D8 umpires seattle

A group called Baseball Chapel has long sent chaplains to ballparks on Sundays to lead services for thousands of people across the sport, a practice that has sometimes led to criticism. And, borrowing a marketing strategy from the minor leagues, some M. Increasingly removed from an era in which umpires were often men with hard-charging lives, some of them haunted by war, the full-time umpiring staff of today includes just 76 men who travel the country in crews of four and keep a distance from the players and managers they govern.

Their lives can feel like blurs of airports and fastballs and hotels and brightly lit ballparks, punctuated by calls home to their children and hollers from the dugouts. Their spiritual traditions can serve as anchors, with the lessons and lives they find in Scripture showing them a way forward on the field and away from it.

He would have been able to give it right back on the field. Though the umpires sometimes compare notes on which churches are eager to host visitors and also offer a benediction early enough to make a Sunday afternoon game, attending a single house of worship regularly during the season is out of the question.

The Friday prayer call, which the umpires can now be reminded of via automated text messages 15 minutes in advance, is not quite a substitute. But, the umpires said, it offers a stable dose of spiritual sustenance, whether they are at a baggage claim in Seattle, in a rental car in Texas or, recently for Rackley, a P.

The idea, Rackley said, is for the umpires to feel a little less solitary. The weekly calls for the umpires — officials in other professional leagues have sought advice on how to start their own — generally have the same format. An umpire welcomes his colleagues. Some of them identify themselves; others stay silent, their lines muted.

A brief message, often tailored to the rigors of being an umpire, follows. Then comes a solicitation for prayer requests and, at last, intercession. The men are usually finished in about 30 minutes. But one after another said the effects of the call carry over. In the off-season, many of the umpires participate in a three-night retreat north of Dallas. We take great pride in the excellence of our free training programs for all our members, the professionalism and experience of our Board and assignors, and the dedication of each of our umpires to the game of softball and all those who play.

Most important, our Blues enjoy the strong bonds of friendship and fun. SMSUA has one of the most outstanding umpiring and training programs in the country.

We are proud of our umpires who officiate games and tournaments. We also take pride in the dedication, time, and effort that we put into developing and improving our umpire skills.