Being an umpire has to be one of the worst sports careers.

Just finished reading Bruce Weber’s As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires. I had never been a big fan of baseball’s umpires – I always thought they had too much power, were lazy, arrogant, etc. Now I just feel sorry for them.

It has to be the worst job in sports. Everyone hates you. Booed by the fans, yelled at by the managers, ripped apart by the media and disrespected by the players. All your mistakes are displayed for the world to see, on giant screens and video replays.

The book makes it clear that the league doesn’t think much of the umpires. The general managers think of them as a necessary evil and even their own union is often divided and contentious.

It’s hard work too. There’s nothing like baseball umpiring in any other sport. In baseball, an umpire makes a call on every play of the game. Most calls are routine, but lots of calls are hard to impossible.

It’s not all bad, you make good money, right? Sure, six figures, if you make it to the big leagues. But those jobs are few and far-between, and big league umps often toil for decades in the minor leagues, working away from home for half the year, shuffled around from crappy city to crappy city, sleeping in motels and eating fast food.

Then there are the injuries. Umping is a dangerous job. They suffer from heat stroke from wearing pads in 100 degree weather, broken fingers from foul ball tips, concussions from being hit with bats, back strains from squatting hundreds of times every game.

What about the joy of being involved in baseball? Many umps tell you that umpiring sucks the fan right out of them. They no longer appreciate the game as a whole because they’re focused on judging every little instant. They don't even see some of the spectacular plays because they're eyes are focused on another part of the field.

And the little power and arrogance that they used to wield, has largely been taken away from them by the league. They're made to follow silly rules and huddle and consult. Poor umpires.