Park Baseball Umpire: An Interview with Taylor O'Brien

Hey batter, batter, batter-swing! Does it get much better than good ole' American made park baseball? Is there anything more wholesome and fun? Well, maybe football, but that's a matter of opinion. But when it comes to some good friendly competition, it doesn't get much better than park baseball.

And as fun as park baseball is, you still need somebody around to help keep the game in good order. You need somebody that knows how to keep his (or her) composure when sand is being kicked all over their shoes. You know who I'm talking about, that often maligned and sometimes hated, umpire.

Umpires need to be able to know the rules of the game so well that nobody questions his application of them to the game, or when and where they are to be used in the game. He has to have a keen eye for making calls that could affect the outcome of the game, as well. Umpires keep good order

Following is a Q&A interview I did with one of my nephews about how it is came to start umpiring and what he gets out of it. We're pretty proud of him. I like to think that his umpiring helps him to get a more well-rounded view of sports. I'm pretty sure he sees it that way, too.

Troy Pankey: How did you come to start umpiring?

Taylor O'Brien: I asked the head of the recreation dept. about it and he emailed me a calender of the meeting date. So I asked mawmaw if I could go. So the first meeting I learned so much.

TP: How long had you thought about umpiring before you started ump'n?

TO: During my football season, but I also wanted to do baseball and baseball was coming up.

TP: At what level do you ump?

TO: Right now 7-8 year olds, but I'm about to move up to 9-10 year old. Let me tell ya, don't let the age group fool you. These coaches take it serious.

TP: What sports do you officiate? Do you want to do any others?

TO: Baseball right now, but when football comes I'll do that too.

TP: What things learned in umpiring contribute to you being a better person?

TO: Learning to not let words affect you. Sticking to your decision even if that means making you look bad..tellin' the truth and sticking to it.