I can die now

[Thunderheads]

So Cam was hired by the Prospect League, a Collegiate Summer Wood Bat League.   The Prospect League is one of nine CSWB leagues tracked by Baseball America.   I listen to his games on the local radio stations online.     He flew out in May and finished his Freshman classes from the road.  Three 'A's and a 'B'. 

 

I must say, I am over the moon.    

 

 

A couple clips from the local news stations:

 

Cam on the plate in Terre Haute. 

 

         

 

 

Cam on the bases in Springfield, OH. 

 

 

His first game - in 2009.

 

 

 

 

I don't even know what to say. 

put away the kleenex box Stephen ..........

 

that's flipping awesome right there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[noumpere]

Congrats to him.  I've worked that league.  It can be pretty good baseball.

[Old Skool]

It's an awesome feeling to get to watch your sons work together & even more fun to get the opportunity to work 3-man w/them.  Mine are 26 & 23 now but both started right after HS graduation as playing days ended.  I have had the opportunity to work 2-man w/each many times & work 3-man w/them in JV Regional championships & 1 HS Regional Semi.  

 

Just dropped the youngest off for his flight to Appy League meetings in Johnson City, TN.  Starts his 2nd pro season in Bluefield, WV on Thursday, 6/19.  While he was home for 10 days from Extended Spring I was fortunate enough to get to work 7 games w/him in 18U showcase tourneys.  Man is he good now. Where I used to teach him now he is offering me pointers & tips.  Also got to work some games with my older son this weekend as well.

 

I feel fortunate to have these opportunities to still be involved with my boys in baseball through umpiring.  Got to coach them both in competitive/travel ball before their HS days.  I find after reading posts on here that I am indeed blessed that my boys love umpiring (& football officiating) & that I have been taking it for granted that I will work with them regularly.  Both are now talking about relocating to other regions of the country so I figure I should treat each of these opportunities as If they could be the last.

[grayhawk]

Steve:

 

[Magic]

That is awesome. I have 4 boys. I wonder if any of them will get into Umpiring? You never know.

[sdix00]

I would encourage any umpire dad to get his son involved.    I wish I could quantify the return on that investment.  

 

Countless clinics and games together.  

 

Going to their games and not caring who is playing or what the score is, just watching your sons act like men. 

 

Watching them get better.   And catching other umpires stopping by after their games to watch. 

 

Oh, and watching both sons execute a perfect rotation and handoff with hustle and precision and then the plate guy snaps the mask back on and throw a signal to the base guy which gets echoed back. 

 

Postgaming with your sons.  The greatest moments when I get to tell them how awesome they are and thank the stars that they spend their time at the ball park and not behind the bathrooms buying drugs. 

 

Knowing that you have about 4 years before they start their own lives and time together is severely limited, but umpiring helps bring you closer together when your friends kids are drifting away. 

 

Getting texts like "Can your boys work our game?" and responding with "Here are their numbers".

 

When an ignorant fan yells at your kid umpiring the game, and all you do is squeeze your wife's hand to remind her to keep calm. 

 

Giving them something to be good at and proud of.    

 

AND - 

Making the little kids at the park dream of being an umpire. 

[Thunderheads]

I would encourage any umpire dad to get his son involved.    I wish I could quantify the return on that investment.  

 

Countless clinics and games together.  

 

Going to their games and not caring who is playing or what the score is, just watching your sons act like men. 

 

Watching them get better.   And catching other umpires stopping by after their games to watch. 

 

Oh, and watching both sons execute a perfect rotation and handoff with hustle and precision and then the plate guy snaps the mask back on and throw a signal to the base guy which gets echoed back. 

 

Postgaming with your sons.  The greatest moments when I get to tell them how awesome they are and thank the stars that they spend their time at the ball park and not behind the bathrooms buying drugs. 

 

Knowing that you have about 4 years before they start their own lives and time together is severely limited, but umpiring helps bring you closer together when your friends kids are drifting away. 

 

Getting texts like "Can your boys work our game?" and responding with "Here are their numbers".

 

When an ignorant fan yells at your kid umpiring the game, and all you do is squeeze your wife's hand to remind her to keep calm. 

 

Giving them something to be good at and proud of.    

 

AND - 

Making the little kids at the park dream of being an umpire. 

I don't have kids Stephen, but I felt that one!

[BigUmpire]

It's good to see your boys do well. Neither of mine has an interest in officiating. Both work with me climbing steel. It's fun to be standing on an eighty ft tower with them both. I was on a sixty ft tower with them last summer and they were arguing who got to climb the second sixty to disconnect the crane. 

Watch them as long as you can because who knows where life will land them post school. 

Hurts to read this.

DAMMITT!

[Magic]

Yeah I hear that. My 13 year old is still playing baseball. He might be interested some day. But right now, I am not sure he can handle it. The 10 year old is a soccer player. He hates baseball. Says it is too slow for him. 

 

They 2 year old and 10 month old have a ways to go before I get a feel for what they want to do.

[law_reb]

My 9 year-old would love to start umpiring now.  He goes to every game with me that he can.  He loves to sit and listen to pre and post games with my partners.  I've got a couple guys that I work with pretty regularly that have started treating him like one of us.  They get him involved in the conversations.  He eats it up.  They'll ask him questions about situations and rotations and are amazed at what he already knows.  He practices plate mechanics during just about every game we watch on tv.  My wife thinks he's crazy, I'm as proud as I can be.       

[Old Skool]

@sdix00 my sentiments exactly.  Well said post.  Have experienced all of that & unfortunately that window of getting to do these things with my boys regularly is narrowing as they grow.  I know you are proud.

[JaxRolo]

This is awesome. I have referred football games with one of my sons. It's great!

[RingEmUp]

I got to work a game with my brother and it was great. I would have loved for our dad to be there but he lives about 12 hours away. Post game was great because I went over why I ejected a coach and how things could have been better.

[treydawgmt]

 

It's good to see your boys do well. Neither of mine has an interest in officiating. Both work with me climbing steel. It's fun to be standing on an eighty ft tower with them both. I was on a sixty ft tower with them last summer and they were arguing who got to climb the second sixty to disconnect the crane. 

Watch them as long as you can because who knows where life will land them post school. 

Hurts to read this.

DAMMITT!

 

 

I thought the same exact thing when I read this.  I hadn't seen this post when it originally was posted, and I was quite sad reading it now.

[sdix00]

I over-paid a local to take pictures with their crappy camera phone. 

 

You would be amazed how hard it is to get a photographer to go to a baseball game for less than the price of a Royal wedding. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ump29]

It was not that long ago that both my wife and son umpired. I was able to umpire many games with them. There was even one instance where we formed a 3 man squad and worked a game. This will not happen again as my wife has retired from umpiring and my son has moved out of province and married. He still umpires and in fact I was able to umpire a game with him the day before his wedding last year.