Major League umpires have been under increased scrutiny in recent years because, well, they’ve been terrible. Pitchers are throwing faster and with more movement than ever before, and umpires — like Angel Hernandez — have generally been unable to adjust with any consistent accuracy.
But if you thought Major League umpires were bad, let me introduce you to Little League umpires.
Little League umps generally work games on a volunteer basis, and their training doesn’t approach that of even the worst high school umpire. They miss a lot of calls, and those mistakes go unnoticed until the televised Little League World Series (and regionals) come along. And, oh man, it’s wild to see those missed calls when TV cameras are around.
Just look what happened during Tuesday’s Southwest Region championship between Texas West and Louisiana.