Some of you feel I'm there to exert
authority over our sons. For that reason, you often yell at me or
encourage our Sons to yell when I make a mistake. How many of you
really understand that I try to be perfect? I try not to make a
mistake. I don't want your sons to feel he got a bad deal from an
umpire.
Yet, no matter how hard I try, I
can't be perfect. I counted the number of calls I made in a six-inning
game today. The total number of decisions on balls, strikes or safes
and outs was 146.
I tried my best to get them all
right, but I'm sure I missed some. I could have missed eight calls
today and still got about 95% right. In most occupations that
percentage would be considered excellent.
Let me tell you more about my game
today. There was one close call that ended the game. A runner for the
home team was trying to steal the plate on a passed ball. The catcher
chased the ball down and threw to the pitcher covering the plate. The
pitcher made the tag and I called the runner out.
As I was getting my equipment to
leave, I over heard one of the parents comment. "It's too bad the kids
have to lose games because of rotten umpires. That was one of the
lousiest calls I ever seen."
Later, at the concession stand, a
couple of kids were telling their friends, "Boy, the umpires were lousy
today. They lost the game for us." Well, I heard that and I felt
terrible. Those kids had made a lot of mistakes, which had cost them
runs.
A parent or adult leader who lets a
child blame his failures on an umpire is doing the worst kind of
injustice to that youngster. That irresponsibility is bound to carry
over to future years.
As I sit here writing this letter I
am no longer as upset as I was this afternoon. At one point I wanted to
quit umpiring behind the plate for a pitcher who pantomimed his
displeasure at any close call.
One could sense that he wanted the
crowd to realize that he was a talented player who was doing his best
to get along, but that I was a black-hearted villain who was working
against him. This kid continued for two innings, at the same time
yelling at his own players' mistakes.
For two innings the manager watched
this. When the kid returned to the dugout to bat in the top of the
third, the manager called him aside. In a voice that I was able to
overhear, he said: "Listen, Son it is time you made a decision. You can
be an Umpire, an actor or a pitcher. But you can be only one at a time
when you are playing for me. Right now it is your job to pitch. And
basically you are doing a lousy job. Leave the acting to the actor, the
umpiring to the umpires or you won't do any pitching here."
Needless to say, the kids chose the
pitching route, and went on to win the game. When the game was over the
kid followed me to my car. Fighting to keep back the tears, he
apologized for his actions and thanked me for umpiring the game. He
said that he had learned a lesson that he would not forget.
I can't help but wonder how many
more young men are missing their chance to develop into outstanding
ball players because their parents encourage them to spend time
umpiring, rather than working harder to play the game.
