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My son plays 11U baseball and we've seen our share of umpires who work without mirrors. A couple days ago I saw a guy work a game in a blue polo type shirt, khakis and tennis shoes - he was in his early 50s. I was set to roll my eyes with his every call only to be pleasantly surprised. After the game I told him that he did a great job and asked if he always works in street clothes. He said that he was laid off from his job at Motorola a few months ago and has a daughter who will be attending college in the Fall. He had promised her a graduation gift and took on umpiring to pay for it. He couldn't afford to buy a uniform and this league didn't care. His equipment came out of a shared box at the field. He now has two of my shirts, ball bags, indicator and brush. I don't like working underlevel ball any more but I would work any game with that guy. He knew his stuff and his heart was in the right place. Appearance never trumps talent and spirit.
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