[MajorDave]

I have done PA work with music during our HS season and sometimes in the summer as well as at HS football and basketball as a volunteer for the past five years or so. This year I quit bootleg umpiring and got certified and went to a different region to call than the region in which I teach HS to avoid "personality conflicts", etc. The kids love it. Most fans love it. I have done PA/Music a few games this season when I was not scheduled to call somewhere else. I have done it for free. I just got hired to do PA/Music at our district tourney at $50 per game because the guy running the tournament heard my stuff at one of this season's games. I have edited the songs to around 20 seconds for player intros (most of them like rap but I use the music more than the lyrics for that stuff) (some of them even use WWE wrestler intros) I also have a bunch of topical stuff I play when ball is dead or at the end of an inning. For example-walks= Walk this way, walk the line, walkin' after midnight, walk on by, walk like a man, etc. around 3 to 6 seconds each while the kids takes his base. I usually get a few laughs. On hit batsmen I play hit me baby one more time, you don't know how it feels, ooops up side your head, etc. More laughs and a general good time. I also play the usual ballgame standards-charge by bugle, and pump up stuff like we will rock you by Queen on time outs. The best is when there is a mound meeting after pitching problems and I play a bit from an old 1950's live TV show, "We are having technical difficulties, please stand by" with old organ music. They all start howling, players, fans, coaches. Lots of fun. The times they are a changin'. Old guys get used to it and just accept it. Oh yeah, I also play some funny stuff in between innings- there is a Jerry Clower bit where he talks about Clovis Ledbetter being a baseball umpire, calling ball four and then the batter out because the bases are loaded and there's no where else to put you, you're out. Now umpires ask me to play that some times. I also have Sammy Sosa from 1998 saying "baseball been berry, berry good to me" at Wrigley field over the PA after a home run. It gets lots of claps and laughs. Remember you guys- although we are working here it is still a game to everyone else, especially the fans. Some of them even come out to see the umpires work. We have a senior umpire in my association, a 41 year veteran of umpiring, who puts on quite a show with his calls, his hustle, his body language. He is very highly rated by the coaches, handles the problem children well and puts on a great show for the fans. He is somewhat famous having called several HS state championships and the LL world series along with lots of other amateur level ball. He truly loves umpiring and it shows. His called third strike footwork and punch out never fails to get some comments. All positive.