NAMB
perspective
The President’s Corner: August 2013 For the love of the game …
AUGUST 2013 n Connecticut Mortgage Professional Magazine n
NationalMortgageProfessional.com
20
I think by now, most of you know that I umpire baseball. I have worked high school, some summer college, junior high and middle school games, and I have worked all categories of Little League, from nineyear-olds to the Big League at the 16-, 17- and 18-year old levels. I have been doing this for more than 38 years, and it is one of the biggest thrills that you can experience when you take the position behind the catcher and the pitcher throws the ball. After all of this time of doing Little League Baseball, umpiring at local Little League games, district games, sectional games, state championship games and regional games and applying to umpire at a World Series, I got a letter in January that I had been chosen to umpire at the Big League World Series in Easley, S.C. What an honor it was to receive that letter. The feeling that day that I would be umpiring in the ultimate experience brought me to the realization that dreams do come true. Well time goes by very quickly, and I soon found the date of July 21 here before I knew it. All of the preparation and planning was now before me and we left on that day for a nine-hour drive from Indiana to South Carolina. Upon arrival, my wife and I were greeted by T.R., Steve and Bryan who are in charge of the umpire crews. I also met the other 12 members of this fraternity of umpires that were also chosen. We registered, got our apartment assignments and proceeded to move in. The apartments were made up of four individual bedrooms with a shared kitchen with a coffee maker and refrigerator and living room, a small TV and washer and dryer, and two bathrooms. The beds were typical dorm single beds and the bedrooms each had their own desk and dresser. We then all got together and went over to the ball fields to get a feel for where we would be umpiring over the next week or so. After a dinner at a local pizza place, we went back to the school, which is about 16 miles from the park, to get final instructions and to rub up 50 dozen official game balls that we would be using during the week. Pictures of the umpires in our uniforms were to take place on Tuesday. On Tuesday, we had an umpire meeting to go over our responsibilities
and a meeting with all of the managers and coaches from the 11 teams that would vie for the title and the first inspection of the equipment of the teams. We also received our assignments for the next day’s competition, and I was chosen to umpire the first game. It was between Latin America (Venezuela) and Mexico. What a thrill! I could hardly sleep that night for the excitement was building. It was a great game. The catcher for the Latin America team, Diego, was a great kid and a really good catcher. We started a friendship that day that continued through the entire Series. As the days went on, we would get our assignments at dinner for the next day. And dinner was served to all of us together after the last game of the day was completed. On one day, we had a rain delay and we went over to get dinner at 12:15 a.m. Boy was that a late night! As the week progressed, we were all working one or two games per day and the weather was muggy. The humidity was so bad that after each game, I had to change my clothes because they were soaked with sweat. But, it was well-earned sweat and what a great experience. On Monday night, they announced the crews for the International Championship and the U.S. Championship games. I was chosen for the U.S. Championship, and I was to umpire first base. How exciting. The game was between the Southeastern Regional team (South Carolina) and the Western Regional team (California). It was a great game and
it was the thrill of a lifetime. I can now mark this outstanding time in my life off my bucket list. This was a dream of mine 10 years ago and it did come true. But I will tell you that it was a lot of hard work and dedication, and I was bound and determined to reach this mountaintop. Reaching the goal of umpiring in the World Series is unparalleled to all of my other umpiring accomplishments. I feel so honored and humbled. The Big League World Series umpire Class of 2013 is made up of great friends and great umpires. To have my name next to theirs and to know that we represented the best for this tournament is so inspiring, yet bittersweet. You see, you can only do this tournament once. Sure, you can apply to go to another one after a four-year wait, but it won’t be the same. I met great people and great kids. I am truly grateful to those who helped me get there. You know who you are and it wouldn’t be fair to call you out as I know that I would probably forget someone. But a mere “thank you” is not enough. I will cherish this time forever, and I will never forget it. I am glad that I got to share this time with my wife and all of my new umpire friends. I will also make this commitment that I will return the favor and help all the young umpires in any way so that they can also reach for the stars and their goals. I do wish to also thank all of my NAMB Board members for their help as they did keep me
up to date on everything that we are working on in Washington, D.C. while I was away. So there you have it. One of the major goals in my life has been accomplished. I am glad that I got to share some of this experience with you. I have included some pictures of me umpiring in the games. And one final word about this experience … as a plate umpire, I usually have general conversation with the catcher about a lot of things. We talk about the pitcher, how his season went, etc. But Diego asked me a question that was truly reality. He asked me why I chose to become an umpire and what did I get out of it. I told him that when I finally realized I would not make it into the professional ranks as a left-handed catcher, I was stepping away from playing and my coach told me about a guy that could keep me attached to the game. Ken was a great mentor of mine and I started to umpire baseball. The best part is that I still get to be on the field, smell the grass and feel the dirt. Umpiring, to me, is a passion. It is something that completes me and makes me happy every day. And most of all, I do it “for the love of the game!” Sincerely,
Donald J. Frommeyer, CRMS, President NAMB—The Association of Mortgage Professionals