Let’s Meet District 42’s Men In Blue

(Little League umpires scheduled to work the upcoming all-volunteer California District 42 tournament, from left to right: Sam Aleman, Louis Ramirez, Ed Lopez, Frank Ramirez, David Shepherd, Steve Loa, Adam Diaz, Bill Rindone. Unless otherwise noted, all photos published within this article courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)

I keep a soft spot in my heart for Little League umpires. You see, a long time ago, Rabbi Rabbs served a tour of duty as a youth baseball league ump. True story. As I wrote in My Two Shekels: Little League’s Little Problem: “I never, and I mean never, argue against them, nor heckle them even the slightest. I know what it is like to be them. They deserve better than being screamed at and argued against, even when they make horrible calls … Those are not Major League Baseball umps that get paid big bucks, so please be respectful to them. Do it for Rabbi Rabbs.”

Volunteer umpires deserve and will never truly receive the thanks and attention they earned. Hopefully, this article will help change that. At least for California District 42. For starters, “District 42 umpires are very professional, kind, caring, and are all about the kids,” according to Will Bleisch, manager of Chula Vista’s 2018 Park View Little League all-stars team. “They volunteer their time, and are not given enough credit for the positive impact they make on the game.”

District 42 umpires volunteer.

Bleisch might know best. His team captured last year’s district title, and then won the Southern California Section 7 tournament held at Chula Vista American Little League in Chula Vista. District 42 umpires worked every game Park View played in becoming section champions. With that introduction, let us meet some dedicated volunteers who umpire at that district’s ballparks, and will work upcoming 2019 tournament games held in the South San Diego County area.

District 42’s men in blue do the job for different reasons. Some wish to give back to the community, some want to mentor young people, and some get coerced by league officials. I found after speaking with several of the district’s umpires seated together with me last month inside an office room at Chula Vista American that each of the volunteers share one reason in common. They ump because they possess a strong passion for baseball. In fact, most of them are fathers whose children already outgrew Little League. But, those dedicated dads continue their volunteer service. Perhaps David Shepherd, whom I had the great pleasure of meeting during last summer’s tournament action, and consider a friend, summed it most succinctly.

Best seat in the house.

As an umpire, “I’ve got the best seat in the house,” the longtime Chula Vista American ump, whom that league lists on its web site as the “Rules/Umpire consultant”, told this CaliSports News writer. Shepherd’s colleagues in the room, including Bill Rindone, echoed that sentiment.

“I just love being on the field” with the teams, Rindone, who serves as Park View’s chief umpire, said during the CSN-exclusive press conference. Sam Aleman who calls balls and strikes at Luckie Waller Little League in South San Diego, where he also serves as equipment manager and vice president of baseball, described the district all-stars tournaments as a special thrill.

An adrenaline rush.

“I get into a mindset. I walk onto the field, and I get an adrenaline rush. It’s a lot of fun,” Aleman told CSN. He described the feeling as being “in a zone”. Steve Loa, District 42’s director of umpires, shared Aleman’s sentiment. “I get a kick out of the adrenaline,” Loa said. Of the four umpires mentioned so far in this article (Shepherd, Rindone, Aleman, and Loa), Bleisch told CSN that he personally knows each of them, and “they are all great on and off the field.”

Park View’s 2018 manager continued: “You can contest a call without fear of being thrown out of the game, because they are patient and know the rules, and don’t take things personally.”

Ward Lannom, who managed Bonita’s Sweetwater Valley Little League team that competed in the 2015 Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA., admitted he is a bit less familiar with District 42’s men in blue. That is because Sweetwater Valley hires its own umpires for regular season games. Thus, SVLL managers only encounter district volunteer umps during post-season tournaments. However, Lannom told CSN that two District 42 umpires in particular, Shepherd and Loa, stand out in the manager’s mind. Lannom offered high praise for both.

Seasoned veteran umpires.

“You can tell those two are seasoned,” Sweetwater Valley’s manager said. “They’ve been around, and call a good game. I think they’ve done more of my games in all-stars and tournaments than have any of the other umps. That’s why I remember them the most. They’ve done a respectable job, and the same goes for most of District 42’s umpires.”

Both managers mentioned the importance of knowing the rules. Yeah. Along with passion for the game comes the volunteers’ shared obsession with mastering its rules. Rindone elaborated.

“As I listened to other umpires share around the room, I realized we all have something else in common in that we like to learn the rules, practice out on the field, and then teach others what we learned,” Rindone told CSN. “That brings joy and purpose to us. We heard how even in the room today, there were a few products of mentoring and teaching others who are now umpiring and teaching others, too. Basically, what we share in common is that we like to teach.”

For District 42’s men in blue, teaching and mastering rules presents quite a challenge, as Little League offers a million of its own complex rules to digest. There are pro baseball rules, and then there is a whole other world of laws unique to the Little League organization. Trust me. I feel as if each game I attend presents a brand new twist, invariably involving intricacies in a lineup card.

Master the rules.

By the way, times those twists by seven at what is termed as travel ball. Last month, I attended a youth baseball tournament, and apparently, their teams’ batting orders expanded from the normal nine-batter rotation to include entire rosters. I reached that conclusion only because after the 11th batter, we returned to the top of a team’s lineup. In addition, I still cannot wrap my head around all of the contrived pinch-runner rules, and that applies also to Little League. I suppose my confusion occurs because Rabbi Rabbs is a traditionalist. I grew up in an era when amateur baseball more closely followed rules set by professional leagues. In my mind, any player that gets replaced by a pinch runner, pinch hitter, or a fielder cannot return to a game. Plus, to me, once a player establishes a spot in a batting order, they cannot pinch run in another spot. Am I alone on all of that? Let me know by leaving a comment. Meanwhile, getting back on topic:

Frank Ramirez, a fixture behind the plate since 1993 at Luckie Waller, where he taught the art of the ump to Aleman, among others, expounded on his love for the game, and interest in its rules.

Never boring.

“It’s never boring no matter how long I’ve been doing it,” Ramirez said. “Of all the hobbies I’ve done, umpiring gives me the most pleasure. I like the decision-making and controlling the field. For me, I read the rule book as if I were reading the Bible. I started as an umpire not knowing jack about the rules. I didn’t even know what RBI stood for. But I got into it, and I paid to attend a week-long umpire school. That was such a blessing. I came back so excited.” Shepherd also attended that school, and described it as “one of the best week-long resorts I’ve ever been to.”

Loa provided further reasons why he loves his job. “I have gone around the country to various umpire conferences where I make so many friends forever with other umpires.” He added: “We all have our own unique story, but the nice thing is that stories are created every day, and memories we make can last a lifetime. Yes, there’s lots to be said when people see each other, but it’s what happens on the field that makes the umpire experience so much more to talk about.”

Thank you, Mr. Director!

The district’s director of umpires deserves special credit for making this article possible. Loa organized CSN’s press conference. Big thanks, Mr. Director! Loa served in many volunteer roles. Four years ago, in addition to his duties for the district, Loa simultaneously served as both Luckie Waller’s president and chief ump. Yes, he held three positions concurrently. Loa puts us all to shame. Also, together with his wife Linda, the Loas started Luckie Waller’s softball program.

Serving the community drew Adam Diaz to volunteer as a man in blue. The district umpire who doubles as the chief ump and scorekeeper for South Bay Little League in Chula Vista told CaliSports News that he enjoys “mentoring, being there for kids. Really, just helping out.”

Umpires give back to the community.

Similar motives attracted Ed Lopez, Chula Vista American’s chief umpire. “The selflessness of volunteering, serving the youth of the community, sharing values, giving back, setting a good example, providing mentorship. It’s an extension of who I am,” he told CSN. Lopez boasts a somewhat unique story. In addition to being one of only two people to possess a key to his league’s parking lot (I got locked out until Lopez arrived with his key), he is a cop. For real. Lopez serves as a detective for the San Diego Police Department. That deserves a high-five.

“Ed’s got core values. He’s got everything you look for in an umpire,” Shepherd said about his Chula Vista American colleague. Shepherd shared with CaliSports News that during one game, Lopez acted as a first responder, and ran from the field into the bleachers behind home plate to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on an elderly spectator. “Ed saved that old man’s life.”

Difficult job.

Sometimes youth baseball needs a cop. Sadly, as I wrote in My Two Shekels, a team’s manager once assaulted me while I worked as a first base umpire. I believe that manager knew he would not face repercussions. Having Detective Lopez on a field hopefully prevents such situations.

My negative experience was unfortunately not unique. I might estimate that 99.99 percent of adults involved in youth sports never pose a problem. However, a tiny minority of parents often act ridiculously. They ruin everything for the rest of us. Louis Ramirez (no relation to Frank) concurred. The longtime umpire experienced similar incidents at Luckie Waller.

“I’ve had to throw three managers out. One got expelled from the league,” Louis recalled during his interview with CaliSports News. “In one game, an entire bench of spectators threatened to kick my ass. I go over there and say ‘I’m going to call balls and strikes from here since you obviously have a better view’. They didn’t shut up all the way, but calmed down a bit.”

Shepherd, on the other hand, has enjoyed a different experience. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have had very few incidents with parents,” the umpire since 2004 told CSN. He continued:

Teaching children.

“We are sharing values with children, and using baseball as a tool, and a venue to achieve that end. We are here to develop kids with mutual respect. Coaches and managers are here to do a job, umpires are here to do a job. We shake hands before the game. We’re in this together. We’re in show business. In my book, umpires are the third team. When we bring our ‘A’ game, there is nothing better. When we walk off, no one says anything except ‘thanks blue.'”

Shepherd’s approach seems to work. When I showed the above photo to Lindsey Peck, mother of the young base runner, her immediate reaction was, and I quote: “Love those umps!”

Let’s play ball!

The camaraderie between the umpires and the players. Their mid-game conversations. The yearning to be part of the action. All of that reminds me of what former MLB Umpire Ron Luciano wrote in The Umpire Strikes Back, which I read in the early 1980’s. In his book, Luciano shared his experiences calling balls and strikes while conversing with catchers and batters. Strikes Back is a fun and easy read filled with wonderful anecdotes. I got a big kick out of it. I highly recommend that book to all baseball fans, especially those my age that watched Rod Carew and Nolan Ryan. Luciano wrote memorable one-liners describing his experiences working with them.

Back to business. Umpiring is not all fun and games. Shepherd described the job as a “grind from mid-June to the end of July”. Between Tournament Of Champions and all-stars at the various age levels, Shepherd estimated that each of the district’s umpires will work 25 games during that short span. Such a schedule presents a challenge to those working full-time jobs elsewhere. Shepherd explained that scheduling crunch happens due to a shortage of umpires.

Looking for a few good men.

So, hey, Little League always welcomes volunteers. If anyone reading this article believes they might have within themselves what it takes to join the blue team, I say go for it. Sign up to serve as an umpire. I have done it. So can you. Do it for my friend Dave. He’s practically my family. Heck, Shepherd sent his kids to the same universities that I attended: UCLA and Northwestern.

On that note, CaliSports News’ press conference included a young man that recently took the plunge and volunteered to join Team Blue. Sebastian Ortiz debuted this season at South Bay under Diaz’s tutelage. The 19-year-old played for the 2015 freshman baseball team at Chula Vista’s Bonita Vista High School, and wanted to keep his “future in baseball alive.”

“One avenue I didn’t see coming was umpiring, and now I love it,” Ortiz told CSN. In fact, the rookie announced he wants to try a five-week professional umpire training school in Florida.

Second-best seat in the house.

Lastly, I must comment on what Shepherd said about enjoying the best seat in the house. To me, that is a significant choice of words. In 3-Headed Monster & Slayer, D42 Semis Set, I wrote: “I have the best job in the whole wide world. I even got to arrive late to a game with a crowd the size of a rock concert, but yet, still sat in the best seat in the ballpark right behind home plate in the taped off section for reporters and district officials. It does not get any better than that.”

According to Shepherd, Ortiz, and their colleagues, apparently it does. It does get better than sitting in the special reserved section for reporters and officials. Because, the best seat in the house belongs to the umpires standing on the field itself. Yep. The men in blue are correct.

In fact, check this out. That game I referenced last year that attracted a gigantic crowd reminiscent of Woodstock was played between Park View and its Chula Vista rival Eastlake Little League. The match hosted the largest crowd I have ever seen attend a neighborhood baseball game. It may not be exaggerating to say more than 1,000 Chula Vistans showed up to support their local teams. The joint was jumping. Loud. Intense. Well, guess what? Shepherd worked behind the plate during that event. I admit, Dave’s seat for that performance could not be beat.

Show respect for umpires.

But, Shepherd worked hard for it, as do all volunteer umpires, regardless of the district for which they work. They allow others’ children opportunities to have fun, grow, and improve skills. Umps do so while asking for and receiving from us very little in return. As the tournaments approach, please show respect for the men in blue. Do it for Rabbi Rabbs. And those are my two shekels.

I hope you enjoyed my feature on umpires. Next week, I shall analyze teams competing in the upcoming District 42 all-stars tournament. My article will include insights shared from various sources. You do not want to miss that. Stay tuned !! Until then, Let’s Go SoCal !!

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Finally, a big CaliSports News thank you to Girls Play Baseball !! That web site re-posted my prior article, SoCal Little League Tournaments Return on its blog. Check it out. CSN thanks everyone that shares our articles. As Chula Vistans say, teamwork makes the dream work.

And with that, I shall sign off with the photo below, in which I held a game ball that Shepherd awarded to me. That ball recorded the final out in a 2018 Section 7 tournament match.

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