As They See Em

Play Ball!! The baseball season started last night and this morning I just finished a great book which delves into the life of a umpire both at the minor and major league level. I played a lot of ball in my youth and from my twenties to forties. I love the game but I had never really thought much about the umpires that are a part of it. The only time I really noticed them was when they blew a call (at least in my opinion). I even umped a few softball games myself.

Personally I think a baseball umpire has the hardest job in any of the professional sports. Sure hockey referees have to be great skaters and the game is fast but in baseball every pitch is being judged by an umpire where as in other sports like football, soccer and hockey mainly they are just calling penalties and offsides.

Bruce Weber the author of this book actually enrolled in one of the two accredited umpire schools. He went through the course just like all umpires do. He even actually umped a preseason inter squad game.

I had no idea how low pay the umpire has to go through at the minor league level. Actually its pretty disgusting and you really have to love the game to put up with it. Most minor league umps spend at least 8 years before they even have a chance at the major league level. The turnover in the majors is very small. Like 1 umpire every 2 years so the for the majority of the young guys the chances of making it to the Big Show is near impossible and a lot give up before they get there.

The author goes into detail about the infamous 1999 strike where several umps lost their jobs through some ill advised ploy by their union. He interviewed a lot of umps at both the minor and major league level and really made me appreciate what the life is like of an umpire. Imagine going to work everyday and having 50,000 people scream at you if they think you made a bad call not to mention the millions on TV who have the advantage of instant replay. Would you want their job?? I know now I wouldn't. I came away from this book with a much deeper appreciation of their job. Will I still boo them if I think they made the wrong call? Oh yea but maybe not as much. I mean after all that's why we go to the ball park to be entertained. I highly recommend this book.