Pounder

JJ · #1 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 02, 2009, 04:46pm

Pounder.....gone but not forgotten....thanks LB

JJ

grunewar · #2 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 02, 2009, 07:05pm

Any translation here for those of us uninformed?

briancurtin · #3 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 02, 2009, 07:23pm

By the LB at the end of the sentence, I'm guessing this is about Lenny Brickens. He was the founder of the Indianapolis Umpires Association, assignor of the MVC, and a long time college baseball umpire who recently passed away. I'm not doing him justice here - I didn't know him, but I've heard his name in the locker room or in the parking lot many, many times, so maybe someone can speak more about him.

I got a few emails via the CBUA list about his condition and his passing. RIP, Lenny.

edit: just saw this on umpire.org: http://www.umpire.org/modules.php?na...rticle&sid=184

JJ · #4 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 02, 2009, 10:56pm

...many years ago I worked my first Big Ten weekend with Lenny. He was ornery and VERY hard working, and trained hundreds, if not thousands, of umpires on all levels of amateur baseball. Nice legacy...

JJ

54outs · #5 (**permalink**) Thu Nov 05, 2009, 06:04pm

I've known the Pounder for a little over 6 years and will miss him very much. To say that he was "ornery" would be an understatement! People never understood that if you just listened to what he said and not how he said it, there was a vast knowledge of umpiring to be learned. He expected nothing but perfection out of us out on the diamond, but gave us the tools and training to be successful. He also had a knack for knowing exactly when you were ready to advance to the next level.

When I would try to recruit guys over to the IUA, some of the reasons they wouldn't join was they didn't like Lenny because he:

"Makes everyone go to clinics along with weekly in-season meetings""
"Makes everyone use the same mechanics"
"Has everyone do evaluations on their partners"
"Makes everyone donate a game check for charity and work the November fundraiser"

There have been more excuses, but I think you get the point. You give loyalty, you get loyalty.

I know that he and Mike Walsh are up there looking for a game with a crowd full of "dollies" and no rats!

RIP #2 and don't f**king miss strike three!

#44

SanDiegoSteve · #6 (**permalink**) Thu Nov 05, 2009, 07:02pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by 54outs

I've known the Pounder for a little over 6 years and will miss him very much. To say that he was "ornery" would be an understatement! People never understood that if you just listened to what he said and not how he said it, there was a vast knowledge of umpiring to be learned. He expected nothing but perfection out of us out on the diamond, but gave us the tools and training to be successful. He also had a knack for knowing exactly when you were ready to advance to the next level.

When I would try to recruit guys over to the IUA, some of the reasons they wouldn't join was they didn't like Lenny because he:

"Makes everyone go to clinics along with weekly in-season meetings""
"Makes everyone use the same mechanics"
"Has everyone do evaluations on their partners"
"Makes everyone donate a game check for charity and work the November fundraiser"

There have been more excuses, but I think you get the point. You give loyalty, you get loyalty.

I know that he and Mike Walsh are up there looking for a game with a crowd full of "dollies" and no rats!

RIP #2 and don't f**king miss strike three!

#44

Nice first post. Well said.