Safe!!

Tim got his start officiating in 1999 when his son was in his first year of Little League. After his first game behind the “dish”, not only was he accused of not knowing the rules, he quickly understood that there is a lot more to calling balls, strikes, safes, and outs! By his second year, he was hooked, volunteering as Chief Umpire for Olive Little League which allowed him to attend clinics offered by Little League in San Bernardino. Tim and his wife, Cassie, were blessed with their second son who also loved baseball. Both boys also got involved in umpiring, which provided an opportunity for all three of them to work games together throughout the years.

 In 2011, Tim joined OCBOA (Orange County Baseball Official Association), a brotherhood of approximately 160 umpires that provide their officiating services for high schools in Orange County. The Umpire community is struggling (like other sports official groups) to retain umpires and encourage new umpires to join. (Rob thinks the decline is possibly due to many parents that think they know how to call games better than an umpire.)  Once again, due to Tim’s love of the game, he was selected to be a part of a recruiting video produced by Fox Sports. You can watch it here (Tim speaks at 2:35 in the video).

Remember, Tim has a full time job Monday-Friday 8-5. There are over 3,000 games with over 4,000 positions to fill among 163 umpires. Keep in mind that varsity games provide two to three umpires per game (depending on the league), while the other divisions typically devote only one. Mix a little rain into the equation and you can imagine the headaches endured by the one individual who assigns all those games!  Tim clearly has an understanding family and boss! It is a big personal commitment being a high school umpire. Tim can spend four to five hours at any one game. Gear? That’s their own responsibility and financial resources to obtain. Tim estimates it takes 10 games just to break even on costs. 

Wanting to push himself to the next level, Tim attended his first umpire camp since his Little League days and had an absolute blast! Each instructor provided positive and constructive criticism to help all the umpires improve. The camp even provided an opportunity to work Division 2 and 3 College level games! Everything moves faster as you move up levels. Tim did so well that he was hired to officiate games in three Junior College Conferences this year.  Working at the JC level has increased Tim’s knowledge and his respect for umpires at that level. He did so well that he was also selected to do a Junior College Regional Series in Orange County. He was honored to be involved and had a great experience in his own backyard. 

Tim acknowledges the seriousness of these games where it involves the livelihoods of the coaches and their staff as their employment could be based on the win/loss records etc.

There are some games where Tim can have a few laughs with the players and coaches, and there are others where not everyone agrees. It’s those tougher days when a little extra patience is needed to focus and get through the game. Tim has had less than 10 ejections in his career and most of those were mandatory player ejections due to malicious contact with the umpire.

Tim turned 60 this year and he told Cassie, (his lovely and supporting wife) that he will continue to officiate as long he physically can. Tim says, “I enjoy the camaraderie with the fellow umpires. It’s a fun way to keep in shape, and why not make a few bucks for a hobby that I enjoy?”  Remember, Tim has a full time job and while he’s paid to umpire, its really the passion for the game that keep’s him going.

Thanks Tim, for your commitment to the game of baseball and for sharing with us! Who knows, maybe we’ll see you in the Big Leagues!