It seems that every year about this time, I write a column asking for men and women to come forward and do something really special. I ask them to consider becoming a baseball or softball umpire on the middle and high school level. In the past couple of years the number has dwindled to the point that games have been played with just one umpire, and in a few sad cases games were not played at all because no one was available to officiate.
Don't get into the officiating field if you just want the money.
While the money will eventually turn you a small, meager profit after you pay your fees and buy equipment, it is not great. And on some days after dealing with difficult coaches and/or parents you will ask yourself, "Now why am I doing this?"
Officiating is just like a lot of other noble professions. It is a "calling" Toss the pay aside......you have an opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of young men and women each and every time you step on the field. That's why it's such a fine and noble thing to do. I know there are quite a few people who get into the field for the wrong reasons. A chance to be powerful and in charge; a way to sooth a person's ego. Or there are some guys who try to get as many games as they can just to make the money. Both those reasons are the wrong reasons.
Not all these kids see playing baseball or softball as a way to get a scholarship or make it to the big leagues. Most of them, in fact a very large percentage, see playing a spring time sport as a chance to avoid going home to abusive parents. They come to school for the very same reason. School, then the baseball field becomes a "safe haven" for them. If it's not abusive parents, it's a cold, dark house where the only parent is at work; usually at a second job just to make ends meet. You will have an opportunity to make those kids have a better day, with a chance to be a good, positive influence on their lives.
I encourage you to find an association to join. You know who you are.....a former player or coach who still loves the game or a lifelong fan who knows most of the rules already. You are the ones we're looking for. You still have time to get involved before the season starts. The regular season begins for middle and high schools in Tennessee on March 13th. Umpires in the Chattanooga TSSAA Umpires Association have been meeting since January 9th. We'll be meeting again this Monday night at Notre Dame High School at 6:00 and we would love to see a few new faces there.
As I mentioned, officiating is a "calling." And I am personally calling you to step up and join a brotherhood that will support you and have your back at every turn. Men and, yes women too......all in this together for a good cause. There is nothing more honorable than when you step up and become a part of a young person's life in a positive way!
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for 30 years. He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga Television for more than a quarter-century. In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, (Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith.) They have five grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, Mattingly, DellaMae, and CoraLee.