BING DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG DING go the church bells.  It’s a bit ironic that it’s a Sunday and that my alarm is church bells considering I’m not going to

The Coliseum referees probably didn't go to work this day.

church.  Rather I am going to work.  It is 7 AM.  I have thirty minutes before I have to be at Johnson County 3&2 Baseball East complex for the 8 AM ball game.  I look at my phone again, it reads 7:05 AM.  A single word goes through my nearly unconscious mind, “Crap.”  I look out my window from my bed, it is gloomy, dark, it looks like it’s rained a bit.  A small bit of hope flares inside me.  I call the rainout line.  ”You’ve reached Johnson County 3&2 Baseball’s Rainout line.  For field condition updates at our West complex, press one.  For field condition updates at our East complex, press two.”  Boop. “The time is 6 AM on Sunday, June 13, PLAY BALL on all fields!” Click.  My mind, a little more awake now grants me two words of sentient thought, “Damn it.”  I roll out of bed, get dressed, and am on my less than merry way.

I drive in and umpires, players, parents, and coaches galore are already there.  My friend and I are partners today and we’re working middle school high level games in the tournament so I cannot be completely unhappy with the situation.  The previous day, I was informed, had been rained out so we were to finish a suspended game first and then proceed with shortened games the rest of the day.  It seems like even though I had to wake up, today won’t be so bad.  My partner will do the first two games of five behind the plate, and I, the last three.  ”FIVE MINUTES TO GAME TIME, FIVE MINUTES!” is announced over the intercom.  My partner and I walk to home plate of field 9.  ”Coaches at the plate,” I yell.  Twenty minutes later, the suspended game is over.  We walk off the field and proceed to sit around until the 9:45 AM game.

BOOM! PSSSSSSSSSSS!!! The storm we all knew was coming hits.  We wait, and wait, and wait some more.  The west complex cancels its games.  I get to go home right? Wrong.  We move all the games back and fix the destroyed fields to the best of our grounds keeping abilities.  It’s only slightly horribly dangerous and slippery now.  Game two starts.

Who is that mysterious masked man???

I could go on and tell you of my entire day but honestly that would only serve to depress you and further make me sound whiny.  There were the ups and downs as always.  A kid hits a walk off home run to win the game.  Awesome.  A mom from the stand which are not only fifty feet away from the play but twenty feet up yells for my partner and I to “OPEN OUR DAMN EYES!”  A kid almost pitches a perfect game, another player shoulder tackles a first baseman half his size.  That, by the way, is no bueno.  That is ground for ejection sooooooo yeah, don’t do that.  The storm passed, the wind died, and sun and heat came back in full force.  I baked behind the plate, then it drizzled, then it baked again.  Some teams are incredible, some are not.  Some play clean and honorably, some play dirty and pathetically.

I’m not saying umpires are perfect, far from it in fact.  We are well aware of this fact, all sports officiators are.  We call what we see, nothing more, nothing less.  I am sorry that you don’t agree but hey, that’s how it goes sometimes.  You CANNOT argue balls and strikes, plays at bases, whether he swung or not.  Let me repeat for any parents and/or coaches reading.  You CANNOT argue balls and strikes, plays at bases, whether he/she swung or not, or any other judgement call.  And I swear to God Almighty, you bring a rule book out to me and you’ll be in sitting in your car in a matter of minutes.  Please be kind to your officials no matter what the sport because no matter how easy you think it is, it’s a hundred times harder than you think.  It is both mentally and physically exhausting, especially when you have to work five games in a row.

The day is over.  It has been long and hot.  My body hurts and my brain is fried.  Do I regret being an umpire? No, I love baseball and I love giving back to a place that gave me so many years of fun.  Also, the pay isn’t too bad, but that is only kind of beside the point….sorta.  The moral of this story, be nice to your officials, they’re people too.

What not to do when you don't like a call.

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