SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) _ Troy Carmont of Surrey, B.C., leaned back on a cushy couch in the umpires' lounge and relaxed.

There was no pressure, with time to spare before he was scheduled to call balls and strikes at the title game of the Little League World Series.

``I'm representing 15 other guys,'' Carmont said, referring to the 16-person crew for the tournament. ``The butterflies are there when you start the game, and then it goes away.''

It's not just the kids in the spotlight in South Williamsport. The Little League World Series is a big deal for umpires, too.

Carmont will have to wait at least one more day to crouch down behind the plate.

Sunday's championship contest between Columbus, Ga., and Kawaguchi City, Japan, was postponed by rain and rescheduled for 8 p.m. ET Monday. It's the first time the title game will be played on a Monday night, and the latest start time for a game played by middle school-age boys.

The title game has been rescheduled once before, in 1990, when rain forced San-Hua, Chinese Taipei, and Shippensburg, Pa., to play on a Sunday, one day late. Chinese Taipei won 9-0.

As with many of the players, the World Series is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for umpires. According to the rules, umpires can only work one World Series.

``It's so great,'' said umpire Brian Murphy of Leesburg, Va. ``Just to watch the talent from all over the world.''

Umpires volunteer to wear the blue uniforms and must pay their own travel expenses. That can add up _ one umpire, Mei Yan Lo, took a break from her job as a property officer in Hong Kong. Another, Stephen Guerrero, flew in from Guam, where he is a financial program supervisor.

Prospective World Series umpires get scrutinized at regional tournaments for their shot at South Williamsport. It can be pretty competitive, and umpires who qualify must ``wait their turn,'' said umpire-in-chief Andy Konyar.

Most umpires start working local games, which may attract several dozen parents, before moving to bigger district, state and regional tournaments.

That's still a far cry from Lamade Stadium, where more than 20,000 people can pack the stands and the grassy hill overlooking the outfield, not to mention the national TV exposure.

``It's one thing to call a ballgame with 3,000 or 4,000 people in the stands,'' said Frank Policano, who helps supervise the World Series crews. ``We've run into some umps where it gets near the end and it gets a little tense.''

It was far from tense in the umpires' lounge as the crew waited for word on whether Sunday's title game would be postponed .

Carmont, a 25-year veteran, joined other umpires joking around in the air-conditioned room lined with couches.

Left-field line umpire Eric Zimmerman, of Glendale, Ariz. and his counterpart in right, Tom Cahill, cracked jokes and passed out small chocolate bars. Cahill said fellow umpires were jealous because Carmont would draw attention manning the relatively stationary job as home-plate umpire.

``Eric and I have the lines. We have acreage to cover!'' yelled Cahill, of St. Michael, Minn. ``And he doesn't have to run, either!''