World Series Crew

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by UMP25

I despise links to sites that require one to register. If it's not viewable, don't bother posting a link.

As that poster, let me say yeah, me too, I agree. When I posted it, registration was not required, and I tried the link right after posting and it worked. When I try the link now, the website requires registration. But when I access the website's homepage from my favorite list, I get right in, no registration required. The paper's web editor tells me that registration is a longstanding requirement, but that maybe the registration threshold was changed recently. I'm guessing that we exceeded that particular article's maximum hits, but I've never had problems like that with other discussion group links.

I won't post a link to that paper again.

[UMP25]

FWIW, I did register with BS information so I can read it, mainly because Teddy was my roommate at umpire school, and I was interested in the article.

Funny thing was that I registered with a bogus first and last name and it took me over two dozen attempts to come up with a first name that WASN'T used! Names like "Rumpel Stilskin, John Doe, Jane Doe, Joe Schmuck,"--you name it--were all taken.

[Richard_Siegel]

Originally Posted by Paul L

As that poster, let me say yeah, me too, I agree. When I posted it, registration was not required, and I tried the link right after posting and it worked. When I try the link now, the website requires registration. But when I access the website's homepage from my favorite list, I get right in, no registration required. The paper's web editor tells me that registration is a longstanding requirement, but that maybe the registration threshold was changed recently. I'm guessing that we exceeded that particular article's maximum hits, but I've never had problems like that with other discussion group links.

I won't post a link to that paper again.

Why don't you or somebody who is resistered for that site go there and cut and paste the entire article into a post on this website. That makes it easy for everybody.

[wmblue]

Originally Posted by Richard_Siegel

Why don't you or somebody who is resistered for that site go there and cut and paste the entire article into a post on this website. That makes it easy for everybody.

As usual, Bugmenot is your friend. Works fine with the first uid/pwd

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Richard_Siegel

Why don't you or somebody who is resistered for that site go there and cut and paste the entire article into a post on this website. That makes it easy for everybody.

Umpire with Bay Roots Excited Over Series Debut
By Jeff Faraudo STAFF WRITER

After finishing his football career at Cal State Hayward in the late 1980s, Ted Barrett flirted with a career in boxing while also pondering what it might be like to become an umpire.
His dad, not particularly comfortable watching his son take shots to the head, made him an offer: Give up boxing and he'd pay for umpire school.
Two decades later, Barrett, 42, will make his World Series debut today in Boston. He'll work second base when the Colorado Rockies take on the Red Sox in Game 1, then rotate to other positions as the Series progresses.
The Los Altos High School graduate lives in Gilbert, Ariz., with his wife and three children, and he still is a boxing fan.
We talked to Barrett about the excitement of being chosen to umpire the Fall Classic, his thoughts about instant replay and disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy, and his involvement in several high-profile games over the past decade.
Question: This is your 11th season as a major league umpire. What does it mean that based on merit you've been chosen for the first time to work the World Series?
Answer: Oh, it's an honor. To think about all the years of baseball history, only so many guys have gotten to work the World Series. It's kind of the goal of everybody who goes to umpire school, that they would one day get to work the World Series. It's exciting. It's humbling, too, to think you're going to be out there on the big stage.

Q: Are umpires the same as athletes in the sense that you will try to ratchet up your performance for a Series game? A: I'll be a little nervous, just like an athlete would. I'll probably be more focused. That's the biggest thing. When you see an umpire get in trouble, it's because you can get lulled into a routine. That's definitely not the case here, because you're locked in.
Q: What's the best part of the job?
A: There's a book one of the old umpires wrote, where he says you have the best seat in the house, but you have to stand. Every once in a while, you'll be standing out on the field in the Midwest on a perfect summer's night and you have to pinch yourself.
Q: The toughest part?
A: The airports are the toughest part. You're going through O'Hare (Chicago) and there's thunderstorms and now you're waiting. If baseball fans knew how much umpires really bust their tails just to get to a game that night, they'd be surprised. It's amazing we don't miss more games.
Q: Commissioner Bud Selig has told general managers he'd like their input on the use of instant replay. Where do you stand on the issue?
A: The knee-jerk reaction would be to say no way, we don't want that. My personal feeling is I'm for it on things like home runs or fan interference. The way stadiums are being built, it's awfully hard to tell when someone reaches over the wall ... would it have been caught? They have to work out the logistics of it. Can they do it quickly, before the pitcher gets cold?
Q: Everyone saw the play at the plate that decided the Rockies-Padres playoff game for the wild-card spot, where Matt Holliday appeared to get blocked off but scored in the 13th inning to win it. Your reaction?
A: Tim McClelland was in about as good a position as he could get. I can't even tell you for sure that (Holliday) didn't get the plate. The catcher did a good job of blocking the plate. He probably got (Holliday's) hand away before he touched the plate, but I don't know if it was conclusive. Now, would that be reviewable? I don't know and I don't know if it's good for the game.
Q: How did the betting incident with former NBA referee Tim Donaghy impact baseball umpires?
A: When that happens, I'm angry that guy allowed a negative shadow on our reputation. It's also a shock to me. I know each guy on the staff personally. They're guys with the utmost of integrity. We take our jobs as the guardians of the game very seriously.
Q: You've been involved in some special games. What was it like to be the home plate umpire for David Cone's 1999 perfect game at Yankee Stadium?
A: It was a cool day because Yogi Berra, it was his first day back in the stadium. Don Larsen threw out the first pitch and Yogi caught it. Then there were a couple great plays. (Second baseman) Chuck Knoblauch had been throwing balls out of the stadium all year and he fielded a ball, planted his foot and made a perfect throw to nip the runner.
Q: What stands out about Greg Maddux's 300th win that you called in 2004?
A: Number one, it was in San Francisco. I remember the Giants brought up somebody (Brad Hennessey in his major league debut) from Fresno and he actually outpitched Maddux for the first five or six innings.
Q: You worked the 2001 AL Division Series game when Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter made his remarkable backhand relay flip to nail A's base runner Jeremy Giambi at home plate.
A: It was funny. At the time I thought, 'What the heck just happened?' You never see a shortstop making that play. It wasn't until afterward and I saw the replay and realized it was a pretty special play.
Q: Are umpires allowed to be fans of the game? And in what way?
A: When I went to umpire school, I was a fan of the game. Playing at Hayward, I'd take the BART train up to the A's games and I'd just have a blast. Then you go to umpire school and go to the minor leagues and start getting yelled at by people and you really get soured on the game. You get treated so badly in the minors, you're not a fan anymore. Then getting into the big leagues, it kind of came back. You're still getting yelled at, but they do it with more respect, and the locker rooms are nicer and the food is nicer.
Q: Is having a favorite player or manager simply out of bounds for you guys?
A: Yeah, it really is. People don't believe that. They ask your favorite teams, but you definitely don't have one. When each player comes up, I try to look at the strike zone, I don't look at their face. That's not to say you don't say hello. There's guys I like to see do well, but you definitely can't root for them.
Q: What is your favorite sport to watch when baseball season is over? Why?
A: Boxing. I'm still a boxing fan. A lot of people ask why you don't ref boxing? When I'm watching an NBA game, I end up watching the refs. I still haven't gotten the fan out of my system with boxing.
Contact Jeff Faraudo at [email protected].