Laguna Niguel Ump Has Role of a Lifetime

Frank Robinson has had his own cheering section of a dozen friends and relatives as he’s taken the field at the Little League World Series this week.

He’s not one of the 113 boys from four U.S. states and four other countries playing in the tournament at Williamsport, Pa. At 64, he’s more than five times their average age. Instead, the Laguna Niguel man is one of the volunteers the 11- and 12-year-old players will rely on to call the game fairly.

Robinson has been a Little League umpire for 30 years, ever since the official assigned to his son’s game was a no-show and he agreed to fill in. This year, Robinson was chosen as one of a dozen umpires to go to the Series, an honor that is bestowed only once.

“I never thought I’d make it after all of these years,” Robinson said Monday, playing spectator as the Cypress Federal all-stars took on the Eastern Region champions from New Jersey. “It’s a big deal to get here. I can’t tell you how flattering it is.”

He had little time to reflect on the experience, though. Through a random draw, Robinson wound up behind the plate Sunday for what became the longest Little League World Series game in history: three hours and 11 minutes.

Despite several tense moments and a few jeers from fans, Robinson said he felt good about his calls and even managed to have a little fun, dancing with the Little League mascot during one break between innings.

Said Mary Robinson, the umpire’s wife of 40 years: “He had a ball. I mean, what a way to get initiated, right smack in the longest game ever.”

Robinson’s cheering squad includes three daughters, two sons, assorted in-laws and several co-workers from Allied Signal Aerospace Co. in Torrance, where he is an engineering program manager. Like Robinson, his guests had to pay their own way to the Series, though they had six months’ notice to make arrangements.

There was never a question about whether they would go, Mary Robinson said.

“That was a given,” she said. “This is just all too much.”

The umpire said knowing that his friends and family were in the stands gave him confidence, though he insisted that he has never had a bad Little League experience.

“People think it’s stressful being out there, but I find it relaxing,” he said. “That’s why I’ve done it for so long. It’s relief from your worries. It’s baseball and kids and dreams. What could be better?”