A lot of people in the nation’s capital have baseball on the brain
this week. Primarily because the Washington Nationals have the first
pick in Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft this afternoon
but also because tomorrow is the major league debut of last year’s first
overall pick, Stephen Strasburg.

I have baseball on my mind
because of last week’s perfect game controversy. Last Wednesday, Armando
Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers pitched what seemed to be the third
perfect game of the young season. Unfortunately, umpire Jim Joyce called
a hit on what should have been the final out. Joyce admitted the mistake after watching a replay, but Major League Baseball is not expected to overturn the call to make Galarraga’s effort a perfect game.

Admirably, both Galarraga and Joyce
handled themselves professionally and politely during the next game’s lineup card exchange. Videos of situations like that one that I linked to there can create opportunities for parents to talk to their children about good sportsmanship, and how to respect other players, coaches, and umpires.  This sportsmanship guide from the Department of Health and Human Services can help guide these conversations.

I have always wondered what it
takes to become a professional umpire
so I decided to find out. There are a number of baseball leagues to be
an umpire–amateur, high school, college, minor
and major league
and there are also softball umpires. Each level of umpiring
requires training which can be vigorous. In fact, it takes an average of 7 to 8 years of training and
experience to become a major league umpire.

If you do complete the training, there are good job prospects for umpires. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s most recent Occupational Outlook Handbook, the career outlook for umpires and other sports related jobs is good with the number of jobs expected to increase over the next few years. Unfortunately, unless you make the major leagues where you can make up to $300,000 a year, the pay isn’t that lucrative with the mean wage being approximately $30,000 a year. If the pay isn’t your motivating factor but you want to try umpiring, check to see if there are amateur leagues in your area where you can volunteer.

Would
a career as an umpire or referee interest you?

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