The Streator Illinois Little League had their fields wiped out by a tornado this past weekend and are in need of donations and equipment to finish out the year (and beyond) on other area fields. Story and pics here
We were notified by Umps Care Charities of this need who had been contacted by former minor league umpire John Coons.
We sent them a package fulfilling their shared community umpire equipment needs (protective gear and accessories) yesterday that they should be receiving tomorrow.
Several umpires have expressed an interest of making monetary donations to the league in general after we posted this info on our Facebook fan page.
I read somewhere that when a tornado damaged another league's fields several years ago, this league stepped up to help. Now they are in need of assistance.
Please send any donations to: Streator Little League c/o Jason Telford P.O. Box 279 Streator, IL 61364
We spend a lot of time talking about injury prevention for baseball and softball umpires who work behind the plate. We put them in gear that is meant to protect them as much as possible and reasonable, from head-to-toe, much like a hockey goalie.
Besides that role, the next most dangerous spot in all of officiating is not as a base umpire dodging line drives but as a football umpire who stands behind a football defensive line (American football for you global readers), unprotected, virtually in the middle of the defensive side of the ball, a ball that is converging in that downfield direction usually carried by a faster running back or receiver and typically followed by meatier players in hot pursuit.
My apologies to officials ahead of time in other sports (boxing, mixed martial arts, roller derby, etc) who might feel their position in their sport is more dangerous. And BTW - please do disagree as we'd like to hear your thoughts.
Sure football umpires don't have a fastball with 2,400 lbs of force being heaved in your direction, but the umpires of the football variety don't have the benefit of predictability. With them, the quarterback does not relay the play to them as a courtesy heads-up.
Maybe it's a slant across the middle, a dive run up the middle, or maybe even a fake dive then a throw at which point the umpire has to rely on his visual and reactionary skills in the same way a player does to move into the best position and/or stay out of the way. Or maybe all of a sudden a runner changes field suddenly and heads right in the direction of what is most likely to be a slower official, one who if you're not Ed Hochuli, is also going to be less muscular and even older....also one that has a day job that would be impossible to do if one were in the shape of a pancake.
A recent Referee Magazine article cited statistics shared by the NFL that umpires were knocked down more than 100 times in 2009 resulting in 2 concussions and three knee and shoulder surgeries.
Has anyone at other levels been injured as a football umpire? Perhaps we see more knock-downs in the NFL because of television and ESPN, and ones that result in more injuries because of the speed and mass of players at that level as opposed to others. You tell me. I'm just facilitating the discussion.
So what is the solution (if indeed even one is needed at your level)?
PROTECTIVE GEAR Do you outfit football umpires with some protective gear such as helmets, chest protectors and shin guards? Don't write any of that off too quickly. "Who could move with all that stuff on, you ask?" Well, hockey officials wear shin guards and helmets/face shields and they have to skate fluidly around an ice rink. So it's not a foreign concept to the world of officiating.
Indeed, The NFL this year considered outfitting its umpires with helmets and flak jackets, but it was rejected.* Perhaps one of the reasons one might object is that none of the above is going to prevent the kind of knee or shoulder injuries just mentioned.
But something for the head? Such as a hockey style face shield? Could that be a consideration for concussion prevention? I think it's worthy of at least discussing. Maybe even a mouthguard for teeth protection...all food for thought.
STEEL TOE SHOES I have heard of officials who wear steel toe shoes to prevent injuries from cleats as they simply get stepped on often. Should this be a general recommendation to all football umpires? If so, what would work? Baseball plate shoes or something entirely different?
POSITIONING What the NFL did decide to do in terms of injury prevention for 2010 was to move the umpire from the defensive side of the ball to the offensive side with the same responsibilities and that seems to be getting a good response...at least so far. I'm sure college and high school level decision makers will watch the NFL development carefully to determine if changes need to be made at their level in due time.
Would love your thoughts if you officiate any sport.
*The Referee Magazine article I have cited several times is a good read and is on page 9 of the July 2010 issue entitled "NFL Moves Umpire to Offensive Side" or read the news article of NFL - ESPN titled: "NFL will move umpires to offensive backfield."
Plays happen quickly on the field. Perhaps it's hot. Maybe it's an important or tight game. And the umpire on the field needs to keep his cool and make the right call in an instant.
Most umpires fall back on years of experience to handle themselves in this situation. But not Tyler Vosteen (at right), he is only 16-years-old.
"I learned to always expect the unexpected. You never know when a play is going to happen so you have to be prepared," said Tyler, sounding much older than his age.
These are skills he says that he learned directly from his father, Dave Vosteen, (left in photo) who has been an umpire for over 20 years. Dave sees Tyler's interest in officiating as a great opportunity for the two of them to forge a deeper father-son relationship, a feeling shared by many other father-son umpire teams.
"There is nothing like family having your back on the field," explains veteran softball and baseball umpire Greg Lacy, Whittier, California, who for the past five years has called games with his 21-year-old son Matthew.
Father and son umpire teams are not uncommon in the world of baseball. At the major league level, you'll find several examples including Harry Wendlestedt, founder of the Wendlestedt Umpire School, and his son Hunter. At other levels of baseball, father and son umpires are more common.
Take Douglas Weiss, of Los Alamos, New Mexico, who serves both as a father to an umpire and a son to one as well. Weiss began his umpire career at the age of 14. He called games through college and quit when he married and started his family. Then, in 2005, 14-years after his last game, Weiss jumped headfirst back into the world of umpiring, working in little league and high school. In 2006, his 12-year-old son JD started umpiring little league games, too. The same year, Weiss encouraged his father, JD's grandfather, to begin umpiring. The Weiss's are certainly proud of the their three generations calling games.
That sense of pride also inspires Dave Vosteen when he sees Tyler umpiring.
In spring 2010, Dave won, basically bought, a lunch with 3 MLB umpires and tickets to a Boston Red Sox game for he and his son at a charity auction through Umps Care Charities, a nonprofit organization founded by major league umpires.
Tyler and Dave (center) were excited about the opportunity to meet with umpires Mike Winters, Mike Estabrook (right) and Brian Runge (left) who along with his father Ed have umpired seven different All-Star Games together and are the only father-son pair to umpire no-hitters. (source mlb.com)
Since then, Tyler has kept in contact via email with the umpires who he sees as mentors. Tyler said Runge expressed to him that he would look out for him when he enrolls at the Wendelstedt school after he completes college.
Official Jamie Robinson, of Columbia, Mississippi, introduced his 16-year-old son Brooks to umpiring just last year. He sees many benefits to working closely with his teenage son, and sees him as one of the best partners he has worked with on the field. "I challenge all umpires who have sons to get them involved as early as possible," said Robinson.
We would like to salute all father and son officials (daughters, too) who have been on the field or court this Father's Day. See below for a list of father-son umpires who submitted their names for this article and MLB denoted ones as well (* source worldumpires.org):
I'm not always one to sit by and have the same products year after year. How much fun is that? Plus, officials are always demanding items to meet their evolving needs. So what's new for football? Peek below. Some (with links) are available to pre-order.
Smitty Foul Weather Football Referee Pants High quality ComfortTech polyester wind and water resistant black pants with standard 1 and 1/4 inch white stripe. I'm really excited about these NFL style pants. I've seen several brands and realize we may have been a year behind on a few competitors to these, but I believe the wait will result in a higher quality pant for those of you want an alternate color or want to allow for more layers underneath.
SonikCMG Whistles More powerful sound, with less effort (currently in-stock)
Long Sleeve Women's Ultimate Referee Shirt The first long sleeve football shirt cut just for women that I'm aware of and one more product to chip away at the gap in women's apparel for officials.
Richardson Fleece Ear Flap Referee Caps: Black | White I really hope these do well as you truly look more professional while staying warm. Who wants to be cold? I have seen, felt and worn a sample, and they look great...highly practical.
The Midwest Umpire Blog has reviewed performance shirts from Under Armour, Nike, Reebok, and others and has rated our Diamond HOTSPORT shirt #1.
The Diamond HOTSPORT had the best result in the moisture wicking test and to quote Pete Reiser, author of the blog,
"I knew the Diamond was keeping me dry and cool and it is light-weight. It also feels similar to the Under Armour loose fit shirts I have been wearing for years. You want the best? The Diamond Hotsport is the best undershirt in this comparison."
HOTSPORT shirts are available in 4 colors for $18.99 and up. They are rated for 75 degrees and up and also have Scentcheck® anti-microbial technology that neutralizes odor.
