Through an umpire's eyes, by Brett Hebel

“Strike three! You’re out!” This was something I didn’t have shouted to me as often as others, but when I did, I was the first person to blame the umpire for making a bad call. I wasn’t the type of player who liked getting called out on strikes, but then again, who is?

I started playing baseball when I was just five years old on a t-ball team in my local community. The first team I was on was the Pittsburgh Pirates t-ball team, where I learned a lot about the new game I was getting into. However, there are no umpires in t-ball because there is no need for them at that age. When I grew older and got into kid pitch leagues, that’s when umpires became needed. That’s where it all started. 

The umpires who my local community used were high school kids with a strong baseball IQ for the most part. As a young player, I wasn’t focused on the umpires or what and how they did their job. As much as I didn’t pay attention to the umpires, I did always think to myself, “I bet I could do that. I am very knowledgeable about the game of baseball, and how hard could it really be to call balls and strikes or safe and outs?” Even though I had said those things, never did I think I’d ever become an umpire. Little did I know, my baseball life was going to forever change some years down the road.

I became an umpire in the summer going into my freshman year of high school. Becoming an umpire completely changed my point of view on how the game of baseball is played, run, and called. It showed me how difficult it actually is to call a game and deal with arguments from players, coaches, and even parents.

To start, honestly, the biggest reason that I originally decided to become an umpire was because I was looking to get a job. I did not want to work at a fast food restaurant like some of my friends. So since my dad was on the baseball board for my community league, we already knew the umpire coordinator, which meant I was guaranteed the job if I wanted it. There were many positives to the job, such as only two-hour games, I was paid $40.00 per game, I was outside in the fresh air, I was around the game I loved and grew up playing, and I was getting paid twice what my friends were making at a greasy fast food restaurant per hour, along with not having to pay taxes. It almost seemed like the perfect job for me.  

I was field umpire for a nine- and ten-year-old league. I was super nervous going in, but once it got started, I grew comfortable with my role and did it well. Even the coaches told me after the game that I made some great, tough calls out there, which helped with my confidence. My first game working behind the plate was a little different experience, though. It was tougher than I ever thought, walking onto the field where I once played as a kid, waiting for the umpire to start the game to now having these kids do the same. This time I was the behind the plate making the calls. The game didn’t go terribly, but it took some time for me to get the feel of being back there and making the correct calls, which lead to little chattering from coaches. However, that game was a great learning experience, and I finally had my first one under my belt. I thought to myself, “It can only get easier from here right?”

Next, I learned to see baseball from another point of view. As an umpire, I had to deal with arguments from players, coaches, and even parents. This is without a doubt the worst thing about being an umpire. Dealing with arguments can get out of control. As crazy as it may sound, the parents are the worst. Being a five-year veteran umpire, I’ve fielded plenty of arguments. Most arguments that come from the parents are only for a few reasons. Often it’s because their kid had something called against them. Parents think they know more about the game than the umpires, or they just flat out don’t like that umpire. I’ve had to give many parents warnings to calm down over my five years of umping. The one question that I always get, asked by people when they find out that I am an umpire, is whether I’ve ever had to throw anybody out of a game. The answer was “no” until this past summer.

I umpired in Hartland, which is where I live. Every year they hold a travel baseball tournament for divisions starting at age eight, all the way up to 15, called “The Hartland Blast Tournament.” It’s a three-day tournament that starts Friday night and ends Sunday afternoon. Well, over those three days, I was scheduled to ump nine games, including two championship games. All the games went perfectly fine until Sunday. It was the nine-year-old travel playoffs. The first game was the Riverdogs vs the Grasshoppers. The winner went on to face the Eagles in the championship. I was the plate umpire. The game went great; the coaches had no problems with me. Riverdogs won 20-4, so it was the Riverdogs vs the Eagles for the championship. I was umping that game also. That’s when it happened. In the fourth inning, the Riverdogs were frustrated because they were losing. A play at the plate happened to end the inning. The Riverdogs’ third-base coach sent his player from second home on a single, but the Eagles got the ball to the plate in time to get the runner out by two steps.

The Riverdogs’ first-base coach came running over and yelled in my face that the catcher was blocking the plate, which he was allowed to do if he had the ball. He told me I had messed up five calls and hit me on the chest. That’s when I drew the line and tossed him out of the game. Then he proceeded to accuse me of getting paid to call the game in the Eagles’ favor. I told him to leave now or his team would forfeit. That’s when he finally left. The game resumed and the Eagles ended up winning it all, which they deserved, and I was off to umpire the ten-year-old championship game. So now when people ask that question, the answer is yes.

Overall, becoming an umpire completely changed my point of view about the game of baseball. I’ve learned so much about baseball from being an umpire. Now I know what it is like not only as the player, but as the umpire. Everything relied on me to call the game to the best of my ability. As hard as it is to be an umpire, I would never give it up. If it wasn’t hard, then everybody would do it.