The Umps and Downs : Forget the Eye Doctor Jokes, Bad Pay, Nasty Parents, Confused Kids

When William Smith sets foot on a baseball diamond, he knows he’s not going to hear any cheers from the crowd. He’s aware that as soon as he opens his mouth, there will almost certainly be somebody ready to disagree. And when the ball game is over, he knows that the better his performance, the fewer the number of people who will want to talk to him.

That notwithstanding, the 22-year-old San Fernando man shows up every week to umpire 10 to 12 games for Little League baseball. While everyone else on the field is dreaming about home runs and stolen bases, he’s thinking about strike zones and runners passing each other on the base paths. While spectators are devouring hot dogs and sipping cold soft drinks, he’s swallowing dust and listening to a barrage of inquiries regarding the last time he visited an optometrist.

Smith, who usually calls games at Granada Hills Recreation Center, is one of a few hundred people in the Valley who endure modest pay, ornery parents and confused youngsters to make sure there’s order in the universe when it comes to youth sports.

“Basically, it’s a lot of fun,” Smith said. “I like working with kids, and it offers a different perspective than playing or coaching. But there is definitely a lot of pressure.”

Added umpire Marc Blander, a senior at Granada Hills High: “I’ve always liked baseball. I’m not the greatest player, but it’s fun to be around the game. It’s also nice to help out the kids.”

Of course, umpiring tots and teens in Granada Hills or Encino is a long way from the plush confines of Dodger Stadium, where a crew of four calls a game. On the pint-size circuit, it’s usually one or two officials watching over the entire scene. And while those umpires don’t have to worry about 45,000 screaming fans throwing debris out of the stands, as thankless jobs go this one ranks pretty high on the list.

Those who officiate youth leagues generally earn $8 to $16 a game, depending on the sport and the level of play. During a year, that can work out to anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. They must buy their own uniforms and equipment, which can run a few hundred dollars, and pass written and practical exams.

Blander first made his pitch for umpiring about two years ago.

“It’s something I have always wanted to do. It just seemed like a great job.” So, after learning the ropes at a class offered by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, he was sent out on his first assignment: to call a few games with another umpire before striking out on his own. It all seemed easy enough, and Blander was soon calling Tee-Ball and tot games.

Foul Behavior

But it didn’t take long before he learned there’s a good deal of politics that comes with the territory. “I caught a lot of flak at first because I was so young and inexperienced,” he explained. “Some of the parents and coaches really tried to intimidate me.”

Foul behavior is something all who officiate youth leagues put up with. “You get used to people making comments and saying dumb things,” Smith said. “You can’t let it affect you or you don’t last very long.”

Willie Moch, 39, who has officiated both youth and adult leagues, most recently in Encino, agreed. “Sometimes they test you. The parents want to see what they can get away with. They try to get you rattled.”

On one occasion, a woman in the stands kept peppering him with insults throughout the game. “She’d say: ‘Open your eyes and take a look. Why don’t you get a little closer, ump? I know a good eye doctor.’ By the end of the game it was really getting on my nerves, then she followed me out to my car and kept going on and on.”

Even as he drove away Moch could see the woman flapping her mouth in the rear-view mirror.

For a few days, Moch began to doubt his own ability, but after talking to other officials, he discovered the woman was well-known for her antics. She did the same thing to every other umpire.

Breaking Point

Jim Bullock, who is chief of officials for Burbank Parks and Recreation, has seen it all. During the six years he has been calling games, he’s seen umpires punched and kicked by players, parents come out of the stands and verbally assault an official in front of hundreds of spectators, he’s even watched entire teams run at an umpire when a call is in question. Occasionally, things reach a breaking point.

“Sometimes, if it gets bad enough, you just have to walk off the field. People don’t realize umpires are human too. They may have had a bad day at work, and are in no mood to listen to all the abuse.”

Bullock has had umpires quit on the spot, though he says it usually happens only once or twice a year. “The frustration level sometimes reaches a breaking point. Especially when people are verbally assaulting you in a very personal way.”

What attracts reasonably sane individuals to such an insane line of work?

“Initially, I got into umpiring after managing a Little League team. I thought I could do better,” Moch admitted.

Said Smith: “Believe it or not, it really is fun most of the time.”

All agree that officiating youth leagues is far more difficult than adults, however. As Moch put it: “One of the problems with kids is no matter what you anticipate, they’ll do just the opposite. Sometimes it gets pretty crazy out there, and you’re right in the middle of it. You really have to be paying attention every second because a lot of them don’t know what they are doing.”

Bewildering Task

Added Bullock: “The kids on the team are telling them to do one thing, the parents another, and the coach something else. They tend to get real confused.”

Indeed, trying to sort out events can at times be a bewildering task. It’s not uncommon for a youngster to run past a teammate on the base paths or throw a ball into the stands while trying to nail a runner at home plate. And while all this is going on, several other players are sometimes running around aimlessly, while parents and coaches are busy yelling. Of course, it’s up to the ump not to let anything slide.

“People get upset with your calls and think that because they’re just kids you should give them a break,” Moch said. “They don’t read the rule book, they don’t understand the rule book. We have to go by the rules.”

And what happens when an umpire does make a mistake? “Even if you are wrong, you have to act like you were right. If you admit to a coach you made a bad call, you’ll hear about it forever,” Smith said.