It's a sunny afternoon on the field. The smell of roasted peanuts and french
fries wafts through the air, mixing with the sounds of fans cheering.
A local church is hosting a slo-pitch tournament, and much of the congregation
has turned out to support the event. Even with the friendly atmosphere, play
is serious on the diamond.
Umpire Sherry Winn from Colorado stands behind the plate, watching as the
pitcher lobs a ball towards the batter. Crack! The ball soars into the air.
"The batter hit the ball clean into the outfield," says Winn.
The ball is scooped up in the outfield, and the second baseman turns to
catch the cut-off throw. "After he caught it, I called time -- but I shouldn't
have." It turns out the play was still very much in action.
When the ball soared into the air, a runner on third base was making a
beeline for home plate. It looked like a walk-in-the-park play, but in fact
he never made it. Winn called time before the runner made it to home base.
"I totally blew the play and had to send the runner back to the base,"
she says. Winn couldn't go back on her call, but knew she had made a big judgment
error.
"I had no reason to call time when I did," she says. "I just wasn't paying
close enough attention."
Even though the call had to stand, people didn't let her forget her mistake.
"My roommate was the field umpire during the game," she says. "I have never
lived that play down!"
Everybody makes mistakes on the field, but when an umpire makes a bad call,
people pay more attention. "Dealing with coaches can be difficult at times,"
says Winn. Not only that, hecklers watching the game can also be unnerving.
"Everyone in the stands believes they're officials and know every rule
in the book," says Winn. "It can be difficult when they start shouting about
calls that you know are right."
Winn shrugs off most of the catcalls. "I hear the fans, but I don't let
them get to me. I know that as a fan watching any game, I heckle officials.
So I just grin and know that the fans are enjoying the game."
And of course, players get upset with umpires too. Umpire Ivan Mader says
that the animosity stays on the field. "Tempers flare, but in most cases there's
no hard feelings," he says. "When we walk off the diamond, we're friends."
Mader even enjoys the die-hard fans who heckle him from the moment he steps
on to the field. "When they see you coming on to the field and say, 'Oh no,
not this guy again,' it's good," says Mader. "It means they pay attention
and enjoy the game."
Mader has moved up the ranks to officiate at important national and international
games. In fact, one year he won several national and local awards for his
work.
But even Mader makes mistakes, just like the rest. One particular game
is still fresh in his mind. He was umpiring an international softball game.
When a batter bunted the ball, Mader started up the line. He needed to get
in position to look across first base and watch the runner touch the bag.
Unfortunately, Mader's eyes didn't see everything on the field. In his
effort to run to the base, he collided with the second baseman. "It was terrible.
The ball hit the person and I was flat on my back."
The embarrassment didn't stop there. The ball bounced into the foul area,
but was still in play. A runner on third base saw his chance to charge toward
home base and scored a run.
"It was because of me that they scored," says Mader. "It was a very embarrassing
moment." After the run was scored, time was called. The coaches, players and
umpires talked with each other, trying to figure out what to do.
Fans were shouting out suggestions. "Funny things happen," says Mader.
"But in the end, the play had to stand."
But Mader has had a chance to show his prowess for calling a good game
in high-profile tournaments. His first national appearance was at a junior
men's fast pitch tournament. These games are a far cry from the
afternoon local games.
"It's a week of extreme high pressure. We work day and night." Like most
umpires, Mader gets the jitters before the first play. "Sure we get butterflies,
but the best umpires even get a little bit of the butterflies at the local
level."
No matter what game he's officiating, Mader always strives to do his best.
"You have to do your best, and then when it's over leave the game on the
field. The reward is when you come off the field and you hear someone in the
stands say, 'Who's that official?'" says Mader. "Then you know you've done
a good job."