Umpire Gets Call to Work Olympics : Baseball: Jim Garman, a San Pedro resident, is one of two umpires from the United States selected to go to Barcelona.

In 18 years as an umpire, Jim Garman has had an opportunity to work at just about every level of competition.

He has worked community college and Pacific 10 Conference games and was a minor league umpire for four years, advancing to the double-A level. For 11 seasons, he has worked the NCAA Division I tournament and umpired two College World Series.

Garman, 36, has even had a chance to call balls and strikes at the major league level. He worked two games of the Dodger-Angel Freeway Series in April, 1991, when major league umpires were on strike.

About the only level Garman hasn’t umpired is the Olympics.

But that is about to change for the San Pedro resident, who is one of only two umpires to be selected to represent the United States at the upcoming Olympics in Barcelona.

For Garman, it is nothing short of a dream come true.

“Since I’ve done the College World Series and I don’t want to pursue umpiring professional baseball, this is the ultimate goal,” he said. “You work hard and long for something like this and it’s exciting when you achieve it.”

From Garman’s perspective, umpiring at the Summer Olympics is even more of an honor than having a chance to work in the major leagues.

“I think it’s at the top of the list because it comes around infrequently,” he said. “The College World Series was also a big thrill, but this is just a notch above.”

Garman and Dick Runchey of Detroit were chosen from more than 2,000 umpires who applied to the U.S. Baseball Federation. The federation is the sanctioning body for amateur baseball in the United States.

Garman said that candidates must be at least 35 years old, have attended a certified umpire school and passed an evaluation by the baseball federation based on ability on and off the field.

Although Garman has demonstrated his ability over the years, he was surprised when he learned in March that he would work the Olympics.

“I was stunned,” he said. “I was just tickled to death. I knew I had a leg up because of my background, but it’s still pretty long odds. With (baseball) being a medal sport for the first time, it makes it extra special.”

There is little doubt that Garman deserves the honor.

Dennis Poppe, the NCAA director of men’s championships, said Garman’s talent goes beyond the playing field.

“I’m not really knowledgeable about the mechanics of umpiring, but I do know that he’s a fine representative of his profession,” Poppe said. “He’s very personable but at the same time he always maintains his professionalism. He has great integrity and he’s extremely knowledgeable about his work.

“He has all of the abilities that you’d like to see from a representative of our country in an event like (the Olympics).”

Loyola Marymount baseball Coach Jody Robinson said Garman is one of the best umpires he has ever watched.

“When you get the list from (L.A. Region Commissioner of Umpires) Dale Williams of who’s going to work your game, there are always a few names who you look for,” Robinson said. “There’s a few good umpires in the area, but when you see the list and he’s on it, you know it’s going to go smoothly.

“When he umpires, he’s like the invisible man. You don’t even know he’s there.”

Garman said the fact that he speaks Spanish undoubtedly helped him in the selection process. The eight-team field for the Olympics includes Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain and the Dominican Republic.

“I took (Spanish) in school and I know it fairly well,” Garman said. “It really helps when it comes to arguments (on the field). Arguing on an international level takes on a whole new meaning. It’s a little different from umpiring a game at Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine or USC.”

Although umpiring at the Olympics is the fulfillment of a dream, Garman says the assignment will not be a vacation: He will work one or two games each day.

But Garman and his wife plan to stay in Spain for a week after the Olympics.

“We’re looking forward to it,” he said. “We’re leaving the kids behind and we’re going.”