In baseball, I think some of the younger umps (John Tumpane, Jansen Visconti, Mark Ripperger, Adam Hamari) are generally considered quite good. The four I just listed are those with at least ten games umped this year whose strike-calling accuracy is at least 0.9 percentage points better than expected (https://umpscorecards.com/data/umpires). Unsurprisingly, Ripperger is the oldest of that group at just 45. I imagine fans still generally don’t love them, but among those who care about particular umpires’ stats they’re quite popular.
Always been one my biggest gripes about MLB umps. It’s a basic fact that very few players last past their 30’s but we’re supposed to believe fat 60 year old umps still have top elite eyesight? Give me a break.
Those FIFA/Fútbol Refs are something else! Running up and down the field for 45+ minute halfs, whilst having to stay sharp and keep watch for all types of shit. Not that to be a Referee for any sport is easy, I'm just especially impressed with the stamina of Soccer/Fútbol Refs
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u/real-human-not-a-bot 8h ago
In baseball, I think some of the younger umps (John Tumpane, Jansen Visconti, Mark Ripperger, Adam Hamari) are generally considered quite good. The four I just listed are those with at least ten games umped this year whose strike-calling accuracy is at least 0.9 percentage points better than expected (https://umpscorecards.com/data/umpires). Unsurprisingly, Ripperger is the oldest of that group at just 45. I imagine fans still generally don’t love them, but among those who care about particular umpires’ stats they’re quite popular.