The Umpire Strikes Back

It may only be the beginning of June, and for most pro baseball fans it means only reaching the 1/3 mark of the season, but for me baseball season is coming to a close. Little League baseball season, that is.

Some of you may know that I am a little league baseball umpire here in Santa Monica. I've been awarded the very prestigious honor of being assigned to work home plate this coming Saturday in the 'Minors AAA' level city championship game. The game will be televised on local Santa Monica public access, and while it means I thankfully won't have Tim McCarver second-guessing my calls, it means I need to be sharp.

I first started umpiring games when I was a teenager back in Montvale. One of my childhood friends, Greg Pek, and I were two of the five kids in town that answered the call for umpiring games. We went through 5 Monday nights of learning the rulebook and getting approved, and made $10 a game. Now that may not seem like a lot, but when you are 13 years old and can work six games in a week, $60 is a lot of cash.

A few years ago, Greg, who now runs a local northern New Jersey umpire association that provides officials for just about every Bergen County town, asked me if I wanted to get back on the field. Since I don't play competitive sports anymore for a variety of reasons, it seemed like a great idea to get some exercise, and make a little pocket change.

What I didn't anticipate was how much I would actually enjoy working with the kids playing the game. That continued when I moved out here last year, as I worked the fall league schedule of Saturday games here in Santa Monica. Then this spring, I was afforded the opportunity to work a number of games, primarily with kids aged 8-10.

I am very fond of this because the kids are at that age when they haven't yet developed any bad habits, and they are willing to listen and learn how to play the game correctly. It's really rewarding to have been a part of the league this year because I've seen the development of many of these kids, and the improvement has been very satisfying for me to witness first hand.

I'm also very fortunate to be in the Santa Monica league because of how receptive these kids are, which is a direct correlation to how their parents are raising them. You know so often we hear stories about kids that aren't respectful of adults, and that this is because these kids come from homes where the parent(s) do not have a handle on the kids, or are even a part of raising the kids the way they should. Which is why it is such a great privilege for me to work in this league.

Sure, every once in a while I'll take a foul ball on the arm or leg that will sting for a little while. Sure, every once in a while there will be a 'heated discussion' about a rules interpretation with a coach (which lasts about 1 minute, then quickly dies down), but the other 99% of the experience allows me to overcome those fleeting moments of annoyance.

The great thing about the level of kids I'm working with is that I'm as much an extra coach as I am an official. A lot of times during the regular season games, I would stop the game to try and educate someone on something they might have done incorrectly so that they can learn from it. More often than not, I'm as much an extra cheer leader as I am an official, always showing encouragement through positive reinforcement. I've also been very fortunate with the fact that my full-time employers have allowed for flexibility in my schedule to handle the many game assignments that have come up in the last three months.

And on Saturday, it'll all come down to one last game for me. Each of the 12 teams in the league are named for major league teams, wearing officially licensed uniforms to be sure. So when the Yankees face the Giants (in a "Mike & the Mad Dog Championship Game") this Saturday, it will be bitter sweet for me to see the season come to an end. But not to worry, fall ball is only three months away. Play ball!