Every once in a while, you get the chance to do something awesome a second time. This is one of those times.
Let's talk about the how first.
2020 was a horrible year for pretty much everything. Games at my local Little League started a week before everything shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic so I worked 3 games in 2020. 2021 saw the return of baseball games near normal (shortened schedules, special rules about ball handling and the post game handshakes that turned into waves across the field, stuff like that.) I have done a lot of games this year. It was good to be back out there.
In early May, Steve Keener, President of Little League, announced that the Little League World Series for both baseball and softball would return in a very modified format. It would only be the Major tournament and the teams in Williamsport and Greenville, North Carolina would only be from the United States. Each regional tournament would send the tournament winner and the runner up. Softball will have a 10 team tournament while baseball will have a 16 team tournament. All other divisions of All-Stars will end at the state tournament.
A couple of days later, there was a Zoom meeting with tournament committee members and the Western Region staff. It was announced that the tournaments in San Bernardino would be very different this year. Many of the committees that make the tournaments so special could not happen this year because there are going to be a lot of restrictions. No hospitality, no souvenirs, no snack bar, no outside fans besides the families of the players. It is going to be a very different tournament this year.
With this, the question came up, what about umpire families? They aren't going to be allowed to be at the game either. This would change the experience for these umpires who really deserve to be praised for the job they do out there. So, Region gave the umpires a choice - do you want to do it this year or wait until 2022 and hopefully get the whole experience. The vast majority said wait until next year and I don't blame them.
So what do they do to get the umpires they need for the baseball and softball tournaments? I got an email a few days after the Zoom meeting asking if I wanted to come back and umpire the softball tournament a second time. This never happens. Once you do a regional tournament at a level, that's your one time. You can do 7 regionals (Major, Junior, Senior baseball and softball, Intermediate baseball) and the same 7 World Series, and then you're done. That really is enough tournaments to last a lifetime and a half and I know I won't get to all of them.
I talked to Trina about it and wasn't sure if I wanted to do it but she asked me why I hadn't replied yet. Ok, I replied and they let me know I'm one of the seven replacement umpires getting to do this a second time. I'm going back to San Bernardino. So the blog is starting back up to journal this journey.
I'm excited. Right now, I feel like I'm doing the best umpiring of my career because of the amount of games I have done this year and the dedication to getting better 14 years has imparted. I know the atmosphere won't be 2017 but, then again, I think we'll be on ESPN while I wasn't in 2017. That's concerning, but having talked to umpires who have been on TV, once the game starts it isn't a concern. It's just softball.
I have a lot of things to do in for the tournament that starts in 57 days. I look forward to sharing it with you.
