Post Script to: "I played pro ball! Did you play pro ball?"

[MajorDave]

Jeff Parrett, who assists at Woodford County HS in one of the HS Regions I regularly work and you never hear anything other than a pleasant greeting, a laugh at something funny or a complement to a good play or hit from him. He still has a big smile on his face most of the time he is at the ballpark.

I worked a Middle school game a few weeks ago for one of the schools here at home against Woodford Middle and Parrett's kid pitched. He was amazing for an 8th grader. Very few high school pitchers have as much poise and pitch control as this kid. As you might imagine he knew how to pitch and his dad wasn't even there. The very next night I had Woodford High and had the chance to tell Parrett about how nice a job his kid did. He was humble and thanked me. A real classy guy. I hope those kids at that high school appreciate what they have.


So, not all ex-pro players are bad. Maybe it's just ex-rookie leaguers who only had a cup of coffee.

However, I did have one guy, a former Cincinnati Reds pitcher-forgot his name- who called me an ******* after a game where I ejected his kid for arguing balls and strikes. The other parents for that team apologized to me for the kid and father's behavior and then thanked me for ejecting the kid. They told me that I was the first umpire to eject him all season and he and the father had embarassed them many times over the summer

It takes all kinds I guess.