The purpose of this section is to provide information to individuals new to the Little League program, who have chosen to do the job of umpiring and those individuals who have done the job, but want more information for whatever reason.
The umpire is expected to know all the rules and judge every call correctly. Spectators expect this no matter what the level of the game being played. Little League or Professional Major League. The fact that Major League Pros complete a six week training course and then spend 5 years or more working minor league games honing their skills before they reach the Majors and the average Little League ump has maybe 2 days training and zero years experience, is of no consequence to the Little League fan. They expect perfection from both.
To be successful as a Little League umpire you need to gain rules knowledge and field experience at a faster rate than that expected of a prospective Major League Pro. Plus, you will experience more "strange" plays than the prospective Pro, because Little Leaguers don't know how to play the game yet, and will do many more unexpected actions than minor league pros.
This already difficult job is made tougher due to the fact the Little League Baseball, Inc. rules and regulations book, does not contain the "Casebook of approved rulings" that are included in the "Official Rules of Baseball". Although the casebook is not printed in the Little League book, the rulings do apply to Little League except where specific statements are made to the contrary.
I suggest all Little League umpires obtain a copy of "The Official Rules of Baseball" or "Make the Right Call" published by MLB. A book titled "The Right Call" is published by Little League, and should be obtained also. Having knowledge obtained from these books will greatly improve your ability to manage a game and deal with the situations that frequently occur during Little League games.
Hopefully, in the majority of games that you work, plays that require extensive rules knowledge will not occur. However, when they do, you need to know the rules better than the Manager who confronts you and challenges your knowledge of the rules.
Most managers will fail the quiz provided here. You need to pass it with a score of 100%. The quiz should be a simple one for umpires and many arguments can be prevented if you know the answers.
When managers realize you have a solid knowledge of the rules ugly game situations will diminish. They may still think you're blind and your judgment stinks, but if they think you know the rules, they may not make a scene when you make a ruling.