2008 Letter From Al
Dear Returning
and Prospective Hochmuth Assigning Umpires:
The trend from the last 2 years
continues. Just like 2007 was bigger and better
than 2006, I expect the numbers for 2008 to be
greater than 2007. In 2007, umpires that were part
of my group on the Arbiter filled over 3200 games
(a 14% increase over 2007) and earned over
$250,000 (a 20% increase over 2007)! My goals for
2008 are to eclipse 3400 games and $260,000.
In 2007 I assigned umpires for
the following schools/leagues/organizations –
Wauwatosa West HS, Men. Falls HS (baseball and
softball), Nicolet HS, Brown Deer HS, Port
Washington HS, Grafton HS, Germantown HS (softball
only), Waukesha South HS, Perfect Game USA Spring
and Fall HS league, Triple Play Indoor in
Sheboygan, a varsity showcase event run by
Showtime Sports, 2 American Legion teams, all 6
age divisions of the WSYBL, Glendale Juniors,
Richfield Little League, a Northshore youth
league, Hartland Youth Baseball/Merton Athletic
Association, Land ‘O Lakes North Division, MSBL,
MBL, the Waukesha Blazers Baseball and Fastpitch
tournaments, the Richfield Youth Program
Tournament, 4 CABA youth tournaments in Watertown,
and the WUA Milwaukee Youth Open Tournament, as
well as a number of games that were put on the
Arbiter to help some school or league out.
In 2008, I expect most of the
above mentioned schools/leagues/organizations to
use Hochmuth Assigning umpires. Additionally,
Hochmuth Assigning will now be used to assign all
of the games for
Waukesha
County’s
Land ‘O Leagues program. You must be
pre-registered with the Land ‘O Leagues program to
work games in this league. Contact Monica Kaskey
at kaskey@pewaukee.wi.us
if you are interested in this league.
The WSYBL continues to be the
largest youth baseball league in southeastern
Wisconsin. I
will continue to assign all 6 of their divisions.
Perfect Game USA Spring and Fall leagues will
continue to be assigned on the Arbiter. Many of
the high school teams that have been playing in a
different spring high school league have decided
to join Kirk Gardner’s Perfect Game
USA
spring league. The men’s leagues that I assign for
are mostly unchanged or growing. If you are
interested in umpiring men’s baseball, I have the
unique ability to offer you the chance to start
with MSBL’s 48+ league, and then move up the
ladder by working the 38+ followed by the 28+
followed by working the MBL (the old county
leagues) and finally by working Land ‘O Lakes
baseball in the North Division. No other local
assigner can offer this kind of laddered
progression of men’s competitive baseball.
I am going to continue to
charge a “membership” fee of $10 for all WUA
members (or members of other local umpire
associations) to be a part of Hochmuth Assigning
for the 2008 season. If you are not a member of
any local umpire association in 2008, the fee is
$20. You may give me a check or cash at any WUA
meeting or send a check to:
Al Hochmuth
W161
N10998 Meadow
Dr.
Germantown,
WI
53022
Checks can be made payable to
either Al Hochmuth or Hochmuth Assigning. I am
also able to initiate an electronic transfer from
your RefPay account if you have one. If you are a
member of an association other than the WUA,
please include some kind of proof of your
membership – a copy of your membership card, a
copy of your cancelled check, a contact number for
the membership secretary, etc.
*SPECIAL NOTE FOR HARTLAND
YOUTH BASEBALL/MERTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
UMPIRES:
You do not need to pay me now
for access to the Arbiter unless you want the
chance to work games other than HYB/MAA games (for
example the numerous youth tournaments that I will
be posting on self assign soon). Your $10 fee will
be deducted from your first HYB/MAA check just
like last season. If you want to work games other
than HYB/MAA, you should send me a check for $20
now, and I will make sure the HYB/MAA treasurer
knows you have already paid.
I have disabled everyone’s
ability to sign in. As I receive your 2008
Hochmuth Assigning Membership fee, you will be
enabled to sign in. I will enable everyone who has
paid their fee to start taking games on self
assign sometime in mid-February. This way, those
of you who choose to send me a check through the
mail have a chance to get the check to me before
games start getting taken on self assign. If you
are a WUA member and will be at the first meeting
on Feb. 13th, you may give me your fee at the
meeting. I continue to utilize the built in
invoice capabilities of the Arbiter. Each of you
has an invoice for either $10 or $20 and I will
apply a receipt of your paid fee when I receive
it. You may then view (and print) a statement
showing that you paid your fee so that you have a
receipt for tax purposes (your membership fee is
tax deductible if you file schedule C). I continue
to offer a full money back guarantee if you do not
receive at least one game assignment before the
end of the 2008 season.
I also continue to offer a
referral incentive. For every new Hochmuth
Assigning umpire that you refer to me that pays
their membership fee, you will receive $2 off next
year’s membership fee. Refer 5 umpires to me, and
get your membership fee covered next year! Just
make sure the new member mentions your name when
they contact me for information about becoming a
Hochmuth Assigning Arbiter member.
Thanks for all of your efforts
last season!
Al
HOCHMUTH
ASSIGNING
ahochmuth@wi.rr.com
www.thearbiter.net
(home)
262-250-1525
(cell) 414-426-8363
(fax)
262-250-1525 (same as home)
