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Originally Posted by canadaump6
This story has to be a joke.
I don't mean to criticize or insult, but from looking at the pictures it is hard to believe this man could be taken seriously:
*No umpire's uniform
*Wearing shorts
*Chest protector and shin guards on the outside
*Leans against the backstop to make his calls
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Well, he wasn't a paid umpire. He didn't belong to any "association." He did what he did out of love for the kids, which is a very noble thing. He umpired for a league that couldn't get umpires of your caliber. They were lucky that they had this guy to do their games all those years. I'm sure he wasn't out there trying to impress the umpire scouts or to put on a fashion show. He went without a jersey probably because it was much cooler. Lots of youth ball volunteers wear their shin guards outside their pants.
It appears to me that this guy gave these kids a chance to play ball, where they might not have had one if he weren't there to umpire their games all these years. He may not have been what your idea of what an umpire should be, but it looks like you are in a minority when it comes to how seriously he should be taken.