Tales Of A Babe Ruth Baseball Umpire
Kids and Umpires Learn Baseball and Life Lessons In Youth Baseball.
May 15, 2009
How To Become an Umpire
Anyone who's ever wanted to learn how to become an umpire at the Babe Ruth level can do so by looking in their local newspaper or other local news avenues. A local Washington, D.C. metropolitan area Boys and Girls Club Umpires Association advertised in a local community newspaper seeking umpires. People who call or e-mail to express interest usually then start attending workshops where an umpire supervisor goes over baseball rules and game situations.
New umpires should make an effort to attend every class. At the very least, some local leagues may have their own special rules that are not mentioned in the official Babe Ruth baseball rule book. Your umpire supervisor can discuss these special rules during the workshops. In addition, some veteran Babe Ruth umpires attend the workshops as well. A new umpire can learn nearly as much from listening to a veteran umpire's stories as he or she can from the rulebook.
Getting Paid To 'Play Ball!'
It's possible that some people may sign up to umpire Babe Ruth baseball because they enjoy the game. Some might sign up because they like helping kids. However, some people need more motivation to deal with irate parents or arguing coaches. As a result, your local Babe Ruth league usually pays its umpires. The amount an umpire gets paid depends on several factors: The jurisdiction hiring the umpire; the age level of the game; and whether someone umpires alone or with a partner. For example, the Prince George's County (Maryland) Boys and Girls Club paid $43 per game for Cal Ripken Minors (9- and 10-year-olds) and Cal Ripken Majors (11- and 12-year-olds); $50 for Preps (13-year-olds); $60 for Babe Ruth Juniors (14-16-year-olds) and $73 for Babe Ruth Seniors (17- and 18-year-olds) for single umpires. For two umpire games (usually at the Babe Ruth Junior and Babe Ruth Senior levels), the fees usually drop to approximately $50 per umpire per game.
Learning the Game
Someone who goes into umpiring can think he or she knows much about the game. However, many umpires report gaining a new appreciation for the nuances of the game when they start umpiring for the first time. People who watch major league games may not think of the reasons major league players do certain things, but when watching children learning them or doing them, Babe Ruth umpires can often realize why major league players have certain habits ingrained in them.
Irate Parents and Coaches
There's an old saying that goes, "you can't please everyone." That saying is evident for many umpires at Babe Ruth level baseball games. Hearing parents yelling about a call or seeing coaches arguing a call is not for the thin-skinned. However, if a parent or a coach is being particularly abusive and the game hasn't ended, most supervisors will instruct umpires to eject the player or coach, then call in to report the coach's full name and explaining the situation. The league will then automatically suspend the coach for the next game.
However, if the coach is the only adult supervising a team, the Prince George's County Boys and Girls Club instructs its umpire to tell the coach, "Coach, I'm ejecting you from the game. Since you're the only adult watching the team, you can sit and watch the kids, but you can't coach them. If you do, I'm going to forfeit the game to the other team." However, if there are other adults or coaches and it's necessary to eject the coach, he or she must leave the field.
Speaking of Forfeits
There are a number of reasons that a game must be forfeited. One, a team may not have at least nine players available. In some high school baseball associations, a team can finish with eight players, but must start with nine. However, at the Babe Ruth level, teams must play with at least nine players at all times. Depending on the game time and whether there are other games on the schedule, teams may have a 15-minute grace period to get their ninth player to the field. If the game is the only one scheduled or the first game of the day, that grace period applies. However, if the game is the second, third, fourth, etc., the team must have at least nine players at the scheduled start time. Another reason for a forfeit is if a player gets ejected to drop the team's number of players below nine.
Umpiring is a thankless job, and it's one that some people may argue is not worth any amount of money. But for some people, umpiring allows them the opportunity to gain a new appreciation for baseball and to pocket some money while doing it.
