Well, I got to go to the CWS again this year........

[Majordave]

After almost 18 months of no umpiring due to my deployment to Afghanistan as a civilian (retired military advisor job) contractor, I got back into the umpiring saddle in a big way this month.

I started working Men's Adult/Senior Baseball and Ban Johnson Summer Collegiate Wood Bat and American Legion Seniors and Juniors tourneys in Kansas City the first of June. I answered a broadcast email call through CBUA for umpires to help out in Omaha to work College prospect and American Legion sponsored tournaments in the greater Omaha area this summer. I worked a legion tourney weekend earlier in June then got a two day assignment for some games last Thursday and Friday, June 23/24. Went up Wednesday, 6/22, to watch Vandy spank North Carolina and inspect the new TD Ameritrade Park. VERY nice facility. They fixed all the shortcomings and age issues of Rosenblatt. The support area is still not as smooth as Rosenblatt and the hometown attitude: "park in our yard, drink beer in our tent" atmosphere of the old Rosenblatt neighborhood is gone. Now you walk across large parking lots and attend corporate style tent events around the stadium but it was still a good time. Prices were essentially the same from two years ago (inflated but whaddyagonnado?) the area was clean and crowds were well behaved.

I also got to see the last three innings of South Carolina's extra innings win over Virginia on Friday night since the game I worked was over before 10 pm and I was working at Brown Park about 15 blocks due south of TD Ameritrade Stadium.

I wish I could have shared the experience with some of my umpiring buds but I made a lot of new umpiring friends and had some great games. I will definitely plan to try and do that again in the future.

Thanks for reading.

[Umpire in Chief]

The umpiring world is a better place now that you're back behind the plate.

Got any pics?

[Majordave]

Thanks UIC/Warren. I hope so. I have had some amazing games and calls and plays in the short month I have been back working. I have had three partners take balls to the arm/hands with broken bones on two of them and severe bone bruise for the third since I have been back. I haven't been smacked too much. I cannot explain why I am seeing the ball so well but I am just in a zone lately. The last game I worked I had three rotations from the plate to the cutout at third and had close plays on two of them. Usually you hustle down for nothing. As Meatloaf said once upon a time over thirty years ago: "two out of three ain't bad".

Hopefully things will continue to go as they have been. I am truly blessed. And don't think I don't say my prayers of thanks and gratitude as often as I can.