Baseball Umpire: Unglamorous and Often Unappreciated

How often have you yelled at your television about a bad call, only to see the umpire was right, even in super slow motion? How often have you barked at "Mr. Blue" for a ball or strike he blew, only to see the magic electronic strike zone prove him correct again? And then, to top it off, a broken bat, or pitch that crosses up the catcher, or a wild fastball hits our visual arbiter in an unprotected spot. How often do we stop to let umpires at all levels know how much we appreciate them?

As an aspiring umpire in high school baseball, I have learned several things players and coaches must remember in the course of a heated game:

1. In most situations, the umpire is having to keep track of a lot more information than players or coaches. Let's see: balls/strikes; outs; lineup changes; fair/foul; interference/obstruction; balks; steals; the weather; and the list goes on and on. Needless to say, there is no room in any league for an umpire who is mentally or physically lazy.

2. The anger expressed after a close call, and going against a team, is often calmed by a subsequent play in a game that goes for a particular team. This doesn't always happen, but it does quite often. The effective umpire takes note of such situations and directs people around the situation, not right into the middle of it. Game management goes far beyond the mere calling of a ball/strike.

3. Remember, the umpires are a team, just like the baseball teams. If a player or coach is talking rudely about either of the umpires, they will feel the need to step in for their partner. The goal of any umpire is to do get the call correct. Most umpires will take some time and discuss the play together. As a team, they want to get every call correct. Give them time to sort things out.

4. Finally, umpires' goals are: to protect the players from injury; to make every call as fairly as possible with correct interpretations and with the proper mechanics.  It may be hard to believe, but most umpires want to have fun just like the players/coaches.

So, the next time you are hollering at the TV screen, give a quick cheer for the "Men in Blue."