What’s it Take?

By Mike Painter

I’m sitting at home on a Saturday morning and it’s raining, but I am blessed. I have a great job, a
fantastic family, terrific friends, and I have a lot of fun in my spare time as an umpire. I humbly
appreciate the comments that some of you have afforded me by recognizing that I may be one of
those that are “moving up” in the umpiring world. I author this article because some of you have
asked, “What do you do”? You’d have to ask those that have afforded me the opportunities to
get the correct answer, but I do have some observations that may help answer that important
question. I write this article to share those observations in a respectful and informative way.

Clearly, “moving up” is more than just being able to consistently and accurately call the Big 6;
balls/strikes, out/safe, fair/foul. It’s about being able to do those things well and possessing a
desire to aim high and endure personal sacrifice to obtain your goals. There is no question that
merely asking for the big assignment is not going to make it happen. You must do more. As I
run through my observations, ask yourself where you line up in these areas and you will
probably answer the question of whether you are in position to “move up” as an umpire.

Game understanding: I entered umpiring after coaching select fastpitch starting in 1996. I’ve
taken three youth teams to ASA “A” Nationals, a High School team to the 4A State
Championships, and have had the opportunity to see some great softball officials both locally, in
Canada, and across America. But coaching is a piece of cake compared to getting on the field in
blue. As a student of the game of softball I clearly understand that the top tier of umpires
instinctively understands the game and many of the very best are former athletes and/or softball
players. The ability to anticipate plays or problems is essential to game management. Those with
experience and superior intuition understand the game the best.

Appearance and Bearing: From 1996-1999 I was Commander of the Washington State Police
Academy. In law enforcement we place considerable emphasis on appearance and the elusive
commodity called “bearing” or “presence” with new recruits. Unfortunately, professional
bearing is extremely difficult to teach because the attribute is supported by maturity, confidence,
and non verbal communication. When it comes to appearance my estimate is that maybe 30% of
umpires are truly attentive to how they look when taking the field. Like it or not we are judged
within minutes by coaches and players, largely based on our appearance and how we carry
ourselves. I’ve asked several of the local ASA Elite umpires what it takes to move from a good
umpire to a great umpire. Consistently they have all said the separator is game management.
Appearance and bearing is definitely the starting point of game management.

Fitness: I won’t spend a lot of time on this topic as it speaks for itself and is underscored by a
comment made by one of our fellow SMSUA umpires. Last year at the National School I had
the opportunity to talk with this fellow who had recently attended one of the Major League
Umpire schools in Florida. He mentioned that following the unfortunate and sudden death of
Tom McSherry (a very big person), today your chances of making the Major League umpiring
ranks as a “big boy” are virtually non existent. Nobody wants to talk about it, but the reality is
that fitness is vital to successful umpiring and particularly to “moving up” in the umpiring ranks.
When we move up to the higher levels we are officiating elite athletes. I’m told that those who
make the decision for softball umpires to “move up” feel that the official’s fitness level should
attempt to mirror the athletes they are officiating. This is a tough situation, but look around. If
appearance, bearing, and fitness are important to “moving up”, the crop of eligible umpires in
our midst has been narrowed to about 10% of those who are available and interested.

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In the first segment of this article I covered the components of Game Understanding, Appearance
and Bearing, and Fitness as important aspects to consider if you desire to “move up” in umpiring.

The last two areas are the final, and arguably the most important attributes to ponder if you are
serious about “moving up”. They are, what I believe, cut the crop from about 10% to less than
1% of most umpires who aspire to the top levels of softball umpiring.

Investment: How much do you invest in education and self improvement? I attended a variety
of significant schools and conferences in 2006 and want to emphasize that I am very fortunate to
be at a place in my life to have enjoyed those experiences that have contributed to my self
improvement. Many top umpires annually exhaust their vacation, holiday, (and bank accounts) to
become better umpires. Those umpires understand the importance of identifying a goal and
doing everything you can to achieve it. If umpiring is nothing more than a pastime, your chances
of moving up are low. One of the people I respect most as an umpire and human being said it
best, “Nothing worthwhile comes without sacrifice. The higher the goal the greater the
sacrifice.” These comments are not mantra, they are real. Most importantly, the value of going
well beyond the norm, in pursuit of your goals, is particularly true when it comes to investment
in yourself as an umpire.

Maturity: This area is the deal breaker for most wanting to “move up”. It covers everything
that I’ve mentioned previously and extends to responsibility and the way we behave. Many
promising umpires have missed assignments, arrived consistently late (or completely missed)
meetings or assignments, arrived at the yard with partial uniforms, and used excessive profanity
in environments and under circumstances that were not appropriate. When provided feedback
they become argumentative, are not accountable, and not surprisingly coaches, players, and other
umpires view them as not approachable. Some of these officials are bitter and cynical and seem
to derive personal power from attacking fellow umpires behind their backs – and at times to their
face. They view the playing field as “their” field and are clueless when it comes to the concept of
professionalism and partnerships between game officials and the teams that are paying for the
opportunity to play. We all have fallen into these traps from time to time and those that know me
realize that I’m no saint. But God gave me decent wisdom and the common sense to recognize
that I have one mouth and two ears. Somewhere in that equation is a message.

Final thoughts: Some of you are probably asking yourself, “Who is this guy?” So let me tell
you. This guy is someone who has never asked to “move up”, never asked for a National
Championship or the privilege to work College Softball, and has never recognized himself as
even a good umpire. He has had the good fortune to be recognized as someone that has potential,
and never takes that recognition for granted. He makes mistakes, gets embarrassed when asked
hard questions by those umpires he respects, he loves the game of softball and wants every
umpire to achieve their maximum potential. He also has the ability to admit shortcomings and to
say “thank you” to those that have tried to help him by putting their arm around him and being
brutally honest. But this business of “moving up” is something rarely talked about and we all
need to have a better understanding of the landscape if we want to set realistic goals for
ourselves. Set your goals high, but be prepared to pay. If you don’t want to sacrifice, stay on the
porch and let the others run. But by sitting on the porch you forfeit the right to complain.

I leave you with words that I try to live by, “work hard, have fun, and don’t take yourself too
seriously.” I would add, strive to “move up” if the desire is there and you can accept the
competitive landscape for what it is.

Have a great season.