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The umpire is quite possibly the toughest job in Little League. Harder than manager. Harder than team mom. (AP Photo/File)

The most hated man on the Little League field: The umpire

BY Chris Sullivan  on February 28, 2013 @ 5:25 am (Updated: 8:47 am - 2/28/13 )

A lot of you are about to head out to your kids' first Little League games of the season. As you sit in the stands hoping your son or daughter gets a hit or makes a great catch and dreams of college scholarships dance in your heads, you probably never think twice about the man in blue. The game manager, crowd controller and rule enforcer. The guy no one notices until he screws up.

The umpire.

It's quite possibly the toughest job in Little League. Harder than manager. Harder than team mom.

Most umpires get their start by being pulled out of the stands and being volunteered by their coaches because there wouldn't be a game without them. That's kind of how Tony MacKay first ended-up behind the plate. He put on the mask once he stopped coaching his daughter. Now, he's the umpire in chief for Mill Creek Little League.

Making the calls isn't the toughest part. Being in the right spot isn't the toughest spot. It's learning to deal with the moms and the dads and the coaches that seem to forget you're a volunteer.

"I don't think about the abuse people send my way," said MacKay. "I figure it's just what they think is part of being a fan or part of being a manager. Many fans like to dispute every call you have."

MacKay remembers one game in particular where a mom was riding him on every pitch.

"I went back through the screen and asked her if the seat beside her was empty, available," he said. "She looked at me a little bit confused, and she said 'Yes it is.' Of course, my response at that point was, 'Good. I'll be over there to sit beside you because it sounds like you have a great view of the strike zone from there.'"

Even though MacKay knows he probably shouldn't have confronted her, the mom shut up.

One of my big concerns as a first time majors coach is how to avoid being ejected for getting a little too emotional during games. MacKay made it pretty clear. Swearing will get me tossed. So will any phrase that starts with the word "you" and ends with an insult.

"You are the worst ever," said MacKay. "You are blind. You are an idiot. Those are all quick ways to get ejected."

Now, he will give most managers a final chance. He usually asks managers if they really want to get ejected, though one time it backfired.

"The coach said 'Yes it's my wife's birthday, and I'd like to get home,'" he said. MacKay said he wasn't ready for that answer, but "I let him go," he joked.

Until I took a four hour umpire's clinic this week, I had no idea what they did, besides call balls and strikes and interpret more convoluted rules than our current tax code. They move a lot. They have to make sure they're in the right spot and avoid the players. They are doing their best. They want to be right. They're not out to screw us or our teams.

"A good player is unsuccessful seven times out of ten," MacKay said. "A good coach will be happy if he calls a steal that is successful 60 percent of the time. With an umpire, if we make two errors in our 100 to 150 judgement decisions within a game, that's a bad game."

But before you give these volunteers too much sympathy they do have the best seat in the house. When they do blow a call, the entire crowd isn't yelling at them. Half of the crowd is happy.

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
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Comments (5)


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  • Seattle Dad wrote...
    Good Luck Chris
    February 28, 2013 6:57 am
    I found my two years of umpiring to be very rewarding. While dealing with coaches and parents wasn't too bad. Trying to crouch behind catchers who had almost no ability to catch a baseball was something to get use to. You'll find that having a catcher who can keep you from becoming the backstop is a hidden blessing.
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  • mnpat wrote...
    I had the pleasure of being an umpire for over 25 years as a volunteer and paid official.,
    February 28, 2013 9:18 am
    Never really had any issues to speak of but more than enough stories to tell. Most attendees where more than happy to hear the rules discussed when in question, most of the players were more than repsectful as long as they saw you giving them your best. It's all about consistancy and being in the right place and finally, enjoying the game. Most questioned ruling has always been the intricacies of the "Infield fly rule". Best advise I could ever give, understand the role, show up in the correct attire, go to clinics, watch the play develop and see it through to the conclusion before you make a call. Never call an out unless you see the out......and show some respect for the participants, coaches, managers, and give the parents the benifit of the doubt.
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  • The Dude Abides wrote...
    This story is right in my strike zone
    February 28, 2013 9:31 am
    I umpired little league and high school for a couple years, and I totally feel for the men in blue. There's a lot more work put into the gig than most people realize, and not a whole lot of praise for it. It's really a great feeling, though, to get complimented on calling a good game from players and coaches, even if the moms and dads don't tend to agree. Ever since I started umpiring, I have gained a totally new appreciation for officials in general. Whenever there's a game on, and there's a controversial call, I'm always on the side of the umps/refs, even if the call goes against my team. I respect what these people do, and I hope all you parents out there learn to show them the respect they deserve, even if you disagree with them. We all know that's not going to happen, though.
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  • flipper wrote...
    From Experience
    February 28, 2013 10:55 am
    Chris, I was an Umpire when I was 16 years old for the 8-10 year old league. The worst (best?) time I had was throwing out of the game one of my Dad's best friends (who was also one of my former coaches) for arguing balls and strikes (I gave him 3 chances). Razzing the ump is a cherished part of baseball. That being said, parents living vicariously through their kids can be real jerks. Get Ready.
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  • maplefish wrote...
    Sea Dad, mnpat, dude& flipper
    March 2, 2013 10:17 am
    THANKS for your time and dedication to kids & the game. Having coached and umpired I've shared your experiences, I only had few "bad" parents or coaches. It was when I umped little kids (6-8) that the parents were, say, more emotional and over-protective. They were some of the bet days of my life.
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