From player to manager to umpire

After we lost Bobby Tune as our manager, Steve Williams took over but, because of his work commitments, he had to step aside soon after. It was then that I was given the opportunity to run the team.

We were holding our own during Steve’s reign and I really didn’t have much to do. We still had the likes of Chris Gee, Rob Alger, Rob Orme, Rob Nesbitt, and a few rookies including Rob Alger’s son, Alan. This was a solid team and we ended up winning the Northwest league that year.

The following year was my last year as a player/manager. The man who used to umpire our home games Tommy Roddick had stepped down due to ill heath. This left us in a sticky situation as we could not afford to pay for an umpire to travel to our games at home so being the oldest, and a “yank” the team decide I should umpire. Having been a catcher I was used to working behind the plate so I was not hesitant about that part, the part I had to get used to was dealing with players and coaches that I once played with.

The first game I umpired I had Chris Gee coaching at 3rd base. I thought I was doing a good job calling balls and strikes, not a grumble from the batters anyway. Despite this, Chris was on my case the whole game. I warned him on numerous occasions, but he still carried on, so in the end I tossed him from the game. He was more than surprised but left quietly. Afterwards in the bar we had a good laugh about it. He said to me “I really didn’t think you would toss me”. This was to be beginning of my long and enjoyable career as an umpire.   

Steve Williams had decided to stop playing after his stint as manager, so I talked him into becoming an umpire. He knew just as much about the rules as I did and I thought he would make a great umpire. This proved to very much be the case.

In his second season as an umpire, I was asked by Ed Edsall, the commissioner of ABUA-GB, if I would like to umpire in the Pony League World series in PA, as he knew I was from there. I was honoured but, as it fell on the weekend of my son’s wedding, I was not able to go so I suggested he asked Steve.

Steve was delighted and got to gain a vast amount of experience while working with umpires from lots of different countries. When he returned, he and I started to work games together and we became a great umpiring team. I think what made him more enjoy umpiring was he and I were picked to work the British Baseball Championships in Brighton at the end of our first season.

As for me, well the best was yet to come. I only wanted to umpire the Trojans home games at first, and not to travel to other grounds. Somehow though, the word got around to other teams and I was asked to umpire in Manchester, Halton, and as far north as Edinburgh in Scotland, so much for part time umpiring! I was even elected to the board of ABUA-GB the governing body of BBF baseball for umpires. What else could happen in my umpire career?