointing his left foot toward second base while reading the batter/runner.
The base umpire must complete his or her pivot before the batter/runner has reached first base so that they are in position to see the batter/runner touching first base. Should the batter/runner advance to second, the umpire is now ahead of the batter/runner, and should complete a crossover step with the right foot to arrive at a position near the cutout at second base and be set to make a potential call before the batter/runner and or the ball arrives. If the batter/runner decides not to advance past first base, the umpire will remain in the infield until all play as stopped, in case of an attempt to retire the batter/runner at first base.
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Game Management
Keep it Moving - There is absolutely nothing wrong with a few "Hustle out, boys" between innings. Remember the pitcher is allowed one minute or eight warm-up pitches between innings. This doesn't mean you need to have a stop watch, but pay attention if the players are loafing out to their positions, particularly the pitcher and catcher. Avoid Fraternization - Not only should umpires not carry on idle conversations with managers, coaches or players during the game, they should also refrain from conversations with each other between innings, unless absolutely necessary. This is particularly important after innings when there may have been a controversial call. Wait until after the game to ask your partner if you kicked that call back in the third inning.
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