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High school baseball umpires are asking themselves, “Is it worth it?”
If their answer is “no,” which is becoming a more common answer, then the next question is, “Will we have enough umpires to work non-varsity baseball games?”
The answer is “No.”
“We had 27 rookie umpires last season,” said Gary Gilman, coordinator of officials for the Orange County Baseball Officials Association. “Only nine are returning for this season.”
Gilman said exit interviews point to fan behavior as the major reason for the dropouts.
Search “youth sports out of control parents” and you will find hundreds of baseball videos.
It seems the closer fans are to the playing area and the officials, the worse the behavior. It kind of goes like this: football fans are sort of bad; basketball fans are bad; baseball fans are the worst.
High school baseball spectators are just a few feet from the home plate umpire’s ear, so the spectators feel more inclined to rip the umps. The football official on the other side of the field probably is less likely to hear the spectator rant.
Baseball spectators are annoyingly uninformed about rules like the strike zone or the balk. And every dad who was an assistant coach on his son’s T-ball team thinks he can manage the Angels.
When Gilman first started umpiring high school baseball in 1991 the association had more than 250 members.
“We open the season Feb. 15,” Gilman said, “and we have 140 umpires right now. How we’re going to get all these games covered is beyond me.”
Fan behavior is not the sole reason for the drop in umpire numbers. When the economy is struggling people search for income streams, and when the economy is strong, as it has been in recent years, people are less inclined to search for additional income. Also, college and community colleges hire away high school umpires.
Being an umpire is expensive, too. Gilman said uniforms, chest protector and mask and other game-related items usually total $700-$1,000. Varsity umpires make $83 a game each when it’s a crew of 2-4 officials, so it takes a while to cover that initial outlay for gear.
Fan behavior, though, Gilman is certain, is the top detriment to attracting and retaining high school baseball officials.
School athletic departments can help by having a staff member present at baseball games. When present, athletic administrators need to be active about stopping the verbal abuse of umpires.
Gilman has reached out to baseball coaches to help get fan behavior under control and to help recruit and retain baseball umpires.
Initial meetings for umpires for the 2020 season began this month. January is an important month for classroom instruction that is broken down by experience and expertise into seven classes and on-field training.
If you recently had your baseball playing days end, umpiring is a great way to stay involved and give back to the game. If you’re a recent retiree and you’re tired of walking the dog …
The first page of the CIF-SS constitution has a Code of Ethics that states: “IT IS THE DUTY OF ALL CONCERNED WITH HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS …” Yes, it is in capital letters in the book and includes this among the 10 directives: 4. To show cordial courtesy to visiting teams and officials; and 6. To respect the integrity and judgment of sports officials.
Put together 4 and 6 and Orange County will be 10 times more successful at recruiting and retaining umpires and at keeping high school baseball going strong.
Gilman can be reached at GaryUmpnRef@aol.com.
AROUND THE COUNTY
• The NCAA Division I football letter of intent three-day signing period begins Wednesday, which is going to be called “Signing Day” all over the sports networks and websites. Until recently, the only football signing period started in early February and lasted a couple of months. That period still exists: Feb.5-April 1 for Division I, Feb. 5-Aug. 1 for Division II. The early period, though, that starts on the third Wednesday of December has caught on. Last year, only 17 of the top 100 recruits in the nation did not sign during December signing period.
• Letter of intent signing dates are here.
• JSerra senior Anthony Grover achieved All-America status at the Nike Cross Nationals on Saturday in Portland, Ore., by finishing 21st in the meet despite taking a tumble in the second half of the 3.1-mile course. His time was 15 minutes, 33 seconds. Newbury Park’s Nico Young, who dominated Southern California boys cross country all season, was first at 14:52.
• Esperanza senior wrestler Aaron Nagao is ranked No. 1 in the state at 138 pounds by TheCaliforniaWrestler.com. Servite senior Josh Medina is No. 3 in that weight class. Other O.C. wrestlers in the top three in their divisions: Max Wilner, Fountain Valley junior, No. 2 at 170; and Tristen Wilson, Servite senior, No. 3 at 195.
